Startup companies often focus on a specific technology they think will meet market needs. However, Dr. Zlatka Stoeva, Co-founder and Managing Director of DZP Technologies, will tell you that identifying a market need and coming up with the chemistry and technology to satisfy it is the better approach. Meet this intriguing chemist with a unique past and a bright future whose work aims to provide sustainable material solutions to a variety of real-world problems.
Join us for this look into materials chemistry, developed under the guiding principles of sustainability and a systems approach.
Dr. Zlatka Stoeva, Co-founder and Managing Director of DZP Technologies, discovered her love of chemistry out of boredom as a child. She then traveled to unknown lands to master her science and discover the value of mentors while doing amazing work on lithium-ion battery chemistry. A stint in the technology transfer office at Cambridge showed her how fundamental research can be translated into real-world solutions that can change lives, and this inspired her to start her own company.
In providing CRO services and developing IP to help companies address market needs using unique materials, Stoeva and her colleagues approach problems with a systems mindset that is common in engineering, but not always chemistry. We hear about their work in “plastic electronics” that leverage biological materials and consider sustainability aspects while delivering results. We also hear about their exciting work using graphene materials to produce digitized materials that can code information about how they’re made and their interactions with the environment.
Check out this great episode that balances a wonderful personal story, amazing science, and great bits of advice to guide your science and career development!
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Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 00:06
Technology transfer from university research to industry can be a very long process. We work with the early adopters, with innovators, so that this innovation goes through its paths to reach broader and broader audience.
Matt Ferris 00:25
Dr. Zlatka Stoeva has always enjoyed working ahead of the curve, starting as a small child who knew that she was destined for a career in chemistry. Now as the co-founder and managing director of DZP Technologies, she's helping lead the charge for advanced and sustainable materials throughout the electronics industry. Thanks for joining us for this episode of Bringing Chemistry to Life, a Thermo Fisher podcast series. I'm Matt Ferris, a producer of the show. And as always, we're thrilled to have you along for the conversation. We began by asking Zlatka about her upbringing, where her passion for science first started.
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 01:08
I grew up in Bulgaria. So this was the former Eastern Bloc. We do not have internet; we didn't have mobile phones. We only had a library and textbooks, so this was the only fun we could have. And my biggest fun was actually to read textbooks. I know it may sound unusual but yeah, this was the most interesting thing which I could do. I guess that's why quite early on, I got interested in science. Maybe if I was growing up somewhere else, I might be interested in something else. But this is how it went.
Paolo 01:45
You mean you go into science because you were bored, and you didn't, you didn't have anything better to do?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 01:50
It was actually a matter of being bored. Actually, one day I remember I, it was a summer holiday. I didn't know what to do. I went to the attic and found a box full of textbooks from my older cousins and brother. And I started looking through the textbooks. And I came across this textbook for organic chemistry. At this point, I had done only one year of chemistry at school. So I just knew the very basics. And I saw this textbook and there were these like models like ball and stick models of organic molecules, which looks so interesting. And I started reading it. And then I realized just how by combining different atoms, you can create all these molecules. You can explain how you make medicines, food, proteins. I found this really very, very interesting. And within a week, I read the whole textbook.
Paolo 02:55
The whole organic chemistry?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 02:57
Yes, I remember then I said, “This is what I really want to do.” Because it was like magic.
Paolo 03:03
So how old were you?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 03:04
I was probably 12 or 13 or something like that. Yeah.
Paolo 03:09
That's early to get into organic chemistry.
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 03:11
Yes, I was really hooked. I just knew that I wanted to do chemistry.
Paolo 03:16
So that there was that precise moment. That's fascinating. I've heard many stories. But that's quite, that's quite original. It's quite unique. So that's that was basically dictated your educational choices from that moment on?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 03:29
Yes, I think for me, it was very easy decision. I was very good at school. So when I finished high school, it was time to go to university, I didn't even think twice. I just knew that I want to do chemistry.
Paolo 03:43
What brought you here?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 03:45
So, I came to the UK. Many years ago, in '97 to do my PhD, I was awarded the full scholarship to study at St. Andrews University to do my PhD. So that's why I came here. It was in the Department of Chemistry. Yeah. This is how I came here.
Paolo 04:07
How was Scotland coming from Bulgaria?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 04:09
To be honest, I didn't even have a chance to think about it.
