tech
April 17, 2026
From the Startup Battlefield stage to the International Space Station: geCKo Materials built a sticky product
This week on Build Mode, Isabelle Johannessen speaks with Capella Kerst, founder and CEO of geCKo Materials.
TL;DR
- A laboratory breakthrough is only the first step for a successful deep tech startup; founders must navigate a complicated legal process to spin out innovative technology into a scalable business.
- Capella Kerst, founder and CEO of g[eCKo Materials](https://www.geckomaterials.com/), shares her experience spinning her bio-inspired adhesive technology from a Stanford PhD into a company.
- A roadmap for founders includes: reaching out to prior contributors, ensuring requirements for the licensing process are met, forming the company and engaging lawyers, and transitioning fully into the founder role.
- g[eCKo Materials](https://www.geckomaterials.com/) is scaling its adhesive technology, with applications in robotics, manufacturing, automotive, and space, aiming to replace traditional attachment methods.
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