ACS Ventures

Turning bold ideas into scalable impact for science and society.

Are you building something transformative in the research science ecosystem? Whether you're a founder, researcher, or entrepreneur, ACS Ventures is here to help you innovate and scale. We collaborate with startups and scaleups where ACS’s unique assets—trusted content, data, network, and brand—can accelerate your impact aligning with our mission to advance science and improve lives.

Our Mission

ACS Ventures is a strategic arm of the American Chemical Society. Our mission is to identify, nurture, and launch the next generation of science-based solutions that solve global challenges. We foster impactful innovations through building new solutions, advancing partnerships, offering early-stage capital, and acquiring promising mission driven companies.

Four Ways We Turn Bold Ideas into Mission-Driven Impact

Ideas that change society can come from anywhere, and as one of the world’s largest membership societies, we are uniquely positioned to help scale and advance those ideas through four key pathways.

Build

Our venture studio model accelerates breakthrough ideas that align with our strategic foresight programs. These ideas may originate internally—from our teams, divisions, and global network—or externally through partnerships and collaborations.

Partner

We partner and co-create with small businesses and start-ups where ACS’s strategic assets (data, content, network, brand, capabilities, experience) can amplify or accelerate a solution that aligns with ACS’s core mission.

Invest

We provide expert guidance, strategic support, and to startups that advance science. Our investment approach is synergistic, combining funding with mentorship, access to ACS’s ecosystem, and long-term alignment with our non-profit mission.

Acquire

We selectively acquire solutions that first and foremost help us achieve our mission, often by growing, improving, or complementing our portfolio and thereby accelerating our impact.

Our Core Values

As an operating function of the American Chemical Society, a nearly 150-year-old Congressionally chartered non-profit organization, ACS Ventures is committed to advancing endeavors that improve all lives through the transformative power of chemistry. Read more about ACS and our mission.

Here’s how we demonstrate that commitment:

Aligned Missions: We advance scientific knowledge, empower a global community, and champion scientific integrity—values that naturally complement and amplify your society’s mission.
Policy Alignment: We advance efforts that innovate through research & technology, improve science education & the workforce, support sustainability & the environment, and ensure science is integrated into public policy.
Rigorous Assessment: Whether entering a new market, or investing in innovation, we vet each opportunity to ensure the best chance of favorable outcome on our mission and our partners’ success.
Unmatched Trust: We are widely recognized as one of the most trustworthy publishers in the world.

ACS Acquires ChronosHub

In 2023, ACS Acquired ChronosHub as an independent subsidiary working alongside ACS Publications to enhance the publication experience for researchers.

ChronosHub is a modern platform for pre- and post-acceptance workflows. They help publishers, institutions, and funders deliver on their most important goal: Giving authors a fantastic publishing experience.

Read the Official Press Release

What excites me most about ChronosHub’s future as part of the ACS ecosystem is the opportunity to take our platform to new heights and truly serve the entire scholarly publishing ecosystem.”

Christian Grubak Founder & CEO, ChronosHub

In just two years since joining ACS, ChronosHub has more than doubled its team, increased revenue sevenfold, and delivered new, viable products that further extend the ChronosHub portfolio.”

Anders Juul VP of Commercial, ChronosHub

With ACS, we’re expanding our reach across the full publishing flow—from authors and reviewers to publishers and institutions—through a relentless focus on user experience and value creation.”

Vivi Billesø VP of Branding & Communication, ChronosHub

Backed by ACS’s scale and mission-driven vision, we’re now better positioned than ever to deliver insights that empower smarter decisions and a more transparent, efficient, and rewarding publishing experience for everyone.”

Christian Grubak Founder & CEO, ChronosHub

Illustration of a paper airplane launching from a cantilevered set of stairs.

Take the Leap

Are you building something transformative in the research science ecosystem? Whether you’re a founder, researcher, entrepreneur, or innovation leader, ACS Ventures is here to help you scale. We collaborate with startups and small businesses where ACS’s unique assets—content, data, network, and brand—can accelerate your impact and align with our mission to advance science and improve lives.

Get in Touch