Leadership opportunityWe’re seeking a Founding CEO to lead PM Shield’s commercialization.Meaningful equity participationExplore the opportunity
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Climate Adaptation & Resilience · Healthy Homes

PM Shield

Defending the whole home from wildfire smoke.

PM Shield explores a different way to protect indoor air: make it harder for polluted outdoor air to enter, rather than only cleaning smoke after it arrives.

PM Shield project illustration

The consequential problem

Wildfire smoke can travel vast distances, and fine particulate matter can enter homes through leakage paths across the building envelope. Portable air cleaners are valuable, but polluted air can continue infiltrating elsewhere.

Our approach

We apply positive pressure—a principle used in controlled environments—to the whole occupied space. Filtered outdoor air creates a small indoor pressure advantage that encourages air to move outward through normal leakage paths.

How it works

A clear principle.
A system to test.

Filtration removes contaminants from air. Positive pressure aims to reduce how much contaminated air enters in the first place.

  1. 01

    Filter

    Outdoor air passes through filtration before entering the building.

  2. 02

    Pressurize

    A fan maintains a small, controlled indoor pressure advantage.

  3. 03

    Protect

    The reversed pressure gradient reduces uncontrolled smoke infiltration.

Evidence
through action.

What we have investigated

From challenge concept to physical prototypes

We developed the concept in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Cleaner Indoor Air During Wildfires Challenge, where it received an Honorable Mention.

We have progressed toward physical prototypes and testing. The question now is whether the principle can become an effective, practical and accessible system for real homes.

Where this could lead

Potential, conditional on the evidence.

These are possible applications and outcomes—not demonstrated results.

  • Add a new layer to residential wildfire resilience
  • Support cleaner air in homes and occupied community facilities
  • Deploy before or during smoke events without creating a specialized cleanroom

Founding leadership

Lead PM Shield from technology to market.

We are looking for an entrepreneurial leader to take ownership of PM Shield’s commercialization journey.

This is an equity-led venture-building opportunity for someone ready to shape the market strategy, validate the commercial pathway, build strategic partnerships and lead the project toward customers and an independent venture.

Shape the ventureBuild the marketLead commercialization

The structure and equity participation would be developed with the selected candidate.

Discuss the Founding CEO opportunity

Current focus

We are building stronger real-world evidence across different building conditions, refining the system architecture and identifying a practical pathway toward deployment.