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University of Michigan Innovation Partnerships
University of Michigan Innovation Partnerships
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Sequestro Celebrates Launch as U-M Startup with Bell Ringing Ceremony

9/8/2025

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS are an emerging environmental and health concern gaining increased attention from regulators and scientists. Commonly referred to as forever chemicals, PFAS are used across a variety of industries which, once used, make their way into our water, air, food and soil. Exposure to PFAS may lead to negative health outcomes for people and animals including decreased fertility, interference with hormone function and increased cancer risk. 

Working to address this problem, Sequestro is a University of Michigan (U-M) advanced materials startup providing advanced, sustainable adsorbents to remove PFAS from waterways. Sequestro joined the Innovation Partnerships team in early September to celebrate the company’s official launch as a U-M startup with a bell ringing ceremony. Representing Sequestro were:

  • Anne McNeil, PhD, Technology Inventor & Co-Founder of Sequestro; Carol A. Fierke Collegiate Professor of Chemistry and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Chemistry, Macromolecular Science, and Engineering at the College of Engineering; Professor of Environment, Program in the Environment at the School for Environment and Sustainability and College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; Faculty Sustainability Advisor at the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
  • Juergen Koller, PhD, CEO and Co-Founder of Sequestro
  • Cosima Boswell-Koller, PhD, Executive Director of Research Engagement, Office of Research & Economic Development at the University of Alabama
  • Henry Thurber, Graduate Student with the McNeil Group 

The path to Sequestro began in 2021, when McNeil reached out to Jeremy Nelson, director of physical sciences licensing at Innovation Partnerships. McNeil had developed PFAS-capturing technologies alongside former graduate student Dr. Justin Harris and Dr. Gloria De La Garza and was looking for support bringing these innovations to market. McNeil would spend the next two years continuing to develop her technology while waiting for the right entrepreneurial connections who would not only help lead the way through commercialization, but who would support the sustainability goals of her work.

Fast forward to 2023, when Juergen Koller and his wife, Cosima Boswell-Koller, reached out to Innovation Partnerships looking to connect with a U-M technology with startup potential. The Kollers had an extensive industry background and a passion for environmental solutions, making them a perfect match to help bring Sequestro to life. With business and customer discovery leadership from mentor-in-residence MJ Cartwright, McNeil connected with the Kollers in 2024.

“We owe many thanks to Innovation Partnerships,” said Juergen Koller on the experience of forming Sequestro.

“Innovation Partnerships helped to bring together our team. With MJ’s mentorship and Anne and Henry’s development of the technology, we were all able to create something that was more than the sum of its parts.”

The technology was further developed with the support of McNeil Group graduate student Henry Thurber, who helped implement the use of wood fiber as a PFAS capturing solution, providing a more sustainable and effective PFAS removal system that would be more easily scalable for commercialization. 

Since its official launch, Sequestro has participated in several product advancement programs, including receiving an ADVANCE grant from the Michigan State University Innovation Center, as well as participating in the National Science Foundation I-Corps Spring 2025 cohort. They’re also seeing great momentum and enthusiasm around their system. They received first prize in the TCNewTech Pitch Competition, Traverse City’s premiere pitch event. As they look to the future, the Sequestro team is hoping to secure dedicated lab space, allowing them to scale production of their product and bring it to more consumers who are looking for a sustainable way to treat their water systems. 

“As we ring this bell, we should take it as a celebration not just of the progress that we’ve achieved today, but as a symbol of the impact we can have in the future,” said Koller, closing out the bell ringing ceremony. “Here’s to the journey ahead!”