AFFOA Selects Nuream and Z-Polymers as New Clients for Advanced Fabrics Accelerator Program

AFFOA's Product Accelerator for Advanced Fabrics 2.0

The Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, Inc. (AFFOA) has made an impactful announcement: Nuream and Z-Polymers have been named the latest awardees in its Product Accelerator for Functional Fabrics (PAFF) 2.0 program. This initiative is designed to expedite the commercialization of cutting-edge functional fabric products by providing targeted technical and manufacturing support to innovators in the textile industry.

Launched in 2024, the PAFF program aims to bridge gaps in the development processes of selected companies. Through this program, AFFOA offers its engineering team’s expertise in areas such as design, prototyping, integration, testing, and process engineering at no direct cost. This partnership is crucial for assisting startups and established organizations alike, as they navigate the often-challenging journey of product development while ensuring a faster time to market.

Dr. Sasha Stolyarov, CEO of AFFOA, emphasized the significance of the program, stating, “Most companies, from startups to mature organizations, face technical or resource-related gaps that can significantly delay the product development process. Through the PAFF program, AFFOA can fill those gaps with targeted support to overcome those challenges, allowing innovators to bring transformative textile technologies to market faster while strengthening the domestic supply chain.”

Nuream: Pioneering Health Technology

Nuream, a health technology startup based in Wilmington, NC, is on a mission to develop fabric-integrated sleep monitoring systems. These innovative systems employ “fabric-as-a-sensor” technology to non-invasively track brain activity and other physiological signals while users sleep, by embedding sophisticated sensor systems into everyday textiles like pillowcases and bedding products. The collaboration with AFFOA will enable Nuream to create product prototypes that incorporate e-textile-based sensors and to advance the design for manufacturability.

Rob Cooley, CEO and Co-Founder of Nuream, expressed excitement over being selected for the PAFF 2.0 program, stating, “This collaboration accelerates our path to scalable U.S. manufacturing and positions us to lead the smart textile market with breakthrough sleep health technology that delivers comfort, performance, and personalized health monitoring.”

Z-Polymers: Continuing the Journey

Z-Polymers, a materials science company that is continuing its partnership through this second edition of the PAFF program, aims to develop Tullomer™, a unique polymer compound that can be made into fibers stronger than steel. With the support of AFFOA, Z-Polymers plans to hasten its time to market by formulating a strategy for domestic supply chain partnerships, including identifying local manufacturers for collaboration.

Dr. Mike Zimmerman, CEO and Founder of Z-Polymers, stated, “AFFOA has been instrumental in supporting our vision to create high-performance, Tullomer™ fabrics for clean energy and filtration applications. With PAFF 2.0, we are excited to take the next step toward domestic scale-up and forge meaningful partnerships across the U.S. textile supply chain.”

Conclusion

The launch of the PAFF 2.0 program marks a significant milestone for AFFOA and its awardees. By providing essential resources, mentorship, and support to innovators like Nuream and Z-Polymers, AFFOA is not only fostering advancements in smart textiles and materials science but is also revitalizing the domestic textile industry. This approach emphasizes innovation rooted in the U.S., ensuring that pioneering technologies can evolve and succeed within a robust local supply chain. For further information regarding the PAFF program and its awardees, visit AFFOA's official site.

About AFFOA: AFFOA is a non-profit organization and part of the Manufacturing USA Innovation Institutes, headquartered in Cambridge, MA. Its mission is to revitalize the domestic textiles industry through innovation in advanced fiber and fabric technology development.

About Nuream: Based in Wilmington, NC, Nuream focuses on developing sensor-embedded textile products that monitor brain activity and improve sleep and cognitive health.

About Z-Polymers: Z-Polymers specializes in high-performance polymer technologies, notably Tullomer™, designed for applications in energy storage, aerospace, and filtration.