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Eztia Materials announces $4 million seed round, expands customer footprint in Asia

By: Eztia via GlobeNewswire

October 09, 2025 at 08:00 AM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Eztia Materials announced its $4.35 million seed round led by Shadow Ventures and Streetlife Ventures with participation from Granite Asia and Scrum Ventures, deploying the funds to mature its manufacturing base and continue its global expansion across the construction, public safety, public works, and defense sectors.

Eztia engineers and manufactures HydraVolt™ gel with a proprietary mix of polymers, additives, and liquids, developing the most effective cooling solution on the market. HydraVolt is scientifically proven to absorb body heat and reduce skin temperature by ~10°C for up to eight hours of strenuous physical activity.

HydraVolt enhances human performance and protects against heat-related injuries and can be used anywhere in the world, able to integrate into existing clothing and gear and recharge with only water — no batteries, refrigeration, or electricity needed.

Eztia is addressing a critical need — heat waves affected 80% of the world’s population last summer, resulting in nearly 500,000 heat-related deaths with tens of thousands more suffering from heat-related injuries. Critical markets – from the U.S. military to global construction, from manufacturing industries to first responders — are operating in austere environments, prone to heat-related injuries or worse. Today, the United States loses an average of $100 billion annually from heat-induced declines in labor productivity with an incident averaging $79,000 in expenses. In response, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is nearing the final stages of a federal heat standard to protect workers.

“Almost everyone in the world has to deal with extreme heat, such as construction workers, soldiers, and public safety officials, but also athletes and everyday people. The gel material we engineer and manufacture improves the human experience and quality of life in a way that’s globally applicable and accessible,” said Tiffany Yeh, CEO and co-founder of Eztia Materials.

In response, Eztia has accrued a new customer, PSA Singapore, operator of the world’s largest container transshipment hub, which is currently pilot testing HydraVolt for their employees in partnership with Temasek Foundation. They join Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs, Japan’s Kajima Construction, and California’s Muller Construction Supply as initial partners.

"Eztia is solving one of the most urgent and overlooked problems in the built world: heat stress on workers. Their platform is built on a novel material science breakthrough with real scientific depth, enabling cooling performance that’s both effective and practical with the many constraints present in the field,” said Matt Ohlman, CTO and General Partner at Shadow Ventures. “This, combined with their ability to rapidly iterate across additional markets, uniquely positions them to lead the emerging category of personal cooling at a global scale. We are thrilled to back this phenomenal team to capitalize on this vision."

“As extreme heat increasingly threatens urban life and work, Eztia is setting a new breakthrough standard for how we adapt. Their HydraVolt™ technology cools skin by up to 10°C — no batteries or refrigeration needed — and is already proving its effectiveness with construction, logistics, and safety teams. This kind of practical, scalable innovation is exactly what cities and global industries need to keep people safe and productive in a hotter world," said Laura Fox, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Streetlife Ventures.

When temperatures rise, human performance and cognitive function decline. Studies show heat causes a reduction in vigilance and the ability to perform more complex dual-tasks as well as overall reduced physical performance. Of the global working hours that will be lost to extreme heat over the next five years, critical industries like construction — which accounts for 19% of hours lost across all industries — are materially affected by worsening heat. Worker safety is also at risk: construction workers are 13 times more likely to die from a heat-related illness than other industries.

“Eztia’s gel keeps Muller Construction Supply’s contractor-based customers safe and helps them be their best in the heat,” said Brian McGovern, President at Muller Construction Supply. “When people are working outside, air conditioning isn’t an option. Battery-powered clothing or ice packs are a hassle and don’t really work. HydraVolt is the best human cooling solution we’ve found on the market, hands down.”

Learn more about Eztia Materials here.

About Eztia Materials
Eztia Materials engineers and manufactures advanced materials designed to maximize human performance and protect people operating in extreme heat. Eztia’s HydraVolt™ technology is a tunable polymer platform that can be configured to specific uses and operational requirements, proven to reduce skin temperature by ~10°C for up to eight hours of strenuous physical activity.

Developed by physicians and materials engineers, Eztia is deployed by U.S. military personnel and international construction conglomerates to help people operating in extreme heat and austere environments be their best.

Contact
AIM Communications
ian@aimcomms.xyz