Ucaneo
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ucaneo does
Ucaneo Biotech GmbH is a Berlin-based climate technology startup developing next-generation Direct Air Capture (DAC) systems. Its core technology is an electrochemical DAC process that mimics the human lung: ambient air passes through a biomimetic solvent that captures CO2 as a stable bicarbonate, an electrochemical stack with tailored biocatalysts accelerates the conversion, and electrodialysis releases and concentrates a continuous stream of high-purity CO2 gas — all at room temperature and without heat-intensive regeneration. The company claims an energy demand of 1,196 kWh per tonne of CO2 captured and current costs below €300/ton, with a third-party validated path to below €100/ton. Its stated mission is to remove 0.5 gigatons of CO2 from the atmosphere by 2035.
Ucaneo operates a four-axis commercial model. (1) Verified carbon removal credits sold to corporates seeking offsets for hard-to-abate emissions or net-zero targets; (2) high-purity CO2 supply for industrial buyers in sustainable fuels (e-kerosene, e-diesel, e-methanol), chemicals and polymers, food and beverages, and materials; (3) on-site DAC plant partnerships where Ucaneo designs, builds, and operates dedicated capture assets for enterprise customers; and (4) technology licensing to corporates, industrial groups, and infrastructure developers seeking access to its proprietary electrochemical DAC stack, IP, and operational know-how. All four offerings are positioned on multi-year contracts.
The company is pre-revenue and is executing a staged Berlin-based deployment roadmap: a 50 tCO2/year Industrial Pilot targeted for mid-2025, a >150 tCO2/year Technical First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) plant for mid-2026 funded in part by Aramco, and a >1,000 tCO2/year Commercial FOAK plant for end-2027. It has raised approximately €6.75M in seed funding (September 2024) led by IBB Ventures and SmartEnergy Innovation Fund, with additional participation from Carbon Removal Partners, Grantham Foundation, Nucleus Capital, Plug and Play, Apprecia Capital, and the Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust, alongside a strategic corporate investment from Aramco (March 2025). Ucaneo has also cultivated a broad partner ecosystem including EU co-funding, Climate-KIC, the Direct Air Capture Coalition, DACStore, VDMA Power Systems, and several Berlin-based research and accelerator partners.
Ucaneo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ucaneo
- Legal name
- Ucaneo Biotech GmbH
- Website
- https://ucaneo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ucaneo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Direct Air Capture / Carbon Removal Technology
- NAICS
- Industrial Gas Manufacturing (32512)
- SIC
- Industrial & Commercial Fans & Blowers & Air Purifing Equip (3564), Industrial Inorganic Chemicals (2810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Direct Air Capture (DAC) Systems & Plants (EUABAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Carbon Removal Project Development, Financing & Offtake (Developers, Aggregators, Buyers Clubs) (EUABAFAL), Carbon Removal Credits Trading (DAC, BECCS, Biochar, Mineralization) (EUAGAIAL)
Keywords
Where Ucaneo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Ucaneo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Carbon Removal Credits: Ucaneo removes CO2 directly from ambient air and delivers third-party verified carbon removal credits to customers offsetting hard-to-abate emissions or going beyond net zero.
- High-Purity CO2 Sales: Supply of high-purity CO2 captured from air for use in sustainable fuels (e-kerosene, e-diesel, e-methanol), chemicals and polymers, food and beverages, and materials and specialty products.
- On-Site DAC Plant Deployment: Partner with Ucaneo to design, build and operate a Direct Air Capture plant tailored to customer site, energy mix and CO2 offtake needs. Provides full technology package, engineering support and long-term operations.
- Technology Licensing: Flexible licensing models for corporates, industrial groups and infrastructure developers. Includes full technology package with core modules and IP access, engineering support for plant integration and scale-up, training, commissioning and operational know-how.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Carbon removal credits from next-generation Direct Air Capture |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | High-purity CO2 for industrial applications |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Multi-year contract | On-site DAC plant partnership |
| Licensing/ royalties | Multi-year contract | Technology licensing for DAC deployment |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Ucaneo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ucaneo develops next-generation Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology that mimics the human lung using a biomimetic solvent and electrochemical stack operating at room temperature without heat-intensive regeneration. The company sells third-party verified carbon removal credits, supplies high-purity CO2 captured from ambient air for industrial applications, designs and operates on-site DAC plants for enterprises, and licenses its proprietary electrochemical DAC technology to corporates, industrial groups, and infrastructure developers. Current cost is below €300 per ton of CO2 with a validated target path below €100 per ton.
Product overview
Ucaneo offers a new generation of Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology that mimics the human lung. The company provides four interconnected offerings: (1) Carbon Credits - third-party verified CO₂ removal credits from next-generation DAC; (2) High-Purity CO₂ Supply - captured CO₂ for sustainable fuels, chemicals, food & beverages, and materials; (3) Own DAC Plant - full-service design, build and operate offering for on-site DAC deployment; and (4) License Ucaneo DAC Technology - licensing models for corporates and infrastructure developers. The technology uses a biomimetic solvent and electrochemical stack operating at room temperature without heat-intensive regeneration. Three deployment milestones mark the product roadmap: Industrial Pilot (50t CO₂/y, Mid 2025), Technical FOAK (>150t CO₂/y, Mid 2026), and Commercial FOAK (>1000t CO₂/y, End 2027).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- CO2 removal cost of less than €300 per ton today, with path to less than €100 per ton
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Ucaneo
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ucaneo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Ucaneo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Carbon Removal PartnerscoreCarbon Removal Partners supporting Ucaneo's carbon removal solutions as part of their portfolio of climate technologies.
