Gecko-Inspired Glue Goes From Stanford Lab to Space Station

Capella Kerst wasn't looking to become a CEO, but when she figured out how to mass-produce gecko-inspired adhesive materials in her Stanford lab, she knew she had something special. Five years later, her company geCKo Materials is testing its sticky technology on the International Space Station.

Geckos can walk up walls thanks to microscopic hairs on their feet. Kerst and her team cracked the code on recreating this natural adhesive quickly and reliably, opening doors to applications scientists had only dreamed about.

But the "eureka" moment was just the beginning. Turning a lab discovery into a startup meant navigating a complex legal maze that most researchers never see coming.

Kerst started by reaching out to everyone whose work contributed to her breakthrough. She offered them chances to join the company, become advisors, or receive compensation. Building those bridges early created a foundation of goodwill.

Next came conversations with Stanford's Office of Technology Licensing. She learned she'd need to finish her PhD before spinning out the company. Those early talks prepared her for the challenging negotiations ahead.

Then came the legal work. Stanford provided a list of approved lawyers, and Kerst interviewed them all. She asked about case studies, what deals other founders negotiated, and what Stanford pushed back on. "I want a good deal, because I want this to be a big company, and I think it'll benefit everybody," she told her chosen lawyer before they entered negotiations.

Once the licensing agreement was signed, Kerst made the full transition from PhD student to CEO. It meant leaving behind the academic world she knew and embracing the uncertainty of building a business from scratch.

The Ripple Effect

Today, geCKo Materials is scaling rapidly across multiple industries. The company's adhesive technology is being tested in robotics, manufacturing, automotive applications, and space exploration.

The International Space Station deployment represents just the start. Kerst envisions replacing traditional attachment methods like Velcro and suction systems with gecko-inspired alternatives that work better and last longer.

The company recently placed as runner-up in the 2024 TechCrunch Startup Battlefield competition, bringing more attention to the potential of biomimicry in solving real-world problems. When nature has spent millions of years perfecting a solution, sometimes the smartest innovation is simply learning to copy it.

Kerst's roadmap offers hope for other researchers sitting on breakthroughs in university labs, showing that with courage and preparation, academic discoveries can stick in the real world too.