Sora Fuel, a startup producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) using only water, air, and renewable energy, has raised an oversubscribed $6 million seed round to expand its team, develop commercialization partnerships, and further strengthen the company’s technology.
The round was led by Engine Ventures with participation from Wireframe Ventures and others.
Sora Fuel produces SAF by capturing and using atmospheric CO2 at costs that are an order of magnitude lower than those of existing processes. The company’s technology includes a liquid bicarbonate electrolyzer that delivers direct air capture (DAC) CO2 at $20 per ton. The system operates in a fully closed-loop system using only water and renewable electricity to produce syngas.
Sora Fuel’s DAC-to-fuels approach helps reduce overall energy inputs, eliminates the need for feedstocks (other than air and water), and provides a scalable process for efficiently and cost-effectively producing SAF and any other downstream products of syngas in comparison to incumbent DAC solutions.
“Sora Fuel’s technology eliminates 90% of the energy currently required in standard DAC processes, opening up an entirely new and more sustainable path for producing carbon-negative fuels,” said Gareth Ross, co-founder and CEO of Sora Fuel. "Our patented, closed-loop system enables the direct generation of an economical product and overcomes widespread feedstock constraints, allowing us to produce SAF at prices comparable to current Jet A fuel.”
“The company’s electrolyzer technology will enable the operation of highly profitable SAF plants that are unconstrained by location – a crucial feature considering that 500 million metric tons of SAF are needed by 2050 to meet the global aviation industry’s environmental targets,” added Michael Kearney, General Partner at Engine Ventures and Sora Fuel Board member.
Sora Fuel was conceived within The Engine Ventures based on technology from Curtis Berlinguette’s lab at the University of British Columbia. Sora Fuel is hiring for its Boston-based team as well as initiating partnerships and offtake agreements with jet fuel purchasers.
