Aerleum has raised $6.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Aerleum's investors include 360 Capital Partners.
Aerleum is a French climate tech startup founded in 2023 that develops integrated technology to capture atmospheric CO2 and convert it directly into clean fuels like e-methanol and chemicals, targeting hard-to-abate sectors such as maritime, aviation, road transportation, and chemicals.[1][2][3] The company serves industries seeking fossil-free alternatives by solving the challenge of decarbonization through a scalable, cost-competitive process that achieves price parity with fossil fuels, using low-carbon hydrogen; it has raised $6M in seed funding and demonstrated lab success in producing e-methanol from air.[1][3][4][5] With backing from investors like 360 Capital, HTGF, Norrsken, Bpifrance, and Marble, Aerleum shows strong early momentum toward building its first production plant.[3][4]
Aerleum emerged as a spin-out from Marble, a climate venture studio, and was co-founded in June 2023 by Steven Fiedorow and Sébastien Bardey in a small lab in Strasbourg, France, with initial support from Bpifrance and Région Grand Est.[2][3][4][5] The idea stemmed from reimagining CO2 not as waste but as a resource, building on Bardey's prior work in direct air capture (DAC) technology; the duo developed a novel integrated process merging capture and conversion to eliminate energy-intensive steps.[2][5] Early traction came quickly: the team de-risked the core tech by producing e-methanol from atmospheric CO2 in the lab, secured $6M in seed funding in October 2024 led by 360 Capital and HTGF, and set ambitious goals like abating 1M tons of CO2 annually upon scaling.[3][4]
Aerleum stands out in carbon capture and utilization (CCU) through its breakthrough engineering:
Aerleum rides the DAC + e-fuels wave, capitalizing on surging demand for carbon-neutral alternatives amid global net-zero mandates like EU Fit for 55 and IMO shipping goals, where sectors like maritime and aviation face fossil fuel lock-in.[1][4][5] Timing is ideal: falling renewable hydrogen costs and policy incentives (e.g., US IRA tax credits) favor scalable CCU over costlier, land-intensive biofuels; Aerleum's direct air-to-fuel tech differentiates from competitors like Twelve or Velocys by integrating steps for lower emissions and global deployability.[1][6] It influences the ecosystem by accelerating industrial decarbonization, partnering with leaders for co-located production, and proving e-methanol viability—potentially reshaping chemical feedstocks and enabling 1M+ tons CO2 abatement yearly at scale.[3][4]
Aerleum's near-term focus is pilot construction and first plant rollout, leveraging $6M seed to hit commercialization milestones and expand to industrial CO2 tests.[3][4][5] Trends like cheaper green hydrogen, rising e-fuel mandates, and AI-optimized catalysis will propel its path to 2030 price parity, positioning it to capture maritime/aviation markets amid tightening regulations.[2][4] Influence could evolve from lab innovator to ecosystem enabler, via partnerships and scaled abatement, ultimately proving CO2 as a viable petroleum replacement—transforming air into the backbone of a fossil-free economy, as its founders envisioned.[2][3]
Aerleum has raised $6.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $6.0M Seed in October 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2024 | $6.0M Seed | 360 Capital Partners |
