Sirona Technologies raises € 6 million

Sirona Technologies, led by a former Tesla engineer, secures €6 million to scale Direct Air Capture technology and tackle climate change, starting with a pilot plant in Kenya

Brussels, June 2024 - Sirona Technologies, founded by a former Tesla engineer, has closed a €6 million seed funding round to pursue its ambitious goal of removing CO2 from the air at scale. The round was co-led by LocalGlobe and XAnge. Investors include Look Up Ventures, Satgana, VOYAGERS Climate-Tech Fund, Syndicate One and Renaud Visage. This injection of capital will give Sirona Technologies the impetus it needs to scale up its Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology and build the first pilot plant in Kenya.

Reversing climate change with Direct Air Capture

Reversing climate change with Direct Air Capture (DAC) has gone from a fringe idea that would never work to a key part of any climate action plan, and the first commercial plants are now in operation. In addition to eliminating fossil fuels to drastically reduce emissions, the role of DAC is to remove 1 trillion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. This is necessary to offset emissions that are difficult to avoid and to clean up historical emissions. This involves using machines that filter large amounts of atmospheric air to remove the CO2, which is then injected into geological formations where it is permanently stored, turning into rock within two years. Among the various methods of removing CO2 from the air, DAC is considered the highest standard because it is highly scalable, permanent and verifiable.

The amount of CO2 we need to remove from the atmosphere is so large that it is difficult to comprehend. If we were to plant trees, we would have to cover an area the size of Asia.

Thoralf Gutierrez, CEO and co-founder of Sirona Technologies

Rapid product iteration for cost reduction and fast scaling

Once the technology is proven and its key role is understood, the focus is on how to achieve this massive scale: rapid product iteration to reduce costs faster and scale faster. These are guiding principles that were learned at Tesla and now drive Sirona Technologies. In the first year alone, Sirona Technologies built three generations of prototypes, each capturing 1 ton of CO2 per year. Today, they are building the next generation, capable of capturing 20 times that amount by July. Each iteration brings better performance, lower costs and increased scaling.

Scaling Direct Air Capture in Kenya with major benefits for local communities

Direct Air Capture is an indispensable tool in our fight against climate changeOur progress so far has been phenomenal

Gauthier Limpens, co-founder and CTO of Sirona Technologies

Sirona Technologies, in collaboration with local stakeholders, will use its machines to build its first capture plant in Kenya. The pilot plant is expected to be operational by the end of the year, with a fully commercial plant by early 2026 and a target of progressively capturing 1 million tons of CO2 per year by 2030. Kenya has embraced this innovative technology and positioned itself as a climate pioneer in Africa. The country has already invested heavily in clean energy and has achieved a 93% renewable energy grid. However, with only 2 GW of peak demand compared to 3 GW of capacity, there is currently an oversupply. The introduction of DAC plants will be crucial to increase energy demand, reduce the cost of electricity for Kenyans and empower local communities through sustainable development.