Neocrete raises $3.5M to take its low-carbon concrete to Europe and the US
What's the deal? New Zealand-based NeocreteDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised $3.5 million in an early VC round to expand its concrete decarbonisation technology. Returning investor Wavemaker VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led the round, backed by Catalytic Capital for Climate and Health (C3H)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a climate- and health-focused vehicle backed by Temasek TrustDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
What's the endgame? Founded in 2018, Neocrete makes additives that let low-quality materials such as poor fly ash and volcanic ash replace 30% to 50% of the cement in concrete. The company says the technology cuts carbon and cost while keeping strength, durability, and workability.
The funding will fuel expansion into European and US markets and continued deployment in Southeast Asia, where Readymix BruneiDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → already uses the additives.
Why now? Neocrete is turning early deployments into proof points. In Brunei, its additives have converted previously dumped fly ash into a cement substitute across 3,700 cubic metres of concrete — cutting embodied carbon by 25%, avoiding roughly 215 tonnes of carbon dioxide, and saving nearly $20,000.
Its largest project, the redevelopment of Muara Port, is expected to use about 65,000 cubic metres of Neocrete concrete, save around $300,000, and avoid 5,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
What's the pitch? Chief executive and co-founder Zarina Alexander argues the concrete industry won't pay extra to go green. "Green premiums do not work in the concrete industry," she said, adding that Brunei proved "it's possible for concrete makers to cut carbon and cost, with no trade-offs."
C3H said it will also connect Neocrete with partners across the Temasek Trust Collective. "Neocrete stands out because of its reduced carbon emission footprint, lower cost, and a higher-performing alternative to conventional cement," said Ryan Tan, head of C3H.
The signal: The round sits near the middle of the pack by size, placing Neocrete in the 25th percentile among comparable raises. But the strategy — pairing carbon cuts with cost savings rather than charging a premium — targets a sector that has long resisted paying more to decarbonise, and gives climate-focused backers like C3H a commercial thesis to underwrite.
Read more: dealstreetasia.com
Image credit: Neocrete
