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Cambium

Category: AI Infrastructure

A deep-tech company developing next-generation, AI-designed high-performance biomaterials engineered for extreme environments in defense and aerospace. Cambium was founded in 2020. The company is led by Simon Waddington. Based in El Segundo, USA. Team size: 51-200. Total funding raised: $127.0M. Latest round: Series B ($100.0M, Jan 2026). Key investors include ["8VC","Lockheed Martin Ventures","MVP Ventures","Veteran Ventures Capital","Gaingels"].

Founded
2020
Headquarters
El Segundo, USA
Team size
51-200
Total funding
$127.0M

Value proposition

Delivers superior thermal resistance and structural integrity through bio-manufactured materials that outperform traditional petroleum-based synthetics while securing domestic supply chains.

Products and solutions

["CAM-1: A high-performance bio-based resin designed for extreme heat and fire resistance.","Thermal Protection Systems (TPS): Lightweight shielding for hypersonic vehicles and atmospheric re-entry.","Bio-manufactured Composites: High strength-to-weight ratio materials for airframes and engine components.","Computational Material Discovery Platform: An AI-driven engine that simulates and optimizes molecular structures for specific physical properties."]

Unique value

Cambium bridges the gap between synthetic biology and heavy industry, using biological organisms as 'factories' to create complex molecules that are difficult or impossible to synthesize through traditional petro-chemistry.

Target customer

U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), aerospace OEMs, space exploration companies, and manufacturers of hypersonic and high-speed flight systems.

Industries served

["Defense","Aerospace","Space Exploration","Advanced Manufacturing","Biotechnology"]

Technology advantage

Combines AI-driven molecular design with synthetic biology to drastically reduce the R&D cycle for new materials. This 'computational-to-biological' pipeline allows for rapid prototyping of materials with specific thermal and mechanical 'envelopes' required for next-gen hardware.

How they differentiate

Cambium differentiates through a 'computational-to-biological' pipeline that designs materials specifically for extreme thermal and mechanical environments (e.g., hypersonics), whereas competitors often focus on commodity chemicals or consumer-grade bio-plastics.

Main competitors

["Solugen","Checkerspot","Hexcel Corporation"]

Key partnerships

["U.S. Department of Defense (Multiple contracts with Air Force and Navy)","Ginkgo Bioworks (Strategic collaboration for organism engineering and scale-up)","Lockheed Martin Ventures (Strategic investment and hardware integration)","8VC (Lead investor and strategic scaling partner)"]

Notable customers

["U.S. Air Force","U.S. Navy","Lockheed Martin","Ginkgo Bioworks (Strategic Partner)"]

Major milestones

["Successfully tested CAM-1 bio-based resin for extreme heat resistance","Secured strategic investment from Lockheed Martin Ventures in 2023","Closed $100M Series B to scale domestic manufacturing in Jan 2026"]

Growth metrics

Transitioned from R&D to industrial-scale manufacturing; expanded workforce to 51-200 employees following Series B.

Market positioning

Specialized defense-tech and aerospace materials challenger providing high-performance alternatives to petroleum-based composites.

Geographic focus

North America (primarily United States Department of Defense and domestic aerospace OEMs)

Patents and IP

Holds proprietary IP regarding bio-synthetic pathways for high-performance polymers and specific bio-composite formulations (specific patent filings are typically maintained as trade secrets or protected under defense-related non-disclosure).

About Simon Waddington

Simon Waddington is a seasoned deep-tech executive and serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in materials science and biotechnology. Before founding Cambium, he was the Chief Operating Officer at Evolva, where he led the commercialization of high-value ingredients. His foundational career includes serving as Product Development Manager for Zeneca’s biopolymers division and as a Senior Research Scientist at ICI Advanced Materials. He holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Liverpool and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

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