Paolo 04:14
You're in the lab all the time?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 04:15
Again, back then this was '97. So internet was just starting to come to Bulgaria. We didn't even have like emails all the time, I had to go to some friends who had internet at home to communicate with the department. And when I arrived in St. Andrews, I didn't really know anyone. And everyone was saying, "Oh, how can you come here when you don't know anything about this place?" And I said, "Well, I don't care. I came here to study." I totally enjoyed it. Very interesting. I mean, it's the kind of study I've never done before. I did my PhD on now lithium-ion battery materials many, many years ago. Back then no one was talking about these kind batteries we see today. Back then it was just iridium coin cells which go into mobile phones. It was very new. People were talking that one day they can be used in cars and for us, this was like fantasy land. But, yeah, it was good fun. And I always think how research evolves, something I was doing 20 years ago. So I graduated in 2001 with my PhD. Twenty years down the line, you can actually see this research coming to some commercial use, I would say. I'm sure there are still many years to do R&D in lithium batteries and so on.
Paolo 05:42
What were the specifics of your research back then? Were you designing new materials, exploring properties? What was the focus on at the beginning?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 05:53
Yes, so my PhD was focused on solid polymer electrolytes, solid state lithium-ion batteries.
Paolo 06:00
Already in ‘97, we were dealing with solid state?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 06:03
Yes, my PhD was on this topic. And we published the paper in Nature. I was very lucky to work with a very good supervisor. It was really groundbreaking research. I don't think I realized it back then because it just seemed normal. We were developing polymer electrolytes to go on into solid state battery.
Paolo 06:25
What kind of chemistry was there? So it was organic, right? I mean, you were dealing with polymers?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 06:30
It was quite a good mix, actually. Because basically use a polymer and use a salt to make the electrolyte. It's pretty much like liquid electrolytes, but your solvent is essentially a polymer. So it's really very interdisciplinary.
Paolo 06:47
So after your PhD then, you stayed in Scotland, you moved to Aberdeen?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 06:47
Yes. And the weather was horrible. So,
Paolo 06:47
Yes, nothing in St. Andrews, is that nice, is it? How long have you been there?
Paolo 06:48
I spent five years in Scotland,
Paolo 06:54
Okay. All in all, okay.
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 07:01
And then I moved to England, Cambridge. I just got a job at the university. After doing a few postdocs, I still liked science, but I was at this point of my career where I probably wants to do something different. So I did the MBA study for one year. After that, I got the job at Cambridge University working in the Technology Transfer Office. And this is how I came to Cambridge.
Paolo 07:29
So you kind of left research for a little, you know, maybe not science. But now it's interesting.
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 07:37
I left it and then I came back to it.
Paolo 07:40
Tell me the story. How did it happen?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 07:42
So when I came to Cambridge, the job at the university was actually very, very interesting. I came here in the Technology Transfer Office, with the idea that I will move to commercial career, industrial career, management. And in the Technology Transfer Office, it was very, very interesting. We basically work with university academics to commercialize their research. And initially, it was quite scary, because I had to meet professors who are such big names in the field, it was just ridiculous. And while I thought, “Oh, my God, tomorrow, I have to go and meet this person." Initially, it was a bit scary, but it was very interesting, and everyone was so supportive. So we were helping academics to file patents, helping spinouts to basically create their business model, look for funding, create companies. And what I found also very interesting was that everyone was encouraged to do it, students, or very young postdocs, which was very, very different from what I've seen before in other places. I could see how university science becomes into something which can really transform our lives. Whether it's with new drugs, whether it's with new type of energy storage, whatever. I could see what a difference science can make. And after three years or something, I decided that I want to do the same, and decided to start my my own company. It was just so inspiring to see other people do it.
Paolo 09:30
So to start a new company, you need some idea, right, some fundamental concept, or technology principle. So where was that coming from? Did you go back to research in some ways, or did you have something in mind that you translated into your company?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 09:47
Well, looking back, I think I was very naive in terms of, “Oh I've seen everything all of these things happening at university.” But I don't think I had a clear business plan or clear idea what I want to do to be honest. I just knew with that I could do something useful. When I started the company, I think for about a year or so I was still working at university. I got involved in some conversations with other companies about what kind of technology can be developed, in this specific case for printable solar panels. And because my experience was mostly in materials chemistry, I could see some opportunities, how some components of a solar panels can be printed to make flexible panels.
Paolo 10:34
Was this based on your experience with the battery material?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 10:37
Yes. I mean, it looks very different,
Paolo 10:39
The chemistry is different, sure.
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 10:40
It's down to materials chemistry. And the principles are quite similar in a way that you're talking about functional materials, which have some electronic properties, whether it's for battery, or whether it's for a photovoltaic, its material with specific electronic or optical properties. Talking to these companies, I could see a way to do components with the solar cells. We applied for European funding and we were lucky to get the funding. So with this European project, we actually had enough money in the business for two years. And for me, it was easy decision to leave university and move full time to the company. And then during this time, actually developed quite a lot of other ideas and started getting more grants, making some sales, and there we go.
