Concretene
Concretene is a Manchester-based advanced materials company that sells a graphene-based liquid admixture for concrete, enabling cement producers and construction firms to reduce embodied carbon by 10-20% while maintaining strength, priced cost-neutrally relative to cement savings.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Concretene does
Concretene is a UK-based advanced materials company that has developed a graphene-based liquid admixture for concrete. The product is added at the batching plant and improves the microstructure of cementitious materials, enabling cement reduction of 10-20% and embodied carbon savings while delivering 15-30% performance enhancement (10-20% compressive strength uplift in field trials; 25-30% in laboratory conditions). The formulation is patent pending and can be tailored for grouts, mortars, and concrete across ready-mix, precast, and rail infrastructure applications. Graphene is sourced through partnerships including Black Swan Graphene and, increasingly, from sustainable feedstocks via Levidian's LOOP process using wastewater biogas.
The company serves UK concrete producers and construction buyers, with named collaborations and deployments involving Breedon, Cemex Rail, Roger Bullivant, U+I plc, the University of Manchester, Nationwide Engineering, and United Utilities. The business model is B2B enterprise sales of the admixture on a cost-neutral unit-pricing basis (admixture price equals cement cost removed), supported by engineering-specification channels such as Arup's accreditation pathway. Go-to-market combines direct sales to concrete suppliers, event-driven demand generation (e.g., UK Concrete Show 2026), and partnership-led commercialisation including government-funded scale-up projects. As of 2025, Concretene has over 300 cubic metres of deployed graphene-enhanced concrete, a pilot manufacturing plant in central Manchester, and a team of more than 20 staff headquartered at the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre.
The company has raised approximately £8.5M+ across a £3.5M seed round from LocalGlobe (October 2022), ~£2M in UK government grants from Innovate UK and EPSRC (2023), a £3M Seed+ round co-led by Molten Ventures and LocalGlobe (October 2024), and a £1M Ofwat Water Breakthrough Challenge award (May 2026). Strategic equity partners include Arup and Black Swan Graphene.
Concretene firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Concretene
- Legal name
- Concretene
- Website
- https://concretene.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Concretene is a Manchester-based advanced materials company that sells a graphene-based liquid admixture for concrete, enabling cement producers and construction firms to reduce embodied carbon by 10-20% while maintaining strength, priced cost-neutrally relative to cement savings.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Concretene industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Concrete Admixtures
- NAICS
- Cement and Concrete Product Manufacturing (3273), Other Concrete Product Manufacturing (32739)
- SIC
- Cement, Hydraulic (3241), Adhesives & Sealants (2891)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Construction Chemicals (Additives, Admixtures & Grouts) (IMAEABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Precast Concrete Products (IMADAAAB)
Keywords
Where Concretene is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Concretene business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Graphene-enhanced admixture sales: Sale of graphene-based liquid admixture to concrete producers and construction companies. The product is added at the batching plant like any other admixture. Cost-neutral model where the admixture price equals the cost of cement saved.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cost-neutral pricing at scale |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Concretene product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Concretene develops and sells a graphene-based liquid admixture that is dosed into concrete at the batching plant to improve the microstructure of cementitious materials, enabling 10-20% cement reduction while maintaining or improving compressive strength. The admixture is customisable for grouts, mortars, and concrete, and is priced to be cost-neutral at scale, so the price of the admixture equals the cost of the cement removed from the mix. The product requires no new equipment or training for concrete producers and is targeted at ready-mix, precast, and infrastructure applications.