- Climate-KICsupportingEuropean Climate Innovation Community (Climate-KIC) supporting climate technology development and innovation ecosystem.
- Direct Air Capture CoalitionsupportingPartnership with Direct Air Capture Coalition for industry collaboration and ecosystem development in DAC technology.
- DACStoresupportingPartnership with DACStore for marketplace collaboration and CO2 removal credit distribution.
- VDMA Power SystemssupportingGerman mechanical engineering industry association (VDMA Power Systems) providing industry validation and ecosystem alignment. Dennis Rendschmidt, Director VDMA Power Systems, stated Ucaneo represents industrial innovation Germany needs with scalable, manufacturable technology aligned with the mechanical engineering ecosystem.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ucaneo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Avnos: US-based hybrid DAC company combining direct air capture with permanent storage in a single system, focused on cost reduction. Emerging peer pursuing the same corporate credit and industrial CO2 buyer segments.
- Octavia Carbon: Kenya-based DAC startup operating one of Africa's first DAC plants and selling verified carbon removal credits. Emerging peer pursuing the same voluntary carbon removal market via lower-cost renewable power siting.
- RepAir Carbon: Israel/Europe-based electrochemical DAC developer using membrane-based capture. Emerging peer in the electrochemical DAC category pursuing industrial CO2 offtake and corporate carbon removal credits.
Direct peers
- Climeworks: Swiss commercial-scale Direct Air Capture operator with the largest installed DAC capacity (Mammoth plant in Iceland) and the most established voluntary carbon removal credit franchise. Closest comparable in business model (credits + on-site deployment), though Climeworks uses thermal solid-sorbent capture rather than Ucaneo's electrochemical approach.
- Mission Zero Technologies: UK-based electrochemical Direct Air Capture developer with a similar heat-free, low-temperature approach to Ucaneo. Direct technology peer competing in the same electrochemical DAC category targeting industrial CO2 buyers and credits.
- Heirloom Carbon Technologies: US-based DAC company using limestone-based capture, backed by Microsoft, Breakthrough Energy, and others with >$250M raised. Direct DAC competitor in the voluntary carbon removal credit market targeting corporate buyers.
- 1PointFive: Occidental subsidiary commercializing Carbon Engineering's liquid-solvent DAC technology with STRATOS plant in Texas. Direct DAC peer at commercial scale, well-capitalized via its parent, and competing for the same industrial and credit offtake market.
- CarbonCapture Inc. US-based DAC technology developer building modular amine-based systems targeting both point-source and direct air capture. Direct peer competing for corporate offtake agreements and pilot-scale deployments.
- CarbonOrO: German electrochemical/biomimetic DAC startup also pursuing bio-inspired CO2 capture. Direct technology peer in the same niche as Ucaneo, headquartered in Germany with comparable heat-free, modular architecture.
Broad incumbents
- Carbon Clean: UK-based point-source carbon capture specialist with commercial-scale deployments in industrial flue gas. Broad incumbent in adjacent carbon capture with overlapping customer base of hard-to-abate industrial emitters, though focused on point-source rather than direct air capture.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ucaneo social profiles
Digital presenceUcaneo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ucaneo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Ucaneo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ucaneo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ucaneo
What does Ucaneo do?
Ucaneo develops next-generation Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology that mimics the human lung using a biomimetic solvent and electrochemical stack operating at room temperature without heat-intensive regeneration. The company sells third-party verified carbon removal credits, supplies high-purity CO2 captured from ambient air for industrial applications, designs and operates on-site DAC plants for enterprises, and licenses its proprietary electrochemical DAC technology to corporates, industrial groups, and infrastructure developers. Current cost is below €300 per ton of CO2 with a validated target path below €100 per ton.
Is Ucaneo a public or private company?
Ucaneo is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Ucaneo founded?
Ucaneo was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Ucaneo based?
Ucaneo is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Ucaneo make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Carbon Removal Credits are the primary driver. The others are high-Purity CO2 Sales, on-Site DAC Plant Deployment and technology Licensing.
Who are Ucaneo's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Avnos, Octavia Carbon and RepAir Carbon. Direct peers are Climeworks, Mission Zero Technologies, Heirloom Carbon Technologies, 1PointFive, CarbonCapture Inc. and CarbonOrO. Carbon Clean is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Ucaneo have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ucaneo.
What industry is Ucaneo in?
Ucaneo's product category is Direct Air Capture / Carbon Removal Technology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUABAFAA, Direct Air Capture (DAC) Systems & Plants, with a secondary code of EUABAFAL, Carbon Removal Project Development, Financing & Offtake (Developers, Aggregators, Buyers Clubs). Its NAICS code is 32512 and its SIC code is 3564.