STARTUP SPOTLIGHT: MEET NANOPLUME CTO & CO-FOUNDER, TARA LOVE
As a leading PR agency for startups, we’re lucky to work with some of the most exciting founders shaping the future. But what makes a great founder? What drives them, and what advice would they share?
In our Startup Spotlight series, we interview standout young founders in the UK. This month, we speak with Tara Love, CTO & Co-Founder of NANOPLUME, an advanced biomaterials startup pioneering Bio-Aerogel – the world’s lightest, thinnest and most effective insulation. Their tech cuts production costs by 75%, helping industries like construction, logistics and aerospace embrace sustainable, low-carbon solutions.
What inspired you to start the business?
With a background in geoscience, geochemistry and chemical engineering, I wanted to create a sustainable, circular solution to waste. Initially, I explored biodegradable super-absorbent (aerogel) materials for diapers (children and adult) to reduce landfill leachate and enable recycling. I joined Carbon13 (the venture builder for the climate emergency) to find co-founders who shared my vision and values, and together we saw a greater opportunity in energy efficiency and advanced materials. Shifting from absorbents to aerogels for insulation, we founded NANOPLUME to tackle climate mitigation and adaptation, using bio-based aerogels to reduce energy waste and create real-world impact.
Tell us about the business?
NANOPLUME is a UK and US-based advanced biomaterials company pioneering the next generation of insulation with Bio-Aerogel, the world’s lightest, thinnest and best insulating material. Our technology reduces production costs by 75%, making super-insulating biomaterials accessible to industries such as the built environment, cold chain logistics and aerospace. By improving energy efficiency, space efficiency and circularity, we’re helping industries reduce waste and transition to low-carbon solutions.
Our team brings together deep technical expertise and commercial experience. The three co-founders have backgrounds in chemical engineering (2x PhDs) and business (1x MBA) from Cambridge, Stanford, and Warwick. Collectively, we have over a decade of experience in industrial-scale biomaterials manufacturing, strategy consulting (BCG), and building early-stage hardware businesses.
Our mission is simple: Reinvent insulation to cut energy and material waste and build a more sustainable future.
How did you come up with the name?
The name NANOPLUME reflects both the science and shared vision behind our company. “Nano” represents our use of nanoparticles and colloidal systems in our aerogel formulations. “Plume” resonated with each of us as co-founders for different reasons, all connected to the nature of aerogels.
For Theresa Hoffmann (CEO), it symbolized a feather, as aerogels are incredibly lightweight, much like the delicate structure of a plume. For Tafadzwa Motsi (COO), it represented a plume of air or smoke, as aerogels are often referred to as “solid smoke” due to their ultra-porous structure. For me, it tied back to my background in geology where mantle plumes – hot, buoyant columns of rock rising from the Earth’s mantle – are a key part of thermal management in Earth’s systems. This connected with our mission of creating low-density, highly insulating materials for managing heat efficiently.
The name reflects our diverse perspectives and expertise, while uniting us under a shared vision.
What was your previous job / role?
Whilst I was completing my PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Cambridge, researching wellbore strengthening using complex colloidal systems as part of a BP-ICAM project, I worked as an Educational Consultant and founded Shiny Armour Ltd, where I developed microfluidic wearable safety technology.
Looking ahead into the future, what award would you love to win?
The Earthshot Prize would be incredible because it aligns with our mission to reinvent sustainable insulation. Winning recognition for transforming energy efficiency with bio-based aerogels would not only validate our work but also amplify our impact globally.
What has been your biggest challenge working in startups?
Balancing the deep technical R&D with the fast-paced nature of startup growth. Developing high-performance materials takes time, yet the startup world demands quick traction. Managing expectations between scientific progress, fundraising timelines and commercial milestones has been a challenge, but also an exciting learning curve.
What’s the best advice you have ever received?
“Perfect is the enemy of good.” In deep-tech startups, you can get caught up in making something ideal, but progress often comes from iteration. Launching with a “good-enough” MVP and refining based on real-world feedback is better than waiting for perfection.
What is your favourite book?
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin. It explores themes of science, innovation, and societal structures which resonate deeply with how I think about building technology and businesses that challenge the status quo.
What entrepreneur / leader or role model has inspired you the most?
The strongest influences in my life have been the women in my own family, women who built their own paths despite the odds.
My great-grandmother was a self-made woman who ran her own shop. She was independent and fearless, standing up for herself in the face of domestic violence and choosing freedom and self-sufficiency. Her resilience and determination to build a future on her own terms inspire me every day.
My mother also started her own business, showing me first-hand what it takes to build something from the ground up. Watching her navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship taught me the importance of perseverance, adaptability and believing in your vision even when the road gets tough.
Beyond my family, I’m also deeply inspired by Angela Belcher, whose work in biomaterials aligns with how we innovate at NANOPLUME. She champions the idea that nature can create an infinite number of novel materials if given the right ingredients and conditions, a philosophy that resonates with how we develop sustainable aerogels.
I also admire Madam C. J. Walker who became the first self-made female millionaire in the U.S. She built a successful business while empowering others, breaking barriers in an era where opportunities for women – especially women of colour – were incredibly limited. Her resilience and vision serve as a reminder that innovation and entrepreneurship can be powerful tools for change.
What would be the anthem / song that would represent your business?
“Hope” by NF. The song embodies resilience, ambition and pushing through challenges to create something meaningful. As a startup, especially in deep-tech and materials innovation, we face constant obstacles – whether in R&D, scaling, or navigating the industry. Hope reflects the mindset we bring to NANOPLUME: believing in what we’re building, staying relentless, and turning vision into reality.
Check out more about some other incredible startups in our Spotlight Series, or if you are keen to work with a leading PR agency for startups, get in touch with us at info@cherishpr.com.