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§ Private Profile · 222 Third Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
GreatPoint Energy is a company.
GreatPoint Energy has raised $7.0M across 1 funding round.
Key people at GreatPoint Energy.
GreatPoint Energy was founded in 2005 by Avi Goldberg (Co-Founder, COO and Board Member).
GreatPoint Energy has raised $7.0M in total across 1 funding round.
GreatPoint Energy was a technology firm developing proprietary methods to convert carbonaceous feedstocks into synthetic natural gas. Its Bluegas™ process used advanced catalytic gasification, efficiently transforming materials like coal, petroleum coke, and biomass. This innovative approach integrated hydrogasification, water-gas-shift, and methanation into a single, thermally efficient step, improving upon conventional conversion.
Founded in 2004 by Andrew Perlman and Aaron Mandell, GreatPoint Energy aimed to enhance the economic and environmental viability of producing natural gas from diverse carbon resources through an optimized catalytic process. The founders built upon prior gasification research, seeking to establish a sustainable pathway for alternative gas production.
The company envisioned designing and operating facilities to produce and sell substitute natural gas, successfully demonstrating its Bluegas™ technology at pilot scale. A significant partnership for large-scale commercialization in China ultimately did not proceed. GreatPoint Energy’s work highlighted catalytic gasification's potential for cleaner energy.
Key people at GreatPoint Energy.
GreatPoint Energy was a clean energy technology company that developed bluegas™, a proprietary catalytic gasification process to convert coal, petroleum coke, and biomass into low-cost, pipeline-quality substitute natural gas.[1][2][3] It targeted distressed natural gas power plants and large industrial users by producing domestically sourced gas with lower price volatility, higher efficiency, and a cleaner environmental profile, including near-complete carbon capture for sequestration or enhanced oil recovery.[2][3] The company raised over $550 million in funding, reaching Series D stage, but ceased operations in 2019 after demonstrating its technology at pilot and demonstration facilities.[2][4]
Founded in 2005 (with some sources citing 2004) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, GreatPoint Energy emerged from over 30 years of research into catalytic coal-to-methane conversion.[1][2][3] Key leaders included Andrew Perlman (Co-founder, President, and CEO) and Avi Goldberg (Chief Operating Officer).[1] The idea built on advances in catalyst reactivity, feedstock flexibility (including low-grade coals, petroleum coke, biomass like wood chips and switchgrass), and emissions reduction, protected by over 60 patents and trade secrets.[1][3] Early traction came in 2007 with a landmark $100 million raise—the largest green tech VC round that year—from investors like Citi Alternative Investments, Dow Chemical, AES Corp., and Suncor Energy, funding a demonstration plant at Brayton Point and plans for commercial facilities.[1] By 2009, it announced a full-scale Texas plant with carbon sequestration, and in 2012 raised another $420 million, finding success commercializing in China.[1][2]
GreatPoint rode the 2000s clean coal and gasification wave, addressing natural gas shortages, energy security, and climate pressures by turning abundant coal/biomass into cleaner methane amid rising LNG costs and carbon regulations.[1][2][3] Timing aligned with U.S. policy pushes for domestic fuels and sequestration (e.g., planned Texas site), plus global demand—evident in China success—amid oil/gas price swings.[1][2] It influenced the energy transition ecosystem by advancing catalytic hydromethanation, inspiring hybrid fossil-renewable tech, and attracting majors like Dow/AES, though coal's decline limited broader impact.[3][4]
GreatPoint's 2019 shutdown marked the end of its ambitions to deploy billion-dollar commercial plants, likely due to shifting renewables, fracking-boosted gas supply, and coal phase-outs, despite tech validation.[4] No revival signs exist post-2019, but its bluegas™ IP could resurface in carbon-capture startups or EOR amid net-zero demands. Trends like biomass gasification and methane abatement may revive similar models, potentially evolving its legacy in low-carbon fuels—echoing how it once promised to bridge fossil fuels to a cleaner grid.[3][4]
GreatPoint Energy has raised $7.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $7.0M Series A in November 2005.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 1, 2005 | $7M Series A | — | G20 Ventures | Announced |
GreatPoint Energy was founded in 2005 by Avi Goldberg (Co-Founder, COO and Board Member).
GreatPoint Energy has raised $7.0M in total across 1 funding round.
GreatPoint Energy's investors include G20 Ventures.
