Conductive Paint Pioneer Bare Conductive Shuts Up Shop — to Reform as Sensing Specialist LAIIER

Conductive paint pioneer Bare Conductive has announced that it is closing its doors — but its founders aren't vanishing, instead moving to refocus their efforts on a spin-off: LAIIER, maker of printed sensor systems designed to detect and prevent leak-based damage to buildings and machinery.

"After more than a decade of innovation, creativity, and impact, we are closing the Bare Conductive chapter to focus entirely on LAIIER," the company announced in an email to customers this week. "While this decision carries a sense of nostalgia, it's one we make with confidence, optimism, and gratitude. The journey of Bare Conductive has been foundational to who we are as a company and where we are headed."

Launched by Matt Johnson, Isabel Lizardi, Becky Pilditch, and Bibi Nelson following a student project at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College in 2009, Bare Conductive was a pioneer in bringing conductive ink and paint technology to makers worldwide — both as materials and as the basis for educational kits in which students could draw and paint their own functional circuits.

"Since selling our first jar of Electric Paint in 2011, we have had the privilege of building a global community of engineers, artists, educators, and designers who took this simple concept and turned it into something extraordinary," the company's founders say. "From interactive walls to educational kits used in classrooms worldwide, Bare Conductive products have sparked creativity and innovation in ways we could never have predicted."

The supply chain chaos that accompanied the recent pandemic, though, saw the company's work with industrial customers on sensing technologies take on a new importance — and in 2021 LAIIER was launched to deliver printed leak sensors for buildings, factories, and more, based on the work its founders had done as Bare Conductive. "By addressing pervasive and costly issues like water and oil leaks, we aim to help industries operate more sustainably, efficiently, and reliably," the team explains. "Every step of this journey has been influenced by the insights, feedback, and innovation from Bare Conductive's community of users and partners."

The new focus does, however, mean a winding up of the Bare Conductive brand and its products. The company says that supplies are still available from its reseller network, but that they will not be replenished; "we encourage you to stock up," the company says, "while inventory lasts, and thank you for your continued support over the years."

Those looking to see what the Bare Conductive team does next can follow them on their new journey on the LAIIER website.