Hello Tom, can you share a bit about your professional journey and how you became involved in the fields of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS)?
After my PhD, I started working at an engineering firm which designs and builds waste-to-energy installations to safely incinerate non-recyclable waste. During this incineration process CO2 is released – like in a lime kiln the CO2 emissions are unavoidable. It became clear that the business as usual approach where CO2 could be freely emitted to the atmosphere was not sustainable. I set up the carbon capture department to explore the technology landscape, build our own CCUS techno-economic models and make our incineration plant design carbon capture ready. Next I was responsible for a feasibility study to implement CCS across the waste-to-energy fleet in Singapore covering more than 3 million
tons of CO2 emissions.
In 2021, I was elected Chairman of the CCUS working group of the industry association ESWET (European Suppliers of Waste to Energy Technology). The CCUS working group covered among others the changing policy landscape regarding CCUS and how we should position ourselves as a sector herein.
My experience in the carbon capture domain together with my personal interest in investing brought me to Carmeuse Ventures.
As the leader of Carmeuse Ventures, what sets it apart as an early-stage corporate venture capital entity in the climate and deep tech sectors?
First let's clarify what deep tech is. Deep tech refers to innovations that are based on extensive R&D in the field of science and engineering to push the boundaries of current technology. So, start-ups active in the field of climate and deep tech develop novel science and technology based solutions for societal challenges like climate change.
It is the organization of Carmeuse which sets Carmeuse Ventures apart. Joining Carmeuse, I was astonished by the strong technical know-how and skills present throughout the organization. When presenting Carmeuse as a potential investor, who wants to actively support the start-ups in their technological and commercial developments, this image is confirmed. For example when I speak about our Butterfly project, the (tech) people within the start-ups are getting really excited to working together with us! I believe that our technical knowhow, together with our global scale and customer network sets Carmeuse apart from other VCs who are just providing capital.
What is your vision for the future of Carmeuse Ventures, and how do
you see it evolving in the coming years?
From a Carmeuse perspective, Carmeuse Ventures is there to convert promising external ideas into tangible results benefitting Carmeuse’s page one. So, I
would like Carmeuse Ventures to drive innovation in the company. This is done
through our technology watch which could lead to technical and/or commercial
partnerships and investments. Concretely, Carmeuse Ventures and its portfolio/
partnership start-ups activities should result in extended R&D competences,
expansion of complementary business platforms/markets and operational
improvements.
From an outside perspective I want Carmeuse Ventures become a brand which
is recognized by start-ups and other VCs as the investor to go to for getting top
notch support in bringing innovative technology to the market. Having Carmeuse Ventures in your cap table must increase the start-up’s value from day 1.
As we only started 6 months ago, we have not done any investment yet. We are
working hard towards the first one. We have identified good potential candidates in the field of carbon capture, carbon dioxide removal and the construction industry. To turn the above vision into reality, I would like to turn these candidates into partnerships or investments, if the conditions are right obviously, in the coming months.
What message would you like to convey to start-ups considering a partnership with your team?
In one sentence: We want start-ups to leverage our internal competences to create win-win, beyond capital.