Client Spotlight – Sequestro, Inc.
HOUGHTON, MI – July 8, 2025 – MTEC SmartZone’s Innovation Journey gives an inside scoop on the companies we work with. In the heart of Michigan’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, Sequestro is quietly building a product with the potential to make a global environmental impact. The company, a current participant in MTEC SmartZone’s 2025 AMMP Accelerator program, is developing advanced adsorbent materials for water purification—beginning with one of the most pressing challenges of our time: PFAS.
At its core, Sequestro is a materials and manufacturing startup with the mission of removing harmful contaminants from water using cutting-edge technologies. But for founder and CEO Juergen Koller, this journey is deeply rooted in personal experience.
From Chemical Manufacturing to Cleaning the Future
Juergen is no stranger to chemistry, technology, or industrial manufacturing. With a Ph.D. in synthetic inorganic chemistry, his academic research spanned complex topics like Chemical Vapor Deposition of Tungsten Nitride films at the University of Florida and main-group metal catalysis at UC Berkeley. His expertise lies in wet chemistry methods, laboratory techniques, and air-sensitive transformations.
Professionally, Juergen built an impressive 13-year career in the chemical industry, holding key positions at Momentive Performance Materials, the U.S. Department of Defense’s Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), and Wacker Chemical Corporation. But despite his success, Juergen began to question his long-term impact.
“I started to look at the industry from a 10,000-foot view,” he explains. “I asked myself—which side of history do I want to be on—and ultimately, can I transform my career and use my knowledge to mitigate the impacts of our industry.”
This reflection is driven by personal experience. His first job post-academia took him and his family to a town along the Ohio River, later revealed to be Ground Zero for the PFAS public health crisis. “Unbeknownst to me, we lived right in the middle of where this problem started—where fluoropolymers were first manufactured. I experienced the impact firsthand.”
That experience sparked a commitment: to dedicate his skills to removing manmade contaminants from the environment.
Sequestro is Born
Juergen left the comfort of his career and started on a new journey. He connected with the University of Michigan Innovation Partnerships Office to fuel his commitment to sing his knowledge to help fix the problem. There, he was introduced to a promising new PFAS sequestration technology [GH2] and to its inventor, Dr. Anne McNeil.
“I basically cold-emailed the licensing director and said, ‘I’m willing and able to build a company—do you have a promising technology in your IP portfolio?’”
Prof. Anne McNeil is the original inventor of Sequestro’s core PFAS capture technology and now serves as Co-Founder and Scientific Advisor. Anne’s research team developed the functionalized wood pulp that powers Sequestro’s solution and remains actively involved in the company’s development and strategic direction.
“Anne and I immediately connected on a personal level,” Juergen recalls. “Our skill sets were highly complementary—she had the breakthrough technology, and I was ready to build the company that could bring it to market.”
Together, they founded Sequestro in July 2024.
Since then, the company has been on an accelerated path—joining pitch competitions, conducting customer discovery, and refining the underlying technology thanks to early grant support from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).
Their initial ADVANCE Grant allowed them to fund a graduate student in Anne’s lab to continue development, while Juergen pushed forward on commercialization. Today, Sequestro is scaling its material production and targeting its first markets.
The Road So Far and What Lies Ahead
Like many early-stage founders, Juergen admits his biggest hurdle was simply figuring out where to start. “I had no entrepreneurial background, and no one in my family had ever done something like this. We had great technology and enthusiasm—but no idea what step one even looked like.”
Fortunately, the support system was there. From mentors like MJ Cartwright at the University of Michigan to advisors at MTEC SmartZone and peers in the ecosystem, Juergen found the encouragement and guidance he needed. “I’ve never experienced a more supportive community. Everyone wants to help.”
Now approaching Sequestro’s first anniversary, the company is focusing on scaling. “In the next one to three years, our main goal is to produce this material at larger volumes and get it into the hands of customers,” Juergen says. “Long-term, PFAS is just one of many environmental threats. We want to expand our capabilities to include the capture of other contaminants as well—microplastics are next on the list. The needs and opportunities are endless.”
Joining the AMMP Accelerator
Sequestro’s participation in the AMMP Accelerator was a natural fit. “We’re building a materials and manufacturing company—exactly what AMMP was designed to support,” Juergen explains. “The guidance around equipment, pilot space, and commercial strategy has been invaluable.”
Through workshops and one-on-one support from the AMMP team, Sequestro has been refining its pitch, business model, and go-to-market strategy. Looking ahead, Juergen hopes the program will continue to offer critical investor connections and commercialization support.
Advice to Future Founders
Reflecting on his path, Juergen offers advice to anyone considering the leap into entrepreneurship: “It’s a lot of work but incredibly rewarding. If you think you can do it, but you’re hesitating—just go for it. You’d be surprised at what you’re capable of.”
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About MTEC
Michigan Tech Enterprise Corporation (MTEC) is one of 21 SmartZones in the State of Michigan. MTEC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). Its mission is to facilitate the creation and ongoing success of high-tech value propositions in conjunction with the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. Since 2003, the MTEC SmartZone has provided mentoring, technical support, and other services to local companies that have led to the creation of over 800 high-tech jobs in the Houghton and Hancock Michigan area.
About AMMP Accelerator
The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Program (AMMP) Accelerator is designed to support around five cohort companies every three years, fostering a sustainable model for startup acceleration. Through targeted training and mentorship, the initiative aims to catalyze economic growth, with a projected creation of 40 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs in the Upper Midwest region. Additionally, the program will provide guidance and mentorship to approximately 120 companies in the community, driving forward the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Program funding comes from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) Build to Scale Program, Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), and MTEC SmartZone.
About Sequestro, Inc.
Founded in July 2024, Sequestro, Inc. develops advanced, effective, and sustainable adsorbent technologies for the treatment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water. Leveraging deep scientific expertise and decades of combined experience across materials science, environmental engineering, and commercialization, the Sequestro team is addressing one of the most urgent environmental challenges of our time. With a proprietary platform based on renewable raw materials, Sequestro is on a significant upward trajectory, delivering high-performance solutions that are scalable, affordable, and environmentally responsible. Visit us at www.sequestro.co to learn more.