A startup which was successful in winning vital seed funding from EIBF enterprise competitions has secured a further £1.5m to accelerate its work in climate technology.
Pipeline Organics, which participated in the 2023 EIBF Champion of Champions Competition, is manufacturing industrial fuel cells to turn waste water into electricity.
The funding round was led by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) Ventures, with additional grant funding from Innovate UK's Investor Partnerships Programme.
This critical funding will accelerate the startup’s move from a laboratory setting to real-life operational environments. Their unique partnership with CCEP will ensure the team has direct access to a wide range of soft drinks manufacturing sites across Europe, streamlining development for applications within the food and beverage industry.
The team, which also participated in the University of Nottingham’s Ingenuity Impact programme, are on track to launch their first commercial product by the end of 2025.
Leveraging deep technical expertise in coatings chemistry and 3D printing, the team has engineered a novel generator capable of delivering high energy outputs within a compact space. A unit the size of a brick can already generate more power per year than a 590W solar panel, saving space and enabling a quick retrofit on site.
Arielle Torres, CEO of Pipeline Organics, said: “Following the EIBF Champion of Champions pitch event in November 2023, Pipeline Organics was elated to take home a total of £8,000 in cash prize. This funding enabled the team to invest in much needed equipment, including a potentiostat for essential electrochemistry characterisation in the lab and a computer capable of running intensive computational design engineering software.
“At the time, we had received some UK grant funding but unfortunately equipment purchases were not eligible costs, so this prize filled a gaping hole in our technical resources.
"Volatile energy prices, inefficient distribution networks, deteriorating infrastructure and unreliable supply chains are creating huge problems for industries worldwide. Existing renewable energy technologies are just not good enough and we desperately need more innovative energy solutions fit for the future.
"Our technology has the potential to solve many of these challenges as it promises to deliver clean, cost-effective renewable electricity 24/7 directly on site, stabilising energy access and operational costs without sacrificing sustainability.”
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