The carbon-to-value pioneer welcomes new and existing investors through its £10.4m second close.
London, 09th August 2022 – Econic Technologies, the UK based deep tech carbon-to-value pioneer, has today announced the successful completion of its current fundraise with the close of the second multimillion pound round. This latest round follows the first close in April of this year, which was led by OGCI Climate Investments (“OGCI CI”) and Capricorn Sustainable Chemistry Fund (“Capricorn”). Joining them in this Series D second tranche are CM Venture Capital Fund III, LP (“CM Venture Capital”), GC Ventures Company Limited (“GC Ventures”) and ING Sustainable Investments B.V. (“ING”) for total raise of £10.4m (US$12.45m).
The funding will support Econic Technologies through the commercialisation of its catalyst and process technology, which enables CO2 to be used in the production of polymers. The investors recognise the strong value and sustainability impact of Econic’s proprietary technology to serve markets driving to lower their carbon footprint.
CO2’s impact on global warming as a greenhouse gas (GHG) is well known. Regarded as a waste product today, capture and storage is a significant cost to emitters. Econic’s catalyst technology efficiently converts captured CO2 into a usable raw material for use in the manufacturing of essential products, initially serving the polyurethane industry to make foams for insulation and mattresses, protective coatings, sealants, and adhesives. The CO2 is incorporated into the polyol component, valued globally at $28bn growing at 5% pa. Econic’s game-changing technology allows customers to monetise CO2, while lowering their carbon footprint and to meet booming consumer demand for more sustainable products. Abundantly available CO2 replaces oil-based raw materials as a sustainable carbon source to help reduce dependence on oil.
Awareness is growing and commercial momentum is building for Econic’s technology, demonstrated by the recent announcement of two major licensing deals, with leading Chinese polyol and polyurethanes company Changhua Chemical Technology Company Ltd and Manali Petrochemicals Limited, the market leader and only integrated polyol producer in India.
The potential of Econic’s carbon-to-value technology goes beyond the polyurethane market. The company recently announced novel CO2 surfactant development, supported by the UK government BEIS grant.
Keith Wiggins, CEO, Econic Technologies, said: “It is an exciting time for Econic! We are delighted to have the funds to commercialise our technology and thank our existing and new investors for their support to complete this raise. With record high temperatures and soaring oil prices, the timing is right for Econic Technologies.”
Yvette Go, Investment Director, Capricorn, said: “We led the investment in Econic at the first tranche, convinced that the company is at the cusp of breaking through commercially, coming from a strong technology base. What we have learned since then has further increased our confidence in the technology, the team and their ability to add value at scale and help reduce the carbon footprint to supply chains we know very well. We are pleased to step up our commitment to Econic in line with that confidence.”
Mark Weustink, Head of Sustainable Investments, ING, said: “We are excited to invest in Econic, thereby supporting its business model of making advanced and more sustainable plastics, foams and detergents using CO2 as a feedstock material. Together with our investment partners we share a good mix of complementary industry and geographical knowledge and by leveraging ING’s global network and expertise, we believe that we can further accelerate the company’s growth.”
Dr. Min Zhou, Managing Partner, CM Venture Capital, said: “CO2 utilization is critical in addressing climate change. We have been following Econic’s path to market for some time. With recent commercial agreements, we believe that Econic is at an inflexion point in the market and primed for growth. Econic clearly recognises the importance of Asia to its business and we believe that we can help with the globalisation of its commercial expansion.”
Kamel Ramdani, GC CTO and MD, GC Ventures, said: “As PTTGC businesses drive to reduce their carbon footprint, Econic’s technology shows significant potential in helping us adopt CO2 as a sustainable feedstock. We are excited to work with Econic as an investor but also as an industrial partner to help commercialise and industrialise their technology.”
Matthew Harwood, Chief Strategy Officer at OGCI Climate Investments, said: “At OGCI CI, we have been a long-term investor and supporter of Econic. We are delighted that other leading Climate-tech funds are joining us in that story, and we look forward to working with them to build on this year’s commercial successes.”