Product overview
Concretene offers a product suite centered on a graphene-based admixture, their core offering that enhances the performance and sustainability of cementitious materials. The primary product, Concretene Graphene Admixture, can be precisely optimized for grouts, mortars and concrete using specific blends of graphene materials. The Gen 2 variant incorporates graphene from energy industry waste streams. Applications include low-carbon railway sleepers, readymix concrete, and precast elements. The company has developed biogas-derived graphene variants through partnerships with Levidian for wastewater-derived graphene sourcing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Concretene Graphene Admixture Graphene-based liquid admixture for concrete that improves microstructure, lowers embodied carbon through cement reduction, and delivers equivalent or improved performance. Customisable for grouts, mortars and concrete, cost-neutral at scale, and added at batching plants without requiring new equipment. Sold to concrete producers and construction companies in the UK.
- Concretene Gen 2 Admixture
Quantifiable outcome
- 10-20% cement reduction in concrete applications, enabling equivalent carbon savings
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Concretene
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Concretene technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Concretene partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- ArupcoreGlobal design and engineering consultancy holding equity stake in Concretene. Working on extensive material testing programme to generate comprehensive dataset supporting product accreditation and standardisation. Hosted panel events on decarbonising the concrete industry.
- Black Swan GraphenecoreEquity partnership announced in 2022 alongside LocalGlobe seed funding. Graphene manufacturer providing supply chain partnership for Concretene's admixture products.
- CemexcoreGlobal cement giant collaborating with Concretene on specific formulations for low-carbon CEM II/III cements. Worked together on low-carbon railway sleepers for Global Centre of Rail Excellence achieving 7% CO2 reduction.
- Roger BullivantmajorLeading UK pre-cast and piling manufacturer that agreed volume orders of Concretene as part of government-funded development project. Hosted pilot plant for scale-up at RB headquarters in Derbyshire.
- BreedonmajorMajor UK concrete supplier collaborating on Optimisation of Concretene formulation for low-carbon mix designs. Conducted Clough Cottage Farm trial with 75m3 pour using 35% GGBS cement replacement.
- The University of ManchestercoreFounding research partner since 2019. Concretene is first tenant of Manchester's innovation district (Sister). Hosts Knowledge Transfer Partnership and formulations labs within Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre.
- Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC)corePartnership with GEIC at University of Manchester providing access to lab space, specialist equipment, and collaborative projects with application engineers. Home to Concretene's headquarters and testing facilities.
- United UtilitiesmajorLead partner in Ofwat-funded project 'Splitting Biogas, Multiplying Value' at Davyhulme wastewater treatment works. Providing wastewater biogas as graphene feedstock source for Concretene's low-carbon technology.
- LevidianmajorGraphene producer using LOOP process to derive graphene from wastewater biogas via microwave energy. Partnership enables sustainable graphene supply from waste streams, addressing the key barrier of raw material supply consistency.
- TarmacminorConstruction materials supplier included in Ofwat-funded project partnership for development of lower-carbon concrete products using graphene from sustainable biogas feedstocks.
- Nationwide EngineeringminorResearch and development partner on Innovate UK-funded project. Funded and contracted initial industrial-scale trial at Southern Quarter gym in Amesbury, Wiltshire.
- Global Centre of Rail ExcellencemajorPartner in Innovate UK-funded project delivering low-carbon concrete sleepers for rail infrastructure. Provided test facility in South Wales for showcasing 12 different rail technologies including Concretene's graphene-enhanced concrete.
- Master Builders SolutionsminorLeading manufacturer of chemical admixtures for construction. Provided facility tour and discussions on opportunities, barriers and direction of travel in reducing carbon footprint in construction.
- Vector Homes / Vector LabsminorModular housing company using nanomaterials for low-cost, energy-efficient homes. Fellow partner at Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre. Partnered on 'world-first' graphene house project in Cheshire.
- Bruntwood SciTechminorDeveloper of Manchester's new innovation district (Sister, formerly ID Manchester). First tenant of the £1.7bn, 22-acre development at University of Manchester's former north campus.
- ULEMcominorHydrogen economy company included in Ofwat-funded project consortium 'Splitting Biogas, Multiplying Value'.
- Carbon IonminorBattery technology company included in Ofwat-funded project consortium 'Splitting Biogas, Multiplying Value'.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Concretene competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Sika AG: Global specialty chemicals leader and one of the largest concrete admixture manufacturers in the world. Sika's admixture portfolio competes directly with Concretene for specification by major concrete producers, though Sika offers a much broader product suite and established global distribution.
- Master Builders Solutions (BASF): BASF's construction chemicals division and a leading global admixture brand. Concretene already has discussions with Master Builders Solutions (noted in partnerships), positioning it both as a potential competitor and a possible acquirer or distributor of graphene-enhanced admixtures.
- GCP Applied Technologies: Specialty construction chemicals company (now part of Saint-Gobain) with a strong concrete admixture business focused on performance-enhancing admixtures. Comparable to Concretene in targeting cement reduction and performance improvement but with established global reach and a broader product range.
- Mapei: Italian multinational specialising in adhesives, sealants, and chemical products for the construction industry, including a significant concrete admixture business. A relevant competitor because of its deep relationships with European concrete producers similar to Concretene's UK customer base.
- Fosroc: International manufacturer of construction chemicals and concrete admixtures with a particularly strong presence in the Middle East and Asia. Competes with Concretene in the admixture category and could be a route-to-market partner as Concretene expands internationally.
Direct peers
- CarbonCure Technologies: Canadian leader in CO₂-injected concrete technology that reduces cement content in ready-mix concrete. Direct comparable in the low-carbon concrete admixture/additive category, sharing Concretene's value proposition of enabling concrete producers to cut embodied carbon without performance loss.
Emerging players
- Carbon Upcycling Technologies: Canadian start-up using CO₂ and industrial waste to produce supplementary cementitious materials and performance-enhancing additives. Comparable to Concretene as a low-carbon concrete additive company targeting cement reduction, though focused on different chemistry.
- Solidia Technologies: US-based company developing CO₂-cured concrete and lower-carbon cementitious binders for the precast and ready-mix markets. Direct comparable in the low-carbon concrete space, with a more focus on cement chemistry rather than admixture performance enhancement.
- Directa Plus: Italian graphene producer with applications in concrete and other sectors. Comparable to Concretene as a graphene-enabled construction materials company, though Directa Plus focuses on graphene production and supplies multiple end-markets rather than selling a formulated concrete admixture.
- Haydale Graphene Industries: UK-based graphene and other nano-material company with concrete and composite applications. Similar to Concretene in its UK base and focus on commercialising graphene-enhanced construction materials, providing both partnership and competitive dynamics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses2 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Concretene social profiles
Digital presenceConcretene financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Concretene leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Concretene funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Concretene 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 Concretene
What does Concretene do?
Concretene develops and sells a graphene-based liquid admixture that is dosed into concrete at the batching plant to improve the microstructure of cementitious materials, enabling 10-20% cement reduction while maintaining or improving compressive strength. The admixture is customisable for grouts, mortars, and concrete, and is priced to be cost-neutral at scale, so the price of the admixture equals the cost of the cement removed from the mix. The product requires no new equipment or training for concrete producers and is targeted at ready-mix, precast, and infrastructure applications.
Is Concretene a public or private company?
Concretene is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Concretene founded?
Concretene was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Concretene based?
Concretene is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Concretene make money?
One revenue line is on record: graphene-enhanced admixture sales.
Who are Concretene's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Sika AG, Master Builders Solutions (BASF), GCP Applied Technologies, Mapei and Fosroc. CarbonCure Technologies is listed as a direct peer. Emerging players are Carbon Upcycling Technologies, Solidia Technologies, Directa Plus and Haydale Graphene Industries.
Does Concretene have an API?
No public API is recorded for Concretene.
What industry is Concretene in?
Concretene's product category is Concrete Admixtures. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAEABAC, Construction Chemicals (Additives, Admixtures & Grouts), with a secondary code of IMADAAAB, Precast Concrete Products. Its NAICS code is 3273 and its SIC code is 3241.