Sphera, a Durham University spin-out helping the construction sector build a net-zero world, has announced the close of a £1.9 million funding round.
By recycling what most deem unrecyclable, Sphera has created a carbon negative aggregate for concrete.
Their building materials are tackling the colossal carbon footprint of traditional concrete, which makes up 8% of global carbon emissions.
Sphera’s products provide a solution for construction professionals aiming to reduce their environmental impact.
“I’m excited to be welcoming new members and gaining extra resources to support our vision to be at the global forefront of low-carbon and environmentally friendly material innovation for the built environment,” Dr Natasha Boulding – Sphera CEO & Co-founder.
The investment round brought together a range of stakeholders who support Sphera’s vision for a net-zero construction sector.
It includes Green Angel Syndicate, the UK’s largest specialist network of investors fighting climate change.
“Natasha and her team really impressed our specialist Green Angel Syndicate members, right from the very first meeting” says GAS CEO Cam Ross. “The Sphera approach to decarbonising such a mainstream component of global building materials is very compelling, hence our substantial investment.”
The round also involves other VC groups, including Northstar Ventures and individuals with considerable experience in the construction sector.
Additionally, Sphera is supported by Innovate UK, BEIS EEF, Tech Nation, WSP’s Emerging Growth Partnership Program, Creative Destruction Lab, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Durham University and Northern Accelerator.
The investment round follows a successful year for Sphera, who recently became an advisory board member for the UKGBC’s Innovative Start-Up Forum.
Sphera CEO and Co-founder Dr Natasha Boulding also appeared on a COP26 panel in the Green Zone as a leading voice on materials innovation in the built environment alongside representatives from GSK, AstraZeneca, Unilever and Johnson Matthey.
The next step for Sphera is to launch OSTO™ – its carbon negative lightweight concrete aggregate – onto the market and demonstrate the material in its first construction projects.
OSTO™ is an aggregate for concrete and is currently being trialled in concrete blockwork, making traditional carbon-intensive blocks carbon zero.
It uses waste plastic that couldn’t otherwise be recycled – treating our waste as a solution rather than a problem.
Sphera will also accelerate its development of new products, with the continued goal of finding innovative material solutions to solve the challenges of the construction industry – with no compromise to our planet. They will announce several new collaborations over the next year.
To support these goals, Sphera will be expanding its facility and its team in 2022.
Visit www.sphera.uk to learn more about Sphera.
