EnCoat ApS

What EnCoat ApS does

EnCoat ApS is a Danish privately-held research and technology organization headquartered in Copenhagen that develops silica aerogel encapsulation technology for antifouling marine coatings. The company addresses a structural trade-off in the maritime coatings industry: traditional antifouling paints either permit biofouling that can raise vessel fuel consumption by up to 50% or release toxic biocides—approximately 50,000 tons of copper discharged into oceans annually—into marine ecosystems. EnCoat's core technology is a silica mesoporous matrix that encapsulates co-bicide particles, enabling coating manufacturers to reduce biocide content by up to 50% while maintaining equivalent or better antifouling performance and achieving up to 20% cost savings. The encapsulation material is designed to hydrolyze into inert sand in bulk seawater.

The company operates a B2B technology-licensing model, supplying its encapsulation additive to industrial coating manufacturers as a drop-in substitute for free co-biocides across rosin acrylic, zinc acrylate, and silyl acrylate binder systems. EnCoat complements licensing with direct validation: over 40 Danish yacht owners have tested the technology since 2018, and dynamic testing on Danish Home Guard marine vessels has demonstrated up to 3 years of fouling-free hull performance. As a member of the Scanventure group, the company collaborates with multiple universities (DTU, Chalmers, Roskilde, Sultan Qaboos University in Oman) and coating manufacturers across the supply chain. Primary customer segments are coating manufacturers integrating the technology into product lines and maritime vessel owners seeking fuel-efficiency and regulatory-compliant antifouling solutions; yacht owners serve as a validation channel.

Revenue derives from technology licensing and co-development arrangements with industrial partners. The company has received grant support from the Danish Maritime Fund. Specific funding amounts, revenue figures, cap table details, and named commercial coating-manufacturer licensees are not publicly disclosed. The 8–9 person core team is led by CEO Andreas Møgelhøj, CTO and inventor Eva Wallström, and founder/main owner Lars Ole Kornum.

Name

EnCoat ApS

Legal name

EnCoat ApS

Website

https://encoat.dk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

EnCoat ApS is a Danish materials-technology company that licenses silica aerogel encapsulation technology to marine coating manufacturers, enabling up to 50% biocide reduction in antifouling paints while maintaining performance, serving shipping operators and coating formulators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Antifouling Coatings Technology

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (32551), Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing (3255), Adhesive Manufacturing (32552)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Adhesives & Sealants (2891)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Adhesives & Sealants Chemicals (IMAEABAA), Industrial Protective Coatings (IMADAKAB), Sustainable Labels, Adhesives & Inks (Wash-Off Labels, De-inkable Inks, Low-VOC) (IMALAMAJ), Biocides & Disinfection Chemicals (Non-Agricultural) (IMAEAJAL)

Keywords

• Antifouling coatings
• Silica aerogel encapsulation
• Marine biocide technology
• Fouling prevention solutions
• Specialty chemical additives

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing and Co-development: EnCoat generates revenue by licensing its encapsulation technology to coating manufacturers and specialty chemical companies. As a research and technology organization, the company bridges university research and industry implementation through strategic partnerships with industrial partners across the antifouling coating supply chain.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

EnCoat ApS develops and licenses a proprietary silica aerogel encapsulation technology that surrounds co-biocide particles in a mesoporous silica matrix, enabling coating manufacturers to reduce biocide usage by up to 50% while maintaining equivalent antifouling performance. The technology is provided as a drop-in additive substitute for free co-biocides in standard coating formulations (rosin acrylic, zinc acrylate, silyl acrylate binders), and is sold to antifouling coating manufacturers and specialty chemical companies rather than directly to end users.

