RepAir Carbon

RepAir Carbon is an Israeli deep-tech startup founded in 2020 and headquartered in Yokneam Illit, Israel. The company pioneers a fully electric, solid-state electrochemical carbon capture system inspired by battery and fuel cell technologies. Unlike conventional liquid-solvent-based direct air capture approaches that require significant heat input, chemical solvents, and complex separation processes, RepAir's solid electrochemical cell applies an electric current across specialized electrodes to generate hydroxide ions that bind with CO₂. This approach achieves approximately 70% lower energy consumption (targeting ~600 kWh per ton of CO₂ captured) compared to industry-average technologies, while eliminating the need for heat, toxic solvents, or frequent maintenance cycles. The technology produces 98-99% pure CO₂ as output and operates in a continuous, modular fashion without downtime.

The core innovation lies in RepAir's ability to capture CO₂ from both highly diluted sources (400 ppm atmospheric air) and industrial emission streams with up to 5% CO₂ concentration. This versatility addresses a significant market gap: many existing carbon capture technologies perform poorly on dilute emissions, yet such sources represent the vast majority of global CO₂. RepAir's modular, stackable architecture is deliberately inspired by battery manufacturing principles, enabling cost-effective scaling to gigaton-scale deployment through mature, distributed production infrastructure. Each module can operate independently or be integrated into larger capture systems, providing flexibility for deployment in refineries, gas turbines, aluminum smelters, cement plants, data centers, and direct air capture facilities.

The company's technical team includes Yehuda Borenstein (Chairman and founder, serial entrepreneur in cleantech with prior ventures including NitroFix and Carbonade), Amir Shiner (CEO with mechanical engineering background from Technion), Dr. Ben Achrai (Chief Technology Officer leading R&D), and Prof. Yushan Yan from the University of Delaware (Board Member and co-founder, contributing academic validation of the electrochemical approach). This blend of entrepreneurial, engineering, and scientific expertise provides credibility for both technical execution and commercialization strategy.

RepAir has secured substantial venture backing and strategic partnerships. The company raised a Series A extension round of $15 million in April 2025, co-led by Taranis Carbon Ventures and Extantia Capital, with participation from major energy companies Ormat Technologies and Repsol. Additionally, the Israeli Innovation Authority provided a non-dilutive $3 million grant. The company has also received €12.5 million in grants and funding from the European Innovation Council, bringing total disclosed capital to approximately $26.5 million. Strategic partnerships include collaborations with Shell (major energy multinational and venture investor), Mitsubishi (Japanese industrial giant), and Cella (carbon mineralization and storage company), positioning RepAir for large-scale commercial deployment in the U.S. Gulf Coast, Europe, and Africa. These partnerships validate both the technology and market demand for next-generation carbon capture solutions.

RepAir's competitive positioning reflects genuine technical defensibility in the electrochemical DAC market segment. Direct competitors include Mission Zero Technologies (UK-based electrochemical DAC using membrane electrodialysis), Parallel Carbon (electrochemical DAC with integrated green hydrogen production), and Greenlyte Carbon Technologies (German low-temperature DAC). Larger carbon capture players like Climeworks and Heirloom operate at greater scale but use solid sorbent and mineralization approaches requiring higher energy input or specialized infrastructure. RepAir's energy efficiency advantage (70% reduction) and modular deployment model create differentiation, particularly for hard-to-abate industries and data centers facing increasing carbon regulations and operational pressure. The company's target cost trajectory of $70-80 per metric ton of CO₂ captured, if achieved, would be transformative relative to industry averages of $300-600 per ton, addressing a critical cost barrier to gigaton-scale deployment.

From a strategic resilience and decarbonization perspective, RepAir addresses critical infrastructure challenges as energy demand accelerates due to data center proliferation, AI compute scaling, and industrial electrification. Excess energy production from renewable sources can be efficiently redirected to electrochemical carbon capture during peak renewable supply, improving grid stability and utilization. The technology aligns with national climate targets across Europe, Israel, and allied nations, while supporting corporate net-zero commitments from major industrial and technology firms. Industrial deployment in aluminum, cement, and chemical sectors—which account for substantial global hard-to-abate emissions—creates both climate impact and economic defensibility through cost savings and carbon credit monetization.

Key diligence questions include: (1) Validation of claimed energy consumption and cost targets at commercial scale; (2) Timeline and success rate of current Shell, Mitsubishi, and Cella partnership demonstrations; (3) Regulatory and carbon credit market dynamics affecting pricing and demand; (4) Talent retention and execution capability as the company scales manufacturing and deployment; (5) Supply chain resilience for specialized electrode and cell components; (6) Capital requirements for Series B to achieve gigaton-scale manufacturing capacity; (7) Customer acquisition velocity in industrial hard-to-abate sectors versus direct air capture applications.