This not only highlights Ucaneo’s cutting-edge Direct Air Capture technology but also emphasizes its crucial role in helping industries transition to net zero. Ucaneo positions itself as a key enabler, helping both emerging and traditional industries to manage their CO₂ footprint by providing a robust and reliable solution to remove CO₂ from ambient air.

Ucaneo just launched its first industrial pilot at its premises, with a capacity of up to 30-50 tons of CO₂ per year—already making it one of the largest industrial DAC pilots in Germany. Aramco Ventures’ investment will accelerate Ucaneo to build Germany’s largest DAC demonstration plant, set to be commissioned in the first half of 2026. Beyond financial support, the investment also paves the way for potential joint deployments of future commercial plants.

Florian Tiller, Ucaneo co-founder and CEO, stated: “We are thrilled to welcome Aramco Ventures as one of our investors. For us, it was essential to find a partner who not only supports our scaling efforts but is also deeply committed to playing a leading role in the energy transition. Only through impactful scale and strong partnerships can innovative technology developers like Ucaneo enable the world to build a real net-zero economy.“

Bruce Niven, Executive Managing Director at Aramco Ventures, added: “Direct Air Capture, if achievable at a competitive cost, could play a crucial role in global decarbonization. Ucaneo’s approach, leveraging novel solvents and renewable energy-driven electrochemistry, has the potential to deliver a cost-effective and highly efficient solution. We are excited to partner with Ucaneo’s innovative team to advance this technology toward large-scale adoption.”

Innovative Technology Inspired by Nature
Ucaneo’s state-of-the-art electrochemical DAC technology mimics the lung’s natural ability to manage CO₂. Using electricity and a specialized biomimetic solvent, Ucaneo’s system removes atmospheric CO₂ at room temperature with continuous regeneration, delivering pure, industrial-grade CO₂ for various applications.

Designed for high energy efficiency, Ucaneo’s technology seamlessly integrates with variable renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, enabling cost-effective, on-demand CO₂ removal. This flexibility allows operators to leverage energy price arbitrage, making it particularly attractive for high-grid-electricity price regions and remote renewable-powered deployments.

A Pathway to Germany’s Largest Direct Air Capture Demonstration Plant
Ucaneo’s industrial pilot—one of Germany’s largest DAC projects—will provide critical operational data to validate its technology under real-world conditions. These insights will inform the development of Germany’s largest DAC demonstration plant, planned for launch in the first half of 2026.

Supported by a Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) and an independent third-party feasibility study, Ucaneo’s DAC technology has the potential to achieve costs below €300 per ton of CO₂ in the near future—making it one of the most cost-competitive DAC solutions globally. The demonstration plant will serve as a key milestone in proving this cost-effectiveness at scale.

With this project, Ucaneo is strengthening Berlin’s and Germany’s position as a global leader in innovative climate technology solutions—paving the way for a more scalable and affordable approach to carbon removal.

The post Ucaneo attracts funding from Aramco Ventures appeared first on My Startup World - Everything About the World of Startups!.

The round was led by climate tech investor Zouk Capital, with significant participation from new investor Aramco Ventures and existing investor Airbus Ventures. Additional contributions came from existing investor Understorey Capital and several new investors, including Helium-3 Ventures.

Founded in 2014 and based in Oxford, Dendra Systems employs 87 dedicated professionals across the UK, Australia, UAE, and US.  The company provides an end-to-end RestorationOSTM solution to restore nature, powered by high-resolution data capture and drone-based seeding, and a comprehensive AI-enabled ecosystem insights platform. Dendra’s innovative approach is able to achieve targeted, rapid deployment of restoration efforts at scale, in addition to ongoing monitoring, management and reporting for the duration of multi-year projects.

Dendra is applying its market-leading RestorationOSTM technology and ecological expertise to enabling customers such as Rio Tinto, Glencore, Liontown, BHP, and the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), in achieving their environmental objectives. Currently managing over 70,000 hectares, Dendra is setting new standards in nature restoration, with demonstrated capabilities in mining, infrastructure, mangrove and arid ecosystem restoration.

The fresh injection of capital will be directed towards Dendra Systems’ expansion into new geographical markets and the continuous enhancement of its pioneering AI-enabled ecology platform. These efforts aim to address the urgent need for large scale and efficient restoration solutions in the face of escalating environmental challenges within the mining sector and other industries critical to the energy transition.

Dr Susan Graham, CEO Dendra Systems, said, “We are immensely proud of securing the support of these experienced and supportive investors as we embark on this next phase of growth. This funding will enable us to bring our AI-driven restoration solutions to more ecosystems around the world, helping to reverse biodiversity loss and mitigate the effects of climate change. Our RestorationOSTM technology and approach represent a game-changing opportunity for environmental monitoring and restoration, and we are excited to be able to double down on our efforts to empower environmental teams to reverse these global trends.”

John Higelin, Partner Zouk Capital, said, “The drive to revitalise our planet’s ecosystems is among the most pressing challenges of our era. As the global community strives towards environmental sustainability, Dendra Systems is tackling the critical task of ecosystem monitoring and restoration head-on and at scale. Zouk Capital is delighted to lead this Series B round, supporting Dendra’s mission to expand their impact globally. ”

Bruce Niven, Executive MD, Strategic Venturing, Aramco Ventures, said, “We are excited about the potential of Dendra Systems’ technology to make a huge impact on biodiversity by restoring ecosystems, thus contributing to increasing plant species richness and habitat restoration, as well as its impact on forestry and mangroves plantation management, which is a key enabler for scaling nature-based solutions”.

