Hychor spins out of University of Aberdeen to make green hydrogen from seawater
What's the deal? HychorDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a startup spun out from the University of Aberdeen, has completed an equity funding round and opened a new R&D facility as it develops technology to produce green hydrogen directly from seawater — no freshwater required.
The company, founded in 2024 by University of Aberdeen chemistry graduate Jani Shibuya, opened its Aberdeen R&D base in early May 2026. The size of the equity round was not disclosed.
Hychor's technology uses seawater electrolysis to produce green hydrogen on-site, targeting off-grid coastal communities and industries looking to decarbonise without large-scale infrastructure. Shibuya developed the underlying electrocatalyst technology during his PhD and now serves as chief executive officer, joined by co-founder and chief operating officer Alex Colledge and three additional staff.
Why now? The startup is advancing toward industrial pilot projects planned for 2027. Coastal and off-grid sites represent a growing market for decentralised hydrogen production, particularly where freshwater is scarce or expensive to supply.
"Hychor's long-term ambition is to be globally impactful in the hydrogen and renewable energy production sector, helping address two of the planet's most pressing challenges — energy security and water scarcity," Shibuya said.
What could go wrong? Seawater electrolysis remains technically challenging. Saltwater corrodes conventional electrolyser components and introduces impurities that degrade performance over time. Scaling from lab to industrial pilot is where many hydrogen startups stumble, and Hychor's small team of five will need to prove durability and cost-effectiveness against established freshwater-based systems.
The broader green hydrogen market also faces headwinds: project delays, uncertain offtake agreements, and competition from cheaper grey hydrogen continue to slow adoption across Europe.
The signal: Hychor's spin-out adds to a growing cluster of early-stage UK hydrogen ventures seeking niche advantages over conventional electrolyser makers — in this case, eliminating the freshwater dependency that constrains where green hydrogen plants can operate. With the company already at the "early growth" stage according to Dealroom and industrial pilots targeted for 2027, the next 18 months will test whether seawater electrolysis can move from a compelling thesis to a commercially viable one.
Read more: Renewables Now