Paolo 11:36
It feels unusual to me, right, the way you describe it. And you said you were a bit naive, and you didn't really have a business plan. You know, usually when people come from the research work, particularly academia, they have some results that they believe have commercial value, right? It almost seems like you wanted to find a commercial buyer, and you funded the company, and then you had the funding to then develop the technology?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 12:03
Yes, this is what we do in the company nowadays, as well. We find a problem, we identify it, we don't find it, we identify it by talking to customers talking to others. And once we see a problem, we think, "Well, let's see how we can solve this problem and are we in a good position to solve this problem? Do we have the skills, the capacity?" The other difference is we actually don't have investors. So we are fully funded by ourselves basically, through organic growth. And that's why I didn't have to make a business plan. And very often, people ask, "Have you got a business plan?" Actually I do have a plan, but it's not written and it's changing all the time. What we're trying to do is, we want to understand what the needs are in the market, in society, and trying to address these needs, rather than starting from us and saying, "Oh, we have this great solution, or but we don't know if there is a problem which it solves?"
Paolo 13:08
Can you speak a bit more about the company? So over the years working on these products, you sorry, on these problems, you have developed some products that you sell, you know, if you go to a website and see that, you know, you guys focus on some areas. You want to describe what the focus is, and maybe I'm really curious, I'd like to jump on some of your products, you know, maybe the more significant ones in describing the technology and you know, your experience with that?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 13:35
Yeah, so we do sell products, which we developed over the years. A lot of these products were developed through public funding. So we are very lucky in the UK to have government support for R&D. When we develop our products, our aim is always to have more like a holistic approach to what we are trying to offer. We are not only trying to solve one problem, we want to make sure that by solving this problem, we don't create other problems. So in the field, we are working in we call it plastic electronics, but it's much broader than that. Something which we see for example is many companies are trying to make, for example, wearable devices, stretchable devices, new forms of electronics, and they're trying to adopt materials, chemicals, methods from traditional electronics, which doesn't really work. You might have one material for one specific part of it, but you don't have the whole thing, the whole system to make it work. And this is what we are trying to address. So that if you use our materials, you can actually create the whole device, the whole system. We have quite a lot of interesting developments at the moment because other than products we are developing IP in specific areas and also like technical solutions, which we will probably license at some point for others to use as well. But to our one interesting development, which we have at the moment, is actually related to digitalization of materials. I think we are very good in this. And I think it will be very interesting area in future because in any material you can code information, which tells you how the material is made, or how it reacts to the environment. And in this way, you can actually bridge the physical world, the material, with artificial intelligence. So, this is something which we are developing at the moment, and I'm hoping in a few years’ time, it will be something which can be demonstrated and turned into a commercial offering.
Paolo 15:59
I'm intrigued, this is really interesting, how does he work?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 16:02
It works exactly as I said. Basically, the way you make a material, this material carries with itself information about how it was made and then how it reacts with the environment. And you can make use of this information, you can then make measurements and so on. And from this information, you can make conclusions and so on.
Paolo 16:29
Is it a universal thing, or does this apply to specific materials in their realms or plastic electronics or electrochemistry or the things you guys deal with?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 16:38
We are currently using it for our own materials. So we are developing graphene electronics, which has these specific properties.
Paolo 16:47
Okay. is it linked to a very specific way to make the material or some additives that you that you use in the formulation. How does that work?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 16:59
Yes, it's about the materials and the chemicals which go in the formulation. And because we make the formulation, we can actually make it in such a way that it actually keeps some information in it.
Paolo 17:14
So you have very specific analytical methods to look for something specific in there that you can read?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 17:20
And it's usually around electronic properties. So, I think this is a very interesting area. And we are learning about AI. I am a chemist; the learning never stops. So we are learning about AI and many other things. Probably another area which is important for us, including for our products, is around sustainability. Nowadays, everyone wants to use electronics everywhere, but then what happens with it, it creates so much waste. And we are thinking how to design our materials in such a way that you can create electronics, which is useful for people and easy to use but at the same time, it doesn't create a new problem, like electronic waste or pollution. When we make our products and design devices around it this is something which we pay a lot of attention to.
Matt Ferris 18:20
We hope you're enjoying this episode of Bringing Chemistry to Life. Stay tuned at the end of the episode for information on how to access content recommendations from our guests, as well as information on how to register for free Bringing Chemistry to Life t-shirt. And now back to our conversation.
