Four startups from Spain and the United Kingdom were selected for the 15th edition of the Repsol Foundation’s Entrepreneurs Fund, an acceleration program dedicated to the development of technologies for the energy transition. Renewable hydrogen, CO₂ capture, circular economy, and electric mobility are among the areas covered by the projects, according to a press release.
According to the same source, the selected companies are Oxhyd and Tether EV, from Spain, and Airhive and Repolywise, from the United Kingdom. Over the next 12 months, each may receive up to €120,000, in the form of a convertible loan, as well as specialized mentorship and access to Repsol facilities to test their respective technologies.
The selection was announced on September 30 at the Repsol Campus in Madrid. The program provides that the solutions be tested in real context, through pilot projects at the company’s facilities and industrial units or through proof-of-concept tests at the Repsol Technology Lab.
Four technologies for different challenges
The Spanish company Oxhyd is developing a new generation of solid oxide reversible cells, a technology that can be used both to generate electricity and to produce renewable hydrogen.
Also from Spain, Tether EV is developing a platform designed to optimize charging of electric vehicles and to enable the use of battery flexibility as a resource for the electric grid.
In the United Kingdom, Airhive is working on a direct air capture technology of CO₂ from the atmosphere based on calcium looping, a process that uses calcium-based materials to separate carbon dioxide and that integrates heat recovery.
Repolywise, also British, develops a technology to transform plastic waste directly into C2-C4 gases, seeking to create new possibilities for waste valorization and circular use of materials.
The program combines funding with mentorship and access to Repsol specialists and to the company’s technological infrastructures. The goal is to enable startups to advance from technological development to demonstration of solutions in conditions close to commercial applications.
88 startups supported since 2011
Created in 2011, the Entrepreneurs Fund has already supported 88 technology-based startups. According to the Repsol Foundation, the companies covered by the program have developed more than 950 prototypes, registered more than 200 patents, and secured more than 1.1 billion euros in public and private funding.
The Foundation also notes a survival rate of 65% among the accelerated startups.
Over the 15 editions, the program has focused its support on technologies related to the transformation of the energy system, covering areas such as new energy sources, emissions reduction, material circularity, and electrification.
