alqem

alqem is a German-Portuguese deep-tech startup revolutionizing materials discovery through advanced AI and intelligent synthesis. Born in Munich and Coimbra, alqem was founded by the team behind Alexandria, the world's leading open materials database. The company's AI-powered computational approach rests on two proprietary foundations: a database of predicted crystalline materials substantially larger than any previously available, and proprietary training datasets for material properties. alqem closes the loop between prediction and experiment through in-house synthesis and characterization, validating every candidate under real conditions before commercialization. Its initial focus is rare-earth-free permanent magnets—critical for electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics, and defense systems—where no significant materials breakthrough has occurred in over 40 years. Led by CEO Dr. Hanh Nguyen and CTO Tiago Cerqueira, and backed by Union Square Ventures and UVC Partners, alqem raised €8M in pre-seed funding in 2026 to scale its AI-driven discovery engine.