Paolo 18:54
What is the key here and what is the fundamental concept? Is it looking into new types of materials or things that might be biodegradable or more easily recycled?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 19:06
Yeah, this is one area to use materials which are maybe even biological materials. They could be cellulose, these kinds of materials which are from nature. So they don't have to be synthetic polymers, they could be something from renewable sources from plants.
Paolo 19:24
Do they carry enough electronic properties to be applied in?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 19:29
Yeah, so some materials from nature are very interesting and they have many interesting properties, which can be used, including to make electronics of novel form and shape. Something else we're always looking into is how to make these electronics more sustainable in the sense that we don't just use it and throw it away and recycle straight away. Maybe there is a way to repair something, to reuse? So these are all aspects which we are looking at when we do our development.
Paolo 20:05
It's interesting and very heterogeneous. And you and you mentioned the fact that this comes from basically you looking for problems that you can potentially solve. What is the model the company is using? Is it a service type of thing, did you get a lot public funding and or collaboration with industrial partners and try and solve their issues?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 20:28
Yeah, this is what we do. So we have a product line, obviously, we have a portfolio of products. But we also do contract research, providing research services to clients. If they have particular problems, which they cannot solve on their own, they can pass and we can help them solve them. And these clients, it's actually fascinating, because they come from so many different areas, different markets and sometimes they're small startup companies, sometimes they're global companies. We work with a very broad range of, of clients. And that's really interesting and fascinating, because we meet so many interesting people. But yeah, sometimes even in the biggest company, we'd become R&D department, sometimes they will have a, maybe a very small problem, but they cannot solve themselves, they need this very specific expertise. So they would come to someone like us, and we help them.
Paolo 20:32
You know, you started from the, from battery materials, right, and obviously, that gave you a lot of the fundamentals in some ways. But it's interesting how you know that you branched out into something that is fundamentally different. But have you ever got the chance to have any of your technologies and work apply to electrochemistry and storage and batteries in any in any ways?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 21:55
Yeah, so we, we do some work on batteries at the moment, which is not too much on the battery chemistry. But we work more on the battery pack assembly technologies. So for example, we are developing sensors to monitor the safety of the battery. Because with lithium-ion batteries, safety is a big problem. So we are developing with our graphene materials, we are developing sensors, which can detect if the battery is overheating, or if the battery is not used properly so that it can give you a warning if your battery is becoming too dangerously hot, for example, and it may catch fire. So we do quite a lot of work in this area. Maybe not too much on the battery chemistry, but more on the actual deployment of the battery in real life.
Paolo 22:56
I think you're sitting in the right place in the country and perhaps in Europe and in the world, you know, for people looking for innovation, you know, there's very good infrastructure here. How is your perspective on the more general state of the industry? And you know, we can use the battery if you're still you know, familiar with it or in, in general in the electronic space? Where is what is the UK, because everything is very Asian-centric in all these fields? So what is, what is the role in your opinion that the west can play here? Is there any hope to differentiate or to offer something that cannot be achieved over there with the current models?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 23:35
I think we can play a big role in innovation and in sustainability because China, for example, have huge resources - mines, metals, everything, which here we don't have. But what we have here is the innovation and can we develop such technologies that we can use and reuse these resources within our countries in a better way to make use of them as much as possible, rather than relying completely on import from somewhere else. I think it is critical to acknowledge this and I think especially the UK Government is acknowledging this and it is helping companies to actually develop such more circular economy solutions, so that we can use and reuse materials especially, so we are less dependent on imports. I think that's a critical part of what we can contribute.
Paolo 24:43
And the way your personal experience tells the story of a field that is actually working in connecting academia and the private sector, right, to bring innovation from universities to industry or having this sort of collaborative approach to it, which is not, there doesn't seem to be very common, right? Is it because it's Cambridge? Or are there other realities similar to this one and the one that you have lived so far?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 25:11
I think Cambridge definitely helps. Because there is so much going on here. There is the infrastructure, the ecosystem. You have the universities, you have big companies, small companies. It's a perfect place to do that. But technology transfer from university research, whether it's Cambridge, where it whether it's somewhere else to industry can be a very long process. And especially when you're talking about advanced technologies. I see this in our work as well, that when we develop something, it's not like university research, but it's still so advanced for other companies to take it home. It sort of defines our business model that the companies which we work with, for example, they have to have this R&D capacity to absorb this knowledge, and to implement it. Because if you go to a company around the corner somewhere, which is doing some same manufacturing, but routine manufacturing, they wouldn't be able to take this knowledge and implement it properly. So we work with the early adopters with the innovators so that this innovation goes through its paths to reach broader and broader audience.
