# Olgica Bakajin

> Olgica Bakajin is the CEO and Founder of Porifera Inc., a San Leandro, California-based company pioneering forward osmosis membrane technology for the food, beverage, and industrial water sectors. A physicist by training - B.A. from the University of Chicago and Ph.D. from Princeton - she spent nearly a decade at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory developing carbon nanotube membranes that move water 1,000x faster than conventional materials. Her 2006 Science paper on carbon nanotube desalination became the most-cited chemistry article in the journal. In 2009 she spun Porifera out of LLNL, and the company now serves 100+ customers across 20+ countries, helping breweries, coffee roasters, and winemakers concentrate their products without heat, preserving flavor, aroma, and nutrients while slashing energy use by up to 80%.

- **Role:** CEO & Founder at Porifera Inc.
- **Organizations:** Porifera Inc., Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, American Physical Society, Circus Bella (Board Member)
- **From:** Yugoslavia
- **Nationality:** American (Yugoslav-born)
- **Education:** B.A. in Physics and Chemistry, University of Chicago, Ph.D. in Physics, Princeton University
- **Known for:** Fellow of the American Physical Society (2010), Tibbetts Award from U.S. Small Business Administration (2020) for exemplary commercialization of forward osmosis membrane systems, NanoTech Briefs Award (2007)

## Career timeline

- **1996** — B.A. in Physics and Chemistry from University of Chicago
- **2000** — Ph.D. in Physics from Princeton University
- **2000** — Joined Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as a Lawrence Fellow
- **2000-2009** — Chief Scientist for carbon nanotube membrane project at LLNL
- **2006** — Co-authored landmark Science paper 'Fast mass transport through sub-2-nanometer carbon nanotubes' - became most-cited chemistry article in Science
- **2007** — Received NanoTech Briefs Award
- **2009** — Founded Porifera Inc., spinning out carbon nanotube membrane technology from LLNL
- **2010** — Elected Fellow of the American Physical Society
- **2013** — Porifera launched first commercial product
- **2020** — Received Tibbetts Award from U.S. Small Business Administration
- **2024** — Porifera secured bridge round financing from Silverstrand Capital; Mann+Hummel joined as strategic partner

## Achievements

- Fellow of the American Physical Society (2010)
- Tibbetts Award from U.S. Small Business Administration (2020) for exemplary commercialization of forward osmosis membrane systems
- NanoTech Briefs Award (2007)
- R&D 100 Award
- Co-authored most-cited chemistry article in Science magazine (2006 carbon nanotube paper)
- Over 21,000+ Google Scholar citations across 113+ publications
- Named inventor on more than 20 patent families
- Built Porifera to serve 100+ customers across 20+ countries
- Generated over $20 million in non-SBIR revenue since 2013 commercial launch
- Secured $3.8M California Energy Commission grant
- Partnered with NASA on graywater recycling for U.S. Army forward operating bases
- Technology featured in world's largest osmosis-based desalination plant

## Latest updates

- **2024-01** — Porifera secured bridge round financing led by Silverstrand Capital, with Mann+Hummel joining as strategic investor and partner.
- **2023** — Porifera selected for $3.8M in California Energy Commission grants for osmotic concentration in food industry applications.
- **2020** — Bakajin and Porifera received the Tibbetts Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

## Links

- Website: https://porifera.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olgica-bakajin/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y6_a3C48FM

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/olgica-bakajin
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Last updated: 2026-05-13