AI vs Chemistry: The New Frontier of Innovation | Omer Omar
From Nothing Ventured by Aarish Shah - EmergeONE
May 14, 2026 · 1h 3m · Episode 134
About this episode
In this episode, Omer Omar discusses the intersection of AI and chemistry in material discovery and its implications for innovation.
What if the next breakthrough in solar, OLEDs, batteries, or carbon capture already exists… hidden inside millions of undiscovered molecules? In this episode of Nothing Ventured, we sit down with Omer Omar co-founder & CEO of Apollo — a startup building a digital platform for discovering organic materials using AI, quantum chemistry, and massive molecular databases. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 01:20 – Making Material Discovery Faster 04:30 – Why Molecule Discovery Was Broken 07:05 – AI Meets Chemistry 09:20 – The Bias Problem in Material Science 13:00 – Why Electronics Lags Behind Biotech 15:30 – AI vs Generative Molecule Design 18:00 – The Future of Organic Electronics 22:10 – How AI Speeds Up Quantum Chemistry 24:10 – The Future of Solar & Wearable Tech 31:45 – University Spinouts & Tech Transfer 39:20 – Why Europe Struggles With Deep Tech 45:30 – The Future of Venture & Material Science 47:55 – Founder Life vs Academia Find Omer Omar online at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omerhomar/ Apoello: https://apoello.com This episode is sponsored by EmergeOne, fractional CFOs for venture backed tech startups from Seed to Series B. Get in touch at…
People in this episode
Host: Aarish Shah
Guest: Omer Omar
Topics covered
- AI
- chemistry
- material discovery
- organic electronics
- venture capital
- startup innovation
Keywords
- AI
- chemistry
- material discovery
- organic materials
- quantum chemistry
- solar technology
- venture capital
Sponsors
EmergeOne
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Apollo, Simplecast
More episodes of Nothing Ventured
- Is Mobile Gaming Dead? Why Istanbul Beats Helsinki & The $5B Micro Drama Gold Rush | Anton Backman · June 11, 2026 · 1h 0m
- Why AI Token Prices Are About To Explode | Meryem Arik · June 4, 2026 · 1h 9m
- Venture Capital in 2026: AI, Liquidity & Startup Funding Explained · May 28, 2026 · 11 min
- Quantum Is No Longer 10 Years Away | Kris Naudts & Zeynep Koruturk · May 21, 2026 · 51 min
- AI Has Killed the Music Industry · May 7, 2026 · 55 min
- Most Startups Are Stuck in the Middle · April 30, 2026 · 18 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Nothing Ventured podcast page.