The Innovandi Open Challenge is a global programme which brings together tech start-ups and the world’s leading cement and concrete companies to help accelerate the next wave of innovations to achieve our net zero mission.
The GCCA and its members understand the key role that innovation will play in unlocking a net zero future for concrete, the world’s most used material after water, which is essential to building the sustainable world of tomorrow.
GCCA members – leaders in the sector who operate in almost every country across the globe – are extending their reach beyond their own R&D boundaries to enrich their innovation ecosystems in order to help achieve the vital mission of carbon neutrality. Our Open Challenge seeks to accelerate the technologies that will help us in securing a net zero future.
The Open Challenge 2025 consortia:
Consortium 1: Co-reactive
Consortium formed with:
Co-reactive’s proprietary technology uses a continuous tubular reactor to mineralise CO₂ and produce high-performance supplementary cementitious materials at industrial scale.
“The cement and concrete industry is undergoing a historic transformation, and the Innovandi Challenge is at the forefront of driving that change. At Co-reactive, we are proud to contribute our proprietary CO₂ mineralisation technology, which not only captures emissions but converts them into high-performance construction materials. By combining our innovation with the deep industry expertise of GCCA and the collective know-how of consortium partners, we can accelerate scalable solutions that redefine the future of construction.”
Andreas Bremen, Managing Director, Co-reactive
Consortium 2: Alithic
Producing carbon negative supplementary cementitious materials, capturing and mineralising CO2 in one integrated process, while saving money and upcycling waste.
“The team at Alithic is very excited to be partnering with a large number of cement and concrete industry leaders in the context of GCCA’s Innovandi Open Challenge. We look forward to demonstrating to these ten industry leaders the benefits of our solution, namely the unparallelled unit economics and scalability of our high-performance carbon negative SCMs, thanks to our patented carbon utilization process operating at standard pressure and temperature and which has been developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We can’t wait to develop strong relations with the GCCA members and to advance commercial discussions with them.”
Quentin Philippe, CEO, Alithic
Following the sourcing round, 17 start-ups were invited to pitch to our member companies.
ABOUT THE 2025 OPEN CHALLENGE
The Open Challenge 2025 was looking for start-ups working on innovations related to our Net Zero Roadmap decarbonisation levers, with an impact at scale to tackle climate change.
Focus Area: Next generation materials towards net zero concrete (e.g. low-carbon admixtures, SCMs, activators, or binders)
Selected start-ups will gain unique access to:
Selected start-ups that form consortia gain unique access to plants and labs, as well as expertise and infrastructure of 40 members across the world to showcase innovation status: move from ideas to prototype, pilot-tests, proofs of concepts, business cases. In other words, the program will provide start-ups with the access they need to grow.
Throughout the program duration, start-ups will receive guidance from the GCCA and its industrials members of nominated lead experts to help them progress in the industrialisation of their technology, develop new technologies and/or define new business cases with one or several industrial members. Members of the GCCA, and its members will internally manage the project (or in partnership with other business partners) with each selected start-up and offer resources, support and coaching to co-develop the business.
Further collaboration for each project will be discussed on a case-by-case basis.
When selected, start-ups will be expected to:
- Sign an NDA with the GCCA on behalf of GCCA members – IP belonging to start-ups.
- Collaborate on defining the program (2-3 meetings over the summer)
- When onboarded on the program, agree the goal upon – together with our industrial partners
- Participate in a final demo day.
Being selected to onboard the GCCA Innovandi Open Challenge program will offer selected startups a high visibility in the cement and concrete sector, as well as equipment’s manufacturers, broader value chain players, investors and wider stakeholders.
If you want to be part of the cement and concrete industry’s journey to net zero and receive support from the largest producers in the world, apply for the Innovandi Open Challenge.
Rewatch the launch event here