Paolo 26:31
It's a very interesting concept you bring up because you really need to be set up for innovation and if it's not embedded in the culture, and the way things are organized, it's practically impossible to implement?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 26:45
Yes. This is what we see very often. And even with some clients, when we speak to them, we can see that they don't have the R&D capacity, for example, to implement our technology. And we basically just say, “Well, let's meet again, in a couple of years’ time, when, for example, our technology is more, I wouldn't say advanced, but more user friendly.” It's almost like having this user interface where people can use it without knowing the details. But for the early adopters, you they do have to have this capacity to be set up for this. Yeah. So this is a challenge.
Paolo 27:32
And yeah, 20, 25 years after you, you know, you ended up your research in batteries you're still pretty much working on the same type of materials, right? And there's no there's a series of small incremental improvements there and then there's, but I guess the way you're saying is, is bringing innovation into market and making it commercially viable. You know, to changing the environment so there can be commercial traction, getting the policies in place and the right support from government. You know that's all that is needed to bring anything to reality so that I can actually use it here?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 28:11
Yeah, we cannot do it ourselves in the whole ecosystem. Yeah.
Paolo 28:17
Listen, I've heard a lot of, you know, exciting things. You guys do really interesting work. And you seem to have enjoyed your ride quite a lot, right. But is there anything that has been difficult or that you hated? Or you still hate doing? You know, because entrepreneurship is tough?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 28:36
Yeah, just stuff is not for everyone.
Paolo 28:37
Yeah.
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 28:38
I have to say, yeah, yes.
Paolo 28:39
Is there anything that you some aspects of what you do that you like to be different?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 28:45
I have to say, I don't like the admin things too much. I have to do them sometimes. I think overall, we enjoy so much so that it's easy to do even the boring things which we have to do sometimes. I think it's entrepreneur with time you learn where to focus your efforts and how to make it more enjoyable because otherwise you wouldn't do it.
Paolo 29:08
That makes sense.
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 29:09
It doesn't mean it's easy. I don't say it's easy, but
Paolo 29:13
I'm sure it's not.
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 29:14
It's a mindset which you have to develop.
Paolo 29:16
I'm curious, how many, how many of you are in the company?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 29:20
So, we are only six people.
Paolo 29:21
Okay, so it's a small organization.
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 29:23
We are a small company. We are a small team. And, yeah, I'm hoping we will grow a bigger team in the next few years, because we have quite a few exciting things in the pipeline which, hopefully, will take off.
Paolo 29:39
Well, best of luck with them. I'm sure it you'll do great. You know, the way the discussion was going leads naturally to my usual final question, right, which is based on your experience and you know, everything you've gone through, and the pluses and minuses, what would be the suggestion you would give to someone like yourself was just starting their career in science? Whether they were there they were going for a more traditional research field or whether they are interested in entrepreneurship?
Zlatka Stoeva, PhD 30:15
Well, what I would say is, it's good to spend some time to experience and to reflect on different things and find out what you actually like and what you enjoy. Very often we follow advice from parents, from family, from friends, we just go with the crowd. I've seen this so many times, and you end up doing something which you don't really enjoy. I think it's, it's really important to spend time to do different things, maybe do something even for charity, teaching, traveling the world, to find out what you actually like, not what people tell you to like. I think this is a key to a successful career. And even if you have studied chemistry, it doesn't mean you have to, for example, be a chemist in your career, because from chemistry, you will learn so many skills, which can be applied in many different fields. So I would say, spend some time to get to know yourself, and what makes you happy and what gives you meaning and focus on this. I have another piece of advice, which I wish I knew in the beginning of my career but it's, it's about having a good mentor. I think having a mentor makes such a big difference to your career. I have come up with my own formula for success, not my success, but successful people who I meet. And I would say it's 25% talent, 25% hard work, and 50% mentorship. In my early career, I didn't have mentors. It was just when I came to Cambridge, I was lucky enough to have them and I can see the difference it makes. I think this is really a key to find a good mentor to guide you to help you find yourself, who you are.
Matt Ferris 32:21
That was Dr. Zlatka Stoeva, co-founder and managing director of DZP Technologies in Cambridge, UK speaking with Paolo. If you enjoyed this conversation, we encourage you to visit our podcast page, where you can access Zlatka's guest content sheet. This includes links to her publications, as well as movie, book, music and other great recommendations, hand selected by Zlatka herself. Look in the Episode Notes for a URL where you can access this content and register for a free Bringing Chemistry to Life t-shirt. This episode was produced by Sarah Briganti, Matt Ferris, and Matthew Stock.