Precipitating
A Greener Future.
Minus Materials, is a pioneer developer of biologically-derived precipitated calcium carbonate (bioPCC). Leveraging the power of microalgae, the company has created a sustainable, high-performance alternative to traditional PCCs. Minus Materials is committed to unlocking new possibilities for this essential mineral across a diverse range of industries.
Our story.
Meet our founders.
Sarah Williams, Ph.D.
CEO, Co-founder
Ph.D., University of Colorado
Wil V. Srubar III, Ph.D.
Co-founder
Ph.D., Stanford University

Wil V. Srubar III, Ph.D.
Co-founder
Ph.D., Stanford University
Wil is a co-founder and the acting Chief Technology Officer at Minus Materials. He is a materials scientist, structural engineer, inventor, and professor of engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. Wil has more than 15 years of research and commercialization experience at the intersection of biotechnology and the chemistry of construction materials. Since he finished his Ph.D. at Stanford, Wil has committed his professional career to achieving deep decarbonization of the construction industry through sustainable materials research by blurring the boundaries between the built environment and the natural world. Having already co-founded two other successful construction technology startups, Wil is no stranger to translating university research into practice. He is absolutely energized by Minus’ potential to lead the global construction industry’s transition to a low-carbon, nature-based economy.

Danielle Beatty, M.S.
CTO, Co-founder
Ph.D., University of Colorado (2024)
Danielle (Dani) is a co-founder and the Director of Cement Technology at Minus Materials. She is a materials scientist and engineer with eight years of experience in materials science research, the last three of which have been dedicated to cement and concrete materials research. Dani is committed to sustainability and decarbonization of materials, specifically construction materials. Dani is an advocate for interdisciplinary solutions to sustainable development, specifically Minus Material’s approach combining biology, civil engineering, and materials science. She will be finishing her Ph.D. in materials science and engineering in 2024 from CU Boulder, where she is studying the use of biologically produced limestone in cement and concrete. Dani’s studies include evaluating key performance metrics of Minus Materials’ limestone product as a filler in ASTM C595 Type IL portland limestone cement and as a raw feedstock material for ASTM C150 Type I/II portland cement clinker production.

Sarah Williams, Ph.D.
CEO, Co-founder
Ph.D., University of Colorado
10+ years in cement and concrete research
Sarah is a co-founder and the Chief Executive Officer at Minus Materials. She is a civil engineer turned materials scientist with over ten years of experience in cement and concrete materials research. Sarah was previously a Research Civil Engineer at the US Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center (ERDC) where she performed basic and applied research on novel materials and evaluated the durability of existing concrete infrastructure. Sarah has long been a proponent of integrating biological phenomena to improve both the performance and sustainability of manmade materials for human consumption. Since completing her Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from CU Boulder, Sarah has been focused on advancing Minus Materials’ mission and technology to produce biologically precipitated calcium carbonate (bioPCC) using photosynthetic algae. Sarah is also actively engaged with the materials science and infrastructure materials ecosystems to align with their needs and requirements. These activities include ongoing pilot projects with leading firms in the specialty chemicals industry.