Ki 13 raises $5M seed to cut the cost of synthetic fuels
What's the deal? UK cleantech company Ki 13, formerly Ki HydrogenDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, has raised $5 million in seed funding to build an industrial pilot plant for its biomass electrolysis technology. HICO Investment GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led the round, with participation from BurgestDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Triple Impact VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, GiTVDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Desai VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, plus non-dilutive match funding from Innovate UKDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
What's the endgame? Ki 13 is developing an electrochemical process that converts lignocellulosic biomass into separate streams of green hydrogen and biogenic CO₂. Both can serve as feedstocks for synthetic fuels and chemicals, including e-SAF, e-methanol, and e-methane.
Why now? The company is targeting the cost of hydrogen and CO₂, the two main inputs in synthetic fuel production. Conventional methods rely on water electrolysis and direct air capture, both energy-intensive.
Ki 13 says its low-temperature process needs around 25 kWh per kilogram of hydrogen and 300 kWh per tonne of CO₂. By comparison, it puts water electrolysis at about 50 kWh per kilogram, and direct air capture at 2,000 to 3,000 kWh per tonne.
What they said: "The world needs a radical cost difference in how synthetic fuels and chemicals are made to drive the transition at scale and at pace," said co-founder and chief executive officer Koji Muto. HICODealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Desai Ventures both backed the company at pre-seed.
HICO chief executive officer Christopher Hartnoll said the biggest barrier to scaling green hydrogen "is not demand, but economics." He added that Ki 13 "has the potential to materially reduce feedstock costs and unlock a more commercial path to scale."
The process uses biomass residues from agricultural, forestry, and other biological sources, avoiding purpose-grown crops. The funding will build the pilot plant and test the technology at larger scale ahead of commercial deployment.
The signal: At $5 million, the seed round sits in the top 5% of UK energy seed rounds tracked all-time, across a sample of 1,050 deals. That reflects continued investor appetite for cleantech bets aimed at cost rather than demand.
Read more: Tech.eu
Image credit: Ki Hydrogen
