After water, concrete is the most widely used substance on the planet. It is used in buildings and infrastructure and being an essential element in all our lives. Concrete is today irreplaceable and cement is the piece that glues concrete’s components altogether. But its benefits mask enormous dangers to the planet and to human health.
The chemical process of making cement represents the source of 8% of the world’s CO2 emissions. One of the biggest challenges lies in establishing more environmentally friendly manufacturing processes.
The Swiss startup Nanogence has developed a unique additive that provides a game-changing innovation in the cement production by dramatically reducing the carbon footprint while given concrete unseen properties such as strength and performance.
Thanks to a scalable business case and a network of partners and providers, Nanogence is entering the global market through collaborations with the global cement producers, aiming to reach 4% of the global market share by 2026. The ngCon project, funded by the EIC Accelerator, has been a stepping stone in the development of Nanogence products and the incipient transformation of an industry that want to look at the future.
The company not only owes its success to its unique technology but to its team and leaders: Abhishek Kumar (CEO), Joel Claret (Finance Executive), Athanase Mugenzi (Civil Engineer), Grégory Delseth (Process Engineer), Sébastien Lüthi (Chemical Engineer), M. Taziki, (IT Technology Advisor), Bastian Bueno (Corporate Venture Advisor), H. Feng (Civil/Structural Construction Advisor), Vijay Junnuthula (Biology Advisor), Jegan Raman (Life Cycle Analysis Advisor), Raja. Chandran (Material Science Advisor).
Strata has been working with Nanogence for the last two years and our partnership has led Nanogence to attract blended finance from the EIC (European Innovation Council) for the ngCon project. The EU-funded ngCon project aims to address the challenge of cement production carbon footprint by researching and introducing several disruptive cement production processes that are more friendly for the environment. By using a novel smart nano-additive that reduces the carbon footprint of cement production, ngCon will enable a shift in the construction industry towards a more sustainable approach, reducing costs and energy demand.
The EIC Accelerator has provided support in the form of the maximum possible grant (2.5 M€) and is also carrying out the due diligence process for a 2.5 M€ equity investment. Strata is also actively working with Nanogence in the execution of this exciting project that has the potential to be a real game-changer for the construction industry.