Product overview

EnCoat ApS offers a single unified product: its Aerogel Encapsulation Technology for antifouling coatings. This technology encapsulates co-biocides within a silica mesoporous matrix, allowing coating manufacturers to reduce biocide usage by up to 50% while achieving equivalent or better antifouling performance compared to traditional coatings. The technology integrates into standard coating formulations (rosin acrylic, zinc acrylate, and silyl acrylate binder systems) as a direct substitute for free co-biocides. EnCoat also provides SPC (Self-Polishing Copolymer) test coatings based on this technology for performance validation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aerogel Encapsulation Technology A silica mesoporous matrix encapsulation technology that surrounds biocide particles, enabling gradual dissolution and release while preventing premature depletion. Reduces biocide requirements by up to 50% while maintaining equivalent antifouling performance. Sold as a drop-in additive substitute for free co-biocides to coating manufacturers.
• SPC (Self-Polishing Copolymer) Test Coatings Self-Polishing Copolymer test coatings incorporating the silica aerogel encapsulation technology, used for performance validation against traditional antifouling coatings. Demonstrated fouling-free hull protection for up to 3 years in dynamic testing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 50% reduction in required biocide amounts while maintaining equivalent antifouling protection
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Technical University of Denmark (DTU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnCoat collaborates with DTU as part of its university partnership network, turning research into reality by serving as a bridge between universities and the coating industry.
• Chalmers University of TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnCoat collaborates with Chalmers University as part of its R&D partnership network spanning numerous collaborations with leading institutions to advance antifouling coating technology.
• Roskilde UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnCoat collaborates with Roskilde University as part of its university partnership network to drive research translation from academia to industry application.
• Sultan Qaboos University (Oman)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnCoat collaborates with Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, including testing coatings under challenging fouling conditions in the Middle East to validate technology performance.
• Industrial Partners (Coating Manufacturers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnCoat collaborates with established coating manufacturers and specialty chemical companies across the supply chain to transform the antifouling industry by popularizing ultra-low-biocide solutions as the industry norm.
• Scanventure GroupcoreOthersEnCoat is a member of the Scanventure group, providing organizational backing and potential synergies with other portfolio companies in the maritime and technology space.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Kansai Paint Marine Coatings: Asia-Pacific-focused marine coatings division within Kansai Paint, with strong presence in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese shipyards. Comparable as a regional incumbent that EnCoat could target for geographic expansion of its licensing model beyond Europe and the Middle East.

Broad incumbents

• PPG Industries (Marine Coatings): Global coatings leader with a marine segment producing antifouling and protective coatings. Comparable both as a potential licensing partner for EnCoat and as a competing supplier of next-generation biocide-reduced marine coatings.
• International Paint (AkzoNobel): AkzoNobel's marine coatings division and one of the largest suppliers of antifouling systems worldwide. Comparable to EnCoat as a target customer and competitor given its Intersleek and other low-friction, low-biocide product lines.
• Hempel A/S: Major Danish marine and protective coatings manufacturer with global market share in antifouling hull paints. Hempel is a direct counterpart to EnCoat's licensing targets and a logical future customer or competitor, given its large installed base and ongoing R&D into low-biocide formulations.
• Chugoku Marine Paints: Japanese marine coatings manufacturer with significant Asia-Pacific market share in antifouling paints. Comparable as a potential large-scale licensee for EnCoat's encapsulation additive and a competitor in the broader low-biocide trend.
• Jotun A/S: Norwegian coatings giant with a leading position in marine antifouling paints and broad protective coatings portfolio. Jotun is one of the most likely licensees of EnCoat's encapsulation technology and competes directly with EnCoat-enabled products in the hull coating market.
• Nippon Paint Marine: Japanese-headquartered marine coatings supplier with a global hull coatings portfolio including low-friction antifouling systems. Comparable as a potential licensing customer for EnCoat and a competitor in the regulated, biocide-reduced marine coatings market.
• BASF Coatings: Major chemical and coatings company with a marine and industrial coatings segment supplying binders, additives, and finished coatings. Comparable as both a potential specialty chemical partner supplying binder systems compatible with EnCoat's encapsulation technology and a competitor in coating additives.

Emerging players

• I-Tech AB: Swedish specialty company developing and commercializing Selektope, an antifouling biocide additive designed to reduce overall biocide loading in marine coatings. Direct functional peer to EnCoat: both offer drop-in additives that reduce biocide requirements in established coating formulations.
• Adaptive Surface Technologies: US-based specialty materials company commercializing SLIPS (Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces) technology for marine fouling release. Comparable as a next-generation antifouling technology developer addressing the same pain point EnCoat targets, though using a fundamentally different chemistry approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/encoat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 EnCoat ApS