The post Dendra Systems secures $15.76mln in Series B funding appeared first on My Startup World - Everything About the World of Startups!.

It will take Aramco’s overall venture capital allocation to $7.5bn, which also includes the $500 million venture capital fund Wa’ed Ventures, which focuses on the start-up ecosystem in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The decision reflects the growing significance of Aramco’s venture capital program in enabling the development of disruptive new technologies, creating diversification opportunities for Aramco, and paving the way for collaborations with innovative start-ups. In doing so, it aims to help advance the Company’s long-term strategy, which includes a focus on new energies, chemicals and transition materials, diversified industrial businesses, and digital technologies.

Ahmad Al Khowaiter, Aramco Executive Vice President of Technology & Innovation, said: “Innovation is key to addressing some of the fundamental challenges facing the world today, including the energy transition. Through Aramco Ventures, we aim to support pioneers with big ambitions, and ultimately help bring their ideas to life. By injecting an additional $4 billion in funding over the next four years, we intend to provide the financial backing required to take game-changing solutions to the next level. This will provide crucial impetus to businesses at various stages of development around the world, while also contributing to Aramco’s own long-term objectives.”

The post Aramco pumps in $4 billion into Aramco Ventures appeared first on My Startup World - Everything About the World of Startups!.

Aramco Ventures led the investment, along with notable new investors from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Japan. Aramco Ventures is the corporate venturing subsidiary of Aramco, the world’s leading fully integrated energy and petrochemical enterprise.

“REDEX is well positioned as the leading marketplace for I-RECs, which will enable renewable energy markets in many parts of the world. We look forward to collaborating with the REDEX team to extend this capability into new geographies,” said Bruce Niven, Executive MD, Strategic Venturing at Aramco Ventures.

Established in 2018, REDEX Group is a first-mover RECs player in Asia, offering a full suite of RECs management solutions covering asset registration, verification, trading, and retirement.

“We are witnessing tremendous growth in the adoption of RECs by brand owners striving to be 100% renewable, both for themselves and their supply chains,” said Jen-Wee Kang, Founder and CEO of REDEX.

“The demand for green energy is very real, and the number of RECs issued and retired is more than doubling year on year. Building on the trust we have established with key players in the ecosystem, REDEX is well-positioned to play a leading role in the exponential growth of RECs adoption globally.”

As a concept, RECs are very simple – the instrument traces one’s power consumption to renewable energy sources. Its simplicity is precisely why the instrument is the most convenient and practical way for companies to achieve Scope 2 neutrality.

RECs are endorsed and adopted by RE100, the main consortium of leading brand owners committed to 100% renewable electricity. The consortium was initially formed in 2014 by 13 corporate partners. Today, RE100 has over 400 members who consume around 400 TWh of power.

REDEX believes there is great potential to apply RECs creatively in the industrial sector, like for green aluminium, steel, and cement – commodities covered in the starting phase of Europe’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

In April, the company announced it was the first API-integrated Platform Operator Account on I-REC, the world’s largest RECs registry. In June, REDEX also announced its partnership with China Southern Grid, supporting the grid operator as an I-REC Issuer in China.

The post REDEX raises $10M in Series A funding led by Aramco Ventures appeared first on My Startup World - Everything About the World of Startups!.

Aramco Ventures, the venture capital arm of Saudi Aramco, announced the formal launch of its US$1 billion diversified growth fund, Prosperity7. The fund backs exceptional entrepreneurs to build transformative companies and solve some of the world’s toughest problems. Prosperity7 provides its portfolio companies with the funding and connections they need to scale and enter new markets to attain global reach.

NEOM Tech & Digital Company announced the launch of the world’s first cognitive metaverse, XVRS that will serve residents and visitors of the smart giga-project, and M3LD, a personal data management platform that gives back control of data to the user.

stc announced MENA HUB, a US$1 billion investment in regional connectivity and infrastructure, which will support Saudi Arabia’s rapidly expanding digital and cloud sector.

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) announced the launch of The Garage, a new platform for startups and entrepreneurship. The Garage will create a full-service environment for local and international startups, to help them grow to become the leading technology companies of the future.

J&T Express Group, one of the world’s fastest-growing logistics companies, announced an investment of US$2 billion with eWTP Arabia Capital and other partners. The investment will see J&T establish its MENA headquarters in Riyadh, and set up an extensive network of smart logistics and distribution facilities that will extend Saudi Arabia’s reach as the regional center for advanced logistics.

The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), a multinational organization established to enable digital prosperity for all, also announced the launch of the DCO Start-up Passport to make it quicker, easier and less expensive for start-ups to do business across borders, opening up potentially lucrative markets with a combined population of more than half a billion people.

The Start-up Passport will reduce administrative and financial burdens as well as expedite the entry and support in the markets of eight DCO countries. The initiative will be rolled out initially in Saudi Arabia and Nigeria.

During LEAP 22, the DCO also endorsed Elevate50, an initiative launched to support 50,000 small to medium-sized enterprises over the next three years to sell their products online. Supported by the Jordanian ecommerce platform MakanE, Elevate50 is projected to generate 5,000 jobs and specifically target businesses run by women and young people.

“These investments and initiatives are a manifestation of the Kingdom’s push toward the growth of the digital economy for the greater good of people, the planet and the prosperity of the MENA region. They mark the next level of growth for the digital economy in Saudi Arabia, the MENA region’s largest technology and digital market,” said H.E. Eng. Abdullah Alswaha, Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology.

The post Over $6.4 billion investments announced in Saudi Arabia appeared first on My Startup World - Everything About the World of Startups!.