Adrian Horotan

Adrian Horotan is a General Partner at Safer Made, a venture capital fund he co-founded (founded 2016–2017) with green-chemistry scientist Marty (Martin) Mulvihill. Safer Made invests in companies and technologies "that create safer alternatives for people and the environment and reduce exposure to harmful chemicals." Horotan brings more than 18 years of experience in finance and investing across both U.S. and European markets.

Before Safer Made, Horotan built a career in early-stage venture capital in Connecticut and at Yale. He was a Principal at Elm Street Ventures (joining in 2012), worked with the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute Innovation Fund, and was previously a senior associate at Connecticut Innovations, where he served as a board observer for portfolio companies such as Solais Lighting, Sustainable Real Estate Solutions, and Thetis Pharmaceuticals, covering deals in renewable energy, materials science, and diagnostics. Earlier in his career he interned with seed fund Launch Capital and with FE Clean Energy Group.

His pre-venture background spans corporate finance, strategy, and investment banking across diverse industries — insurance (The Hartford), consumer goods (Diageo Guinness USA), pharmaceuticals (Eli Lilly), and investment banking (ABN AMRO Securities). This mix of consumer-products and finance experience underpins Safer Made's focus on commercializing safer ingredients for large consumer categories.

Horotan holds a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (2010) and an MBA from INSEAD in France (2001). He is part of the Yale Center for Business and the Environment community and lives near New Haven, Connecticut, with his spouse and two children.

• Invests behind a simple premise the firm states plainly: "People prefer safer products. Safer products need new chemistries and materials."
• Backs companies that remove or reduce harmful chemicals in products or manufacturing processes — framing chemical safety and sustainability as an innovation and market opportunity, not just a compliance one.
• Concentrates on materials science and specialty-chemistry startups serving personal care/beauty, food packaging, textiles, cleaning, and coatings.
• Invests at the seed / early stage, primarily in U.S.-based companies (Tracxn notes ~12 companies backed, mostly seed-round).
• Leverages deep chemistry, function, and applications expertise (via co-founder Marty Mulvihill) plus relationships with brands and retailers that lead on safety and sustainability, helping portfolio companies accelerate adoption.
• Frequently co-invests with aligned funds such as Material Impact.
• Publishes sector research reports (e.g., on beauty, food packaging, and textiles) that reflect its investment map.