Modern Hydrogen
Modern Hydrogen (founded 2015) develops the MH500 methane pyrolysis unit, which converts natural gas into clean hydrogen and solid carbon at point of use. It serves gas utilities, industrial heat users, fleet operators, data centers, and asphalt producers with hardware and carbon-sequestered materials.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBothell, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Modern Hydrogen does
Modern Hydrogen, founded in 2015 in the Seattle area (now headquartered in Woodinville, WA) and originally incorporated as Modern Electron Inc., is a clean-energy technology company that has pivoted to distributed methane pyrolysis. Its flagship product, the MH500, is a modular unit roughly the size of an 8' x 40' ISO container that converts natural gas, LNG, or renewable natural gas into 500 kg/day of hydrogen and solid carbon at temperatures of approximately 800–1000°C without combustion, producing no CO2. The solid carbon byproduct (Modern Carbon) is marketed as a performance additive for asphalt under the Modern Asphalt sub-brand, claimed to increase road stiffness by 34% and reduce material costs by up to 20%, providing permanent carbon sequestration.
The company monetizes through hardware sales of the MH500 to utilities, industrial heat users, heavy equipment operators, and data center power applications, supplemented by sales of Modern Carbon/Modern Asphalt to construction firms and municipalities such as the City of San Antonio. Go-to-market relies on direct enterprise field sales, with gas utilities (NW Natural, Puget Sound Energy, CPS Energy) functioning as both pilot customers and channel partners. The company also targets industrial HVAC (Cambridge Air Solutions), fleet/mobility fueling, and renewable biogas applications (Qualco Energy). Its technology stack includes proprietary solid-state power systems, thermionic/thermoelectric/AMTEC innovations, and high-temperature heat exchangers, with compliance to CSA/ANSI FC5:21, ASME B31, NFPA 2/55/70/86, and 49 CFR 192.
Modern Hydrogen has raised approximately $100 million in venture capital from Bill Gates, Nathan Myhrvold, NextEra Energy, National Grid Partners, Miura, At One Ventures, and others across funding rounds in 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. The company rebranded from Modern Electron Inc. to Modern Hydrogen Inc. in May 2023 to reflect its strategic shift toward hydrogen production. In December 2025, the company underwent a major restructuring that laid off nearly all of its approximately 100 employees, and in March 2026 contractors filed suit alleging unpaid invoices; partnership projects with NW Natural are reported to be facing setbacks as a result.
Modern Hydrogen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Modern Hydrogen
- Legal name
- MODERN HYDROGEN
- Website
- https://modernhydrogen.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Modern Hydrogen (founded 2015) develops the MH500 methane pyrolysis unit, which converts natural gas into clean hydrogen and solid carbon at point of use. It serves gas utilities, industrial heat users, fleet operators, data centers, and asphalt producers with hardware and carbon-sequestered materials.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Modern Hydrogen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Clean Hydrogen Production Equipment
- NAICS
- Industrial Gas Manufacturing (32512), Industrial Gas Manufacturing (325120)
- SIC
- Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment (3533)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hydrogen (Industrial & Mobility) (IMAEACAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hydrogen Production Supply & Offtake (Green/Blue H2) for Utility Blending (EUAJAJAF), Hydrogen & Derivative Fuels for Industry (H₂, Ammonia, Methanol) (EUABAJAC), Hydrogen Energy Storage & Power-to-X Equipment (electrolyzers, storage, fuel cell systems) (IMAGAHAM)
Keywords
Where Modern Hydrogen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bothell
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Modern Hydrogen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- MH500 Hydrogen Generation Units: Sale of modular methane pyrolysis units (MH500) that produce hydrogen on-site. Units generate 500 kg H2/day and bolt onto existing natural gas infrastructure. Revenue from equipment sales to utilities, industrial operators, and fleet operators.
- Modern Asphalt / Carbon Products: Sale of solid carbon (Modern Carbon) as an asphalt additive to construction companies, municipalities, and asphalt producers. The carbon byproduct from pyrolysis is sold to Road Recyclers and other partners for use in road construction and maintenance.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise equipment sales - custom quotation |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Modern Hydrogen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Modern Hydrogen provides distributed methane pyrolysis systems that convert natural gas (or biogas) into clean hydrogen and solid carbon at the point of use, without combustion, water, or renewable power. Its flagship MH500 unit is a modular, container-sized (8' x 40' ISO) hydrogen generator producing 500 kg of hydrogen per day that bolts onto existing natural gas infrastructure. The solid carbon byproduct is permanently sequestered in asphalt and construction materials as Modern Asphalt / Modern Carbon, creating a dual-product decarbonization solution for utilities, industrial operators, and fleet operators.
Product overview
Modern Hydrogen offers a distributed methane pyrolysis system that converts natural gas into clean hydrogen and solid carbon on-site. The core product is the MH500 pyrolysis unit, which produces 500 kg of hydrogen per day at customer locations using existing natural gas infrastructure. The hydrogen output serves multiple applications including power generation, industrial heat, mobility fueling, and HVAC. The solid carbon byproduct is marketed as Modern Carbon, which is incorporated into Modern Asphalt products for road construction and infrastructure, creating a closed-loop carbon sequestration solution. The company's product portfolio centers on the MH500 hardware platform complemented by the Modern Asphalt/Modern Carbon product line.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Modern Asphalt: Asphalt products integrated with solid carbon from the company's methane pyrolysis process, used for road construction and infrastructure. The carbon-sequestered asphalt enhances road durability and reduces costs.
Products and services
- MH500 Modern Hydrogen's flagship methane pyrolysis unit that converts natural gas into clean hydrogen and solid carbon at the point of use. The MH500 produces 500 kg of hydrogen per day, is modular and scalable, and can be deployed at customer sites using existing natural gas infrastructure without requiring new pipelines, water, or electrical connections.
- Modern Asphalt Asphalt products incorporating Modern Carbon (solid carbon captured from methane pyrolysis) as a high-performance additive. The carbon-sequestered asphalt strengthens roads by increasing stiffness by 34%, enhances durability, reduces costs by up to 20%, and permanently stores carbon in infrastructure. Deployed across multiple U.S. states and Canada.
- Modern Carbon The industrial-grade solid carbon byproduct produced from Modern Hydrogen's methane pyrolysis process. It is sold as an asphalt additive and binder for construction materials, where it permanently sequesters carbon while enhancing material performance.
Quantifiable outcome
- Asphalt stiffness increased by 34%, with roads that are stronger, more durable, and able to withstand higher temperatures
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Modern Hydrogen
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Modern Hydrogen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Modern Hydrogen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- CPS EnergycoreTexas-based utility partnership to pilot gas-to-hydrogen power generation project. Aims to increase grid resiliency and enable cleaner power generation from natural gas to address growing electricity demand.
- Puget Sound EnergycoreStrategic partnership (MoU) with Washington's largest utility for market analysis and technical evaluation of distributed methane pyrolysis technology to decarbonize commercial and industrial operations.
- NW NaturalflagshipFlagship pilot project in Portland, OR to deploy first utility distributed pyrolysis system. Achieved first pipeline injection of pyrolytic hydrogen and first solid carbon capture project. Three-year pilot testing hydrogen blends from 5-20% in natural gas systems.
- Qualco Energy and Tulalip TribescoreClean Energy Fund of Washington State funded project to generate hydrogen from renewable biogas (cow manure). Hydrogen produced for power generation serving approximately 300 homes with negative emissions.
- Mesa Natural Gas SolutionscorePartnership to deploy pyrolysis technology for data centers. Modern Hydrogen produces hydrogen onsite to supply Mesa Solutions' hydrogen-powered generators with stable fuel source.
- Cambridge Air SolutionsminorIntegration partnership to integrate hydrogen from Modern's pyrolysis into ultra-high efficiency HVAC systems used by companies like General Motors.
- Road RecyclerscoreFirst partner to incorporate solid carbon stripped from natural gas into public roads. Testing Modern Hydrogen products with municipal and state transportation agencies for road construction and maintenance.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Modern Hydrogen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Air Liquide: Global industrial gas company with a large-scale hydrogen and decarbonized gas business, including hydrogen for refineries, industrial users, and mobility. Like Linde, Air Liquide is the relevant scaled incumbent for industrial gas production and is actively investing in blue and green hydrogen — setting the competitive benchmark Modern Hydrogen's turquoise H2 must beat on cost and reliability.
- Plug Power: Established public company in the green hydrogen ecosystem producing, handling, and delivering liquid hydrogen and operating hydrogen fueling infrastructure for forklifts, trucks, and stationary power. Plug Power addresses the same end customer pain points (lack of hydrogen infrastructure, fleet decarbonization) and is a relevant comparable on the H2 mobility and power-generation verticals Modern Hydrogen targets.
- Linde: Global industrial gas major producing and distributing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and other industrial gases. Linde is a broad incumbent in the hydrogen supply market and the relevant scaled comparator for Modern Hydrogen's industrial gas manufacturing NAICS code, though its model is centralized production and pipeline delivery rather than distributed pyrolysis.
- Nel ASA: Norwegian electrolyzer manufacturer producing alkaline and PEM electrolyzers for green hydrogen production. Nel is a broad incumbent in the distributed hydrogen production equipment market that Modern Hydrogen competes against for utility and industrial customer wallet share, though Nel's technology pathway is green H2 via electrolysis rather than turquoise H2 via pyrolysis.
- Bloom Energy: Public company deploying solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) for distributed power generation using natural gas, with growing hydrogen and hydrogen-blend capability. Bloom is comparable to Modern Hydrogen on the distributed power and natural-gas-decarbonization use case for utilities and data centers, though it is a broader incumbent and uses fuel cells rather than pyrolysis.
Direct peers
- Monolith Materials: U.S. company using methane pyrolysis to produce carbon black for tires, plastics, and industrial rubber applications. Monolith is highly comparable on the carbon-revenue side of the business model (solid carbon as a sellable industrial material) and shares the same fundamental challenge of scaling methane pyrolysis at industrial scale.
- C-Zero: California-based startup developing methane pyrolysis technology to produce turquoise hydrogen and solid carbon from natural gas. C-Zero is the closest direct competitor to Modern Hydrogen, pursuing the same core chemistry and same distributed, point-of-use deployment model for utilities and industrial customers.
- Hazer Group: Australia-listed company commercializing catalytic methane pyrolysis to produce turquoise hydrogen and high-grade graphite. Hazer shares Modern Hydrogen's core process (CH4 → H2 + solid carbon) and target end markets (industrial decarbonization, hydrogen mobility), and serves as the publicly traded reference point for the methane pyrolysis thesis.
Emerging players
- ITM Power: UK-based PEM electrolyzer company building distributed hydrogen production units for industrial, transportation, and power applications. ITM Power is a partial overlap peer addressing the same end customer need (decentralized hydrogen generation without large infrastructure buildout) and is a relevant comparable for unit economics and sales-cycle benchmarks for Modern Hydrogen's MH500.
- KeyState Energy: Emerging player developing small-scale, distributed natural gas reforming and pyrolysis systems for hydrogen production. KeyState is a partial overlap peer focused on distributed hydrogen generation, with a similar decentralized architecture to Modern Hydrogen's MH500 but earlier in commercial deployment.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Modern Hydrogen social profiles
Digital presenceModern Hydrogen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Modern Hydrogen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Modern Hydrogen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors13 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Modern Hydrogen 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 Modern Hydrogen
What does Modern Hydrogen do?
Modern Hydrogen provides distributed methane pyrolysis systems that convert natural gas (or biogas) into clean hydrogen and solid carbon at the point of use, without combustion, water, or renewable power. Its flagship MH500 unit is a modular, container-sized (8' x 40' ISO) hydrogen generator producing 500 kg of hydrogen per day that bolts onto existing natural gas infrastructure. The solid carbon byproduct is permanently sequestered in asphalt and construction materials as Modern Asphalt / Modern Carbon, creating a dual-product decarbonization solution for utilities, industrial operators, and fleet operators.
Is Modern Hydrogen a public or private company?
Modern Hydrogen is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Modern Hydrogen founded?
Modern Hydrogen was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Modern Hydrogen based?
Modern Hydrogen is headquartered in Bothell, United States, in the North America region.
How does Modern Hydrogen make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. MH500 Hydrogen Generation Units are the primary driver. The others are modern Asphalt / Carbon Products.
Who are Modern Hydrogen's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Air Liquide, Plug Power, Linde, Nel ASA and Bloom Energy. Direct peers are Monolith Materials, C-Zero and Hazer Group. Emerging players are ITM Power and KeyState Energy.
Does Modern Hydrogen have an API?
No public API is recorded for Modern Hydrogen.
What industry is Modern Hydrogen in?
Modern Hydrogen's product category is Clean Hydrogen Production Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAEACAB, Hydrogen (Industrial & Mobility), with a secondary code of EUAJAJAF, Hydrogen Production Supply & Offtake (Green/Blue H2) for Utility Blending. Its NAICS code is 32512 and its SIC code is 3533.