Highlights from our first Innovandi Open Challenge
Over 100 start-ups applied in our 1st Innovandi Open Challenge. 21 start-ups made it to the final pitch day.
Our final 6 start-ups secured successful consortium projects with 3-6 GCCA members in each consortia. These project associations led to various pilots at GCCA member cement plant facilities, accelerating the start-up technologies to the next level and scope for further opportunities for collaborations with many others.
The first results of these partnerships were unveiled at the Demo Day in October 2022.
The six consortia are:
Consortium 1: CarbonOrO
CarbonOrO specialises in carbon capture technology using unique bi-phasic amine with a lower cost of capture.
“It has been a great opportunity and an honour for Carbon BioCapture (CBC) to be selected in GCCA’s Open Challenge global program that among other benefits allowed CBC to share in its network, and partnership with four leading C&C companies providing CBC’s team the chance to showcase its proven innovative microalgal technology, further develop and implement its circular economy model in support of GCCA goals to the industry’s 2050 carbon-neutral ambition and decarbonising mission. Moreover, participation in Innovandi Open Challenge provides valuable means for tech start-ups to access, obtain growth assistance, and help to demonstrate their technology potential to the critical cement & Concrete global industry”
– Carbon BioCapture – CEO Andrea Irarrázaval
Consortium 2: Carbon Upcycling Technologies
Using a patented, low-energy process, Carbon Upcycling Technologies chemically activates and captures CO2 within solid waste materials to produce a range of supplementary cementitious materials, to create low carbon cement and concrete.
“The Innovandi program is specifically designed to foster collaboration among the largest global cement producers, which is an opportunity unique to this challenge. Our consortium focused on validating materials at the lab scale, and now the results have set a foundation for further collaboration and project development. Beyond the work in the consortium, we got to share our technology with the greater GCCA community and demonstrate why supplementary cementitious materials and carbon utilization are globally relevant for the cement industry.”
– Carbon Upcycling Technologies – Natalie Giglio, Senior Business Development Associate
Consortium 3: Coomtech
Coomtech has developed a low energy, low cost drying technology using managed turbulent air, creating kinetic energy to remove moisture.
Revolutionising a 100-year-old process, a single Coomtech-enabled plant can cut CO2 emissions by the equivalent of more than 600,000 mature trees per year and is 75% cheaper to operate.
“Coomtech took part in Innovandi to showcase its technology at a global level to the cement and concrete industry. Through the program we were able to understand in detail the needs of our prospective clients, matching our green technology with their strategic goals. Innovandi has been highly supportive and is commercially attuned to new technologies. The connections the program makes are an excellent springboard for emerging technology businesses focused on the vital cement and concrete sector.”
– Coomtech – Chris Every, Chief Commercial Officer & Founder
Consortium 4: Fortera
Fortera’s technology captures CO2 emissions from cement plants, combining it with calcium oxide to make reactive calcium carbonate. It is stable in dry powder form and its cementitious properties are activated when wetted.
“The Innovandi platform allowed Fortera to engage multiple cement players simultaneously and really dig into not just industry pain points, but brainstorm on solutions with the broader industry in mind. Whether you’re looking to launch a pilot plant or to validate a commercial offering, you’ll get a committed consortium of GCCA members supporting your process.”
– Fortera – Kas Farsad, Vice President, Corporate Development
Consortium 5: Nuada (formerly MOF Technologies)
Nuada has harnessed the high-capacity, selective nature of a new class of solid sorbents called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to engineer a filtration system to capture and remove CO2 from flue gas; Nuada. Nuada combines the unique properties of MOFs with mature vacuum swing technology to enable the separation of CO2 from flue gas using pressure rather than heat. This yields an ultra-energy efficient system that reduces the overall energy penalty associated with capture by up to 80%.
“Having developed a carbon capture system that overcomes the traditional adoption barriers of energy and cost, we are thrilled to have had the opportunity to collaborate with GCCA members to bring our technology to the field. We are currently working with an innovative consortium to pilot our ultra-efficient Nuada technology which will validate its potential to provide the industry with a scalable low-cost carbon capture solution. We are delighted to continue working within the Innovandi Open Challenge and look forward to the exciting path ahead.”
– MOF Technologies – Conor Hamill, Co-CEO
Consortium 6: Carbon BioCapture
Carbon BioCapture’s patented technology for CO2 capture using microalgae. Their technology requires no pre-treatment of industrial gases and does not use genetically modified strains of microalgae. Instead, it selects and adapts naturally occurring strains to maximize the capture of CO2 using photobioreactors.
“It has been a great opportunity and an honour for Carbon BioCapture (CBC) to be selected in GCCA’s Open Challenge global program that among other benefits allowed CBC to share in its network, and partnership with four leading C&C companies providing CBC’s team the chance to showcase its proven innovative microalgal technology, further develop and implement its circular economy model in support of GCCA goals to the industry’s 2050 carbon-neutral ambition and decarbonising mission. Moreover, participation in Innovandi Open Challenge provides valuable means for tech start-ups to access, obtain growth assistance, and help to demonstrate their technology potential to the critical cement & Concrete global industry”
– Carbon BioCapture – CEO Andrea Irarrázaval