Indaba Renewable Fuels

What Indaba Renewable Fuels does

Indaba Renewable Fuels is a privately held U.S. waste-to-energy company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Newport Beach, California. It is developing refineries that convert 100% waste oil feedstocks — including used cooking oil, animal fats, greases, vegetable oils, and municipal solid waste — into ultra-low sulfur, drop-in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that meets ASTM jet fuel standards and can be blended or used interchangeably with conventional Jet A without engine or fuel system modification. The company holds a license to Haldor Topsoe's HydroFlex hydrotreating technology, which provides broad feedstock flexibility and produces naphtha and propane as secondary by-products.

Indaba's business model centers on direct B2B sales of bulk SAF and by-products to enterprise customers — primarily commercial airlines (domestic and international, large and small), oil companies, and fuel traders — typically under long-term supply agreements. The go-to-market is sales-led and target segments include both end-buyer airlines and intermediating oil majors/traders who distribute into the broader transport fuel market. The company is currently in a pre-revenue development phase, with two refinery sites under engineering (Southern California and the Midwest) using a shared design that Indaba will have exclusive rights to upon completion.

The company differentiates through a patented waste-to-SAF conversion platform, a Sustainable Fitch ESG Framework Rating, ASTM jet fuel certification, and an approved initial project application from a Southern California County Planning Department. Its stated vision aligns with industry decarbonization targets of 50% SAF adoption by 2030 and 100% by 2050, and its founders intend to scale to metropolitan, rural, and underserved U.S. communities before eventual global expansion. No institutional funding rounds, revenue figures, or named customers are disclosed in available materials.

Name

Indaba Renewable Fuels

Legal name

Indaba Renewable Fuels, LLC

Website

https://indabarenewablefuels.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Indaba Renewable Fuels is a pre-revenue U.S. waste-to-energy company developing refineries that convert 100% waste oil feedstocks into drop-in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) using licensed Haldor Topsoe HydroFlex technology, selling to airlines, oil companies, and fuel traders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Aviation Fuel

NAICS

Petroleum Refineries (32411)

SIC

Petroleum Refining (2911)

akta.pro primary industry

Biofuel Upgrading, Hydrotreating & Refining (Co-processing, Isomerization) (EUAAAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Renewable Diesel (HVO/HEFA) Production (EUAAAHAD), Biofuels & Renewable Fuels Switching (Biomethane/RNG, Bio-oils, Sustainable Biomass) (EUABAJAD)

Keywords

• Waste-to-energy
• Sustainable aviation fuel
• Renewable jet fuel
• Hydrotreating technology
• Biofuel production

Headquarters

HQ city

Newport Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Sales: Production and sale of renewable jet fuel (SAF) made from 100% waste oil products to airlines, oil companies, and traders. The company operates refineries to convert waste feedstocks into high-grade, ultra-low sulfur drop-in renewable jet fuel. By-products include naphtha and propane.
2. Naphtha and Propane By-products: Sale of hydrocarbon-based liquid by-products from the HydroFlex process including naphtha and propane, which are additional revenue streams from the fuel manufacturing process.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Indaba Renewable Fuels operates waste-to-energy refineries that convert 100% waste oil products — including plant and animal oils, fats, greases, and municipal solid waste — into high-grade, ultra-low sulfur "drop-in" renewable jet fuel (Sustainable Aviation Fuel, or SAF). The company uses HydroFlex™ hydrotreating technology licensed from Haldor Topsoe and sells the resulting fuel, along with hydrocarbon by-products such as naphtha and propane, to airlines, oil companies, and fuel traders.

Product overview

Indaba Renewable Fuels operates as a waste-to-energy company producing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) using licensed HydroFlex™ technology from Haldor Topsoe. The company's core offering is high-grade, ultra-low sulfur 'drop-in' renewable jet fuel made from 100% waste oil products. The HydroFlex™ technology platform processes various feedstocks including plant and animal oils, fats, greases, and municipal solid waste into jet fuel meeting ASTM D1655 and D7566 standards. By-products from the refining process include naphtha and propane. The company is constructing new renewable SAF refineries in California and the Midwest.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) High-grade, ultra-low sulfur "drop-in" renewable jet fuel produced from 100% waste oil products (plant and animal oils, fats, grease, and municipal solid waste). Fully compatible with modern combustion and jet engines and meeting international standards including ASTM D1655 and D7566. Sold to commercial airlines, oil companies, and fuel traders.
• Naphtha and Propane By-Products Hydrocarbon-based liquid by-products from the HydroFlex™ refining process, including naphtha and propane, sold to oil companies, traders, and downstream chemical/fuel markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Drop-in fuel is completely interchangeable substitute for conventional petroleum-derived jet fuel with no engine or fuel system adaptation required
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Haldor TopsoecoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with Haldor Topsoe, market leaders in hydro processing renewable feedstocks, using their trademarked 'HydroFlex' technology. Topsoe's HydroFlex is a tried-and-tested technology for hydrotreating renewable feedstocks that enables production of high-grade jet fuels meeting international standards. The technology provides full feedstock flexibility including vegetable oil, animal fat, used cooking oil, pyrolysis oil, and crude tall oil. This partnership enables Indaba to refine a wide range of fatty acid-based products as feedstock for renewable jet fuel production.
• EPC ContractorcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWorking with an EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) contractor currently completing design for both refinery locations. The contractor is designing facilities using a similar design for both locations, which may expedite the permit application process. Upon completion, Indaba will have exclusive and immediate rights to the design.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• World Energy: World Energy is one of the longest-operating SAF producers in the US, operating a hydroprocessed HEFA refinery in Paramount, California — the same geography and the same core technology pathway (waste oils/fats to drop-in jet) that Indaba is targeting in Southern California.
• Aemetis: Aemetis is a US renewable fuels producer operating HEFA/renewable diesel capacity with explicit plans to produce SAF from waste oils — directly comparable to Indaba in feedstock slate, technology platform, and target customer base (airlines, fuel traders).
• Fulcrum BioEnergy: Fulcrum converts municipal solid waste and other wastes into synthetic crude and SAF via Fischer-Tropsch — directly comparable to Indaba's MSW-to-fuel thesis and waste-feedstock SAF positioning, though using a different conversion pathway.
• SkyNRG: SkyNRG is a dedicated SAF-focused company developing feedstock supply, refining partnerships, and airline offtake programs. It is comparable to Indaba as a pure-play SAF business targeting airlines with sustainable fuel solutions.
• Gevo: Gevo is developing alcohol-to-jet SAF from low-carbon ethanol/isobutanol, with offtake agreements already in place with airlines. It competes for the same SAF demand and corporate offtake Indaba targets, though using a different (ATJ) technology pathway.
• Velocys: Velocys develops Fischer-Tropsch technology to convert waste and biomass feedstocks into drop-in SAF and diesel — directly comparable to Indaba's waste-to-SAF model in feedstock diversity and end-product positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Neste: Neste is the world's largest HEFA SAF and renewable diesel producer, operating multi-billion-dollar refineries from waste and residue feedstocks. It is the dominant incumbent in the exact HEFA SAF market Indaba is targeting, supplying major global airlines with offtake agreements.
• Marathon Petroleum: Marathon is a major US refiner evaluating and investing in renewable/SAF capacity at existing refinery sites. It represents the established refining incumbents Indaba will compete against for airline offtake and project-finance partnerships.
• Diamond Green Diesel (Valero / Darling Ingredients JV): Diamond Green Diesel is one of the largest US renewable diesel producers (HEFA) and is expanding into SAF. It is comparable as a HEFA platform that uses waste fats and oils, with the scale, feedstock contracts, and offtake relationships that Indaba will need to match.

Emerging players

• LanzaJet: LanzaJet is an emerging alcohol-to-jet SAF producer with first-of-a-kind commercial plant operations. It is comparable to Indaba as a mission-driven SAF scale-up targeting airline decarbonization mandates, though using ethanol rather than waste oils as feedstock.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/indaba-renewable-fuels

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Indaba Renewable Fuels