Wen Muenyi wants to rid the world of foul-smelling clothes and linens. Inspired by his own dirty laundry, Muenyi, a native of Cameroon whose family moved to Minnesota when he was a kid, started studying the interaction of human biology and textiles. He took his idea to manufacturers, who helped him develop a highly absorbent fabric that directly counteracts odor-producing bacteria. But HercFiber, as he calls it, isn’t just masking smells and dirt. The fabric is infused with metals like copper and magnesium that break down bacteria itself. Muenyi released his first product, the Apollo self-cleaning shirt, in 2019 after two years of development. Now the St. Paul-based company is gaining traction in the bedroom and bathroom, with self-cleaning sheets and towels. 

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