Fluorok

FluoRok is a deep-tech company specializing in the manufacture and licensing of fluorochemicals. The firm was established in 2022 as a spin-out from the University of Oxford. Its founders are Dr. Gabriele Pupo, who serves as CEO, and Professor Véronique Gouverneur, a renowned expert in fluorination chemistry who acts as a director. Dr. Pupo has over a decade of R&D experience in catalysis and fluorination chemistry, a background that directly informs the company's mission.

The company has developed a patented technology to produce high-value fluorochemicals, which are essential components in products for the energy transition, healthcare, and food supply sectors. FluoRok’s core innovation is a process that avoids the production of highly toxic and corrosive hydrofluoric acid (HF), a key intermediate in traditional fluorochemical manufacturing. This method utilizes naturally occurring fluorite or fluorinated waste streams as raw materials, resulting in a safer, more energy-efficient, and lower-cost process. The technology also reduces CO2 emissions and introduces circular economy principles to fluorochemical production.

FluoRok's business model is centered on scaling up, manufacturing, and commercializing its novel fluorochemical reagents and battery electrolyte salts. The company targets customers in the Li-ion battery electrolyte salts and agrochemicals industries. A key product is lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6), a critical component for lithium-ion batteries. In September 2024, FluoRok raised £7.7 million in an oversubscribed funding round led by BGF and Green Generation Fund, with participation from Volta Energy Technologies, Oxford Science Enterprises, the University of Oxford, and others. This capital is intended to support team growth and the expansion of production facilities.

Keywords: fluorochemical manufacturing, sustainable chemistry, battery electrolyte salts, hydrofluoric acid-free, fluorination technology, deep-tech, Oxford spin-out, circular economy, lithium hexafluorophosphate, LiPF6, agrochemicals, energy transition, Gabriele Pupo, Véronique Gouverneur, green technology, chemical reagents, Li-ion batteries