OCCIDENT Portfolio Insights:
We present Tomaz Bizjak from ReCatalyst
Knowledge enables competitive advantage – this was Tomaz’s assumption when he started his studies at the University of Cambridge to empower himself with the most advanced commercialization practices. After graduating, he was eager to capitalize on scientific excellence through spin-offs in his native Slovenia and co-founded ReCatalyst, a start-up in the field of electrocatalysts for hydrogen technologies, together with Matija Gatalo.
Tomaž has more than a decade of experience in technology transfer and gained experience as a project coordinator, was then head of the Knowledge Transfer Office at the Kemijski inštitut - National Institute of Chemistry in Ljubljana and is now CEO of the start-up ReCatalyst. On this career path, he was nominated for the title of "Cambridge Entrepreneur of the Year", among others, and underwent studies in many disciplines in order to gain a good understanding of the complexity of deep tