Current Chemicals, Inc. Launches as Independent Specialty Materials Manufacturer, Advancing Innovation and Supply Chain Security
Today marks the official launch of Current Chemicals, Inc. (CCI) as a fully independent, U.S.-based specialty materials manufacturer, ushering in a new chapter for a company with deep industrial roots and a forward-looking mission. Backed by strategic investor Momentum Global Ventures, CCI enters the market positioned to serve as a trusted partner for materials innovation, custom chemistry, and domestic downstream manufacturing of rare earths and critical materials—capabilities increasingly vital to global competitiveness, national security, and next-generation technologies.
The formation of Current Chemicals as an independent entity reflects both a continuation of a long legacy and a deliberate evolution. For more than 75 years, the team that now operates as CCI functioned as the chemical division of GE Lighting, quietly enabling some of the most significant advances in lighting, displays, energy storage, and advanced materials. From phosphors that shaped the modern lighting industry to highly specialized organic and inorganic compounds, the organization has long operated at the intersection of scientific discovery and scalable manufacturing.
Now, with independence comes renewed agility, expanded strategic focus, and the freedom to serve a broader range of partners and industries. As global supply chains face increasing volatility, geopolitical pressure, and growing demand for domestic manufacturing capacity, CCI is stepping into a role that extends beyond traditional contract manufacturing. The company aims to become a strategic infrastructure participant—one that not only produces materials, but also helps shape resilient, secure, and innovation-driven supply chains.
A Transatlantic Partnership at a Critical Moment
CCI’s launch is supported by Momentum Global Ventures, a Netherlands-based investment firm focused on advanced materials, sustainability, and industrial innovation. The partnership between the two organizations represents a strengthening transatlantic alliance at a pivotal moment for the global materials ecosystem.
As industries ranging from electric vehicles and renewable energy to advanced electronics and defense-adjacent technologies grapple with material shortages and supply concentration risks, collaboration between trusted U.S. and European partners has become increasingly important. Together, CCI and Momentum Global Ventures share a commitment to building reliable, transparent, and innovation-led materials infrastructure that can withstand global disruptions while accelerating commercialization.
Momentum Global Ventures is actively assembling a transatlantic advanced materials platform, with investments spanning specialty nanomaterials, luminescent technologies, and next-generation chemistry. Within this broader strategy, CCI serves as a cornerstone asset—providing deep manufacturing expertise, proven process development capabilities, and secure U.S.-based operations.
From Legacy Expertise to Independent Growth
While CCI’s official debut as an independent company is new, its technical foundation is anything but. The organization’s history within GE Lighting positioned it at the forefront of materials science for decades, supporting product lines that demanded extreme reliability, tight tolerances, and continuous innovation.
Over the years, the team developed proprietary processes and scaled complex chemistries that few organizations in the world could execute. This included advanced phosphors critical to lighting and display technologies, as well as a wide range of organic and inorganic materials used in energy, electronics, and industrial applications.
As part of a large corporate structure, these capabilities were primarily focused inward. Independence now allows CCI to bring this expertise directly to external partners—startups, scale-ups, and established companies alike—who face the challenge of moving from laboratory discovery to commercial production.
“We’re a scale-up partner,” said Bill Cohen, CEO of Current Chemicals. “There is a critical gap between discovery and production where promising ideas often stall. Our team has decades of experience navigating that gap. With the agility of a startup and the infrastructure of an established manufacturer, we help innovators turn ideas into production-ready materials that power the modern world.”
Bridging the Gap Between Innovation and Manufacturing
One of CCI’s defining strengths lies in its ability to support projects across the full development lifecycle. Operating from a 250,000-square-foot facility in Cleveland, Ohio, the company offers capabilities ranging from gram-scale prototyping to full-scale commercial production—all within a secure, domestic manufacturing environment.
This vertical integration enables rapid iteration, close collaboration with customers, and seamless transitions from pilot-scale processes to industrial volumes. For companies developing advanced materials, this continuity can significantly reduce risk, cost, and time to market.
CCI’s technical teams specialize in custom chemistry and process innovation, often tackling materials challenges that are too complex, too specialized, or too sensitive for conventional manufacturers. Whether optimizing a synthesis route, developing a scalable production process, or ensuring consistent quality at volume, CCI operates as an extension of its partners’ R&D and engineering teams.
This model is particularly valuable in sectors where materials performance directly impacts system-level reliability, safety, and regulatory compliance.
Expanding Role in Rare Earths and Critical Materials
As global attention increasingly turns toward rare earths and critical materials, CCI is rapidly expanding its role within these strategically important supply chains. These materials are essential components in electric vehicles, wind turbines, advanced displays, consumer electronics, and a wide range of defense-adjacent technologies.
Historically, supply chains for many of these materials have been highly concentrated, creating vulnerabilities for manufacturers and governments alike. CCI’s U.S.-based downstream manufacturing capabilities provide an alternative—supporting domestic processing, customization, and value-added production that strengthens supply chain resilience.
Rather than positioning itself solely as a materials supplier, CCI is intentionally moving upstream and downstream within the ecosystem. This approach allows the company to support partners not only with production, but also with process design, material qualification, and long-term supply planning.
By doing so, CCI aims to reduce reliance on single-source suppliers, improve transparency, and enable more secure access to mission-critical materials.
Momentum Global Ventures’ Strategic Vision
For Momentum Global Ventures, the investment in Current Chemicals reflects a broader thesis: that the future of advanced manufacturing depends on tightly integrated platforms that combine innovation, scalability, and geographic resilience.
“Current Chemicals has tremendous growth potential thanks to its rare combination of legacy expertise, custom chemistry capabilities, and secure U.S.-based operations,” said Pieter Six, Investment Director at Momentum Global Ventures. “As an independent company, CCI can offer even greater agility and value to partners navigating high-stakes challenges in innovation, supply chain security, and advanced manufacturing.”
By aligning CCI with complementary portfolio companies, Momentum Global Ventures aims to accelerate the commercialization of next-generation materials across global markets. This ecosystem approach enables shared learning, faster development cycles, and closer collaboration between material innovators and manufacturers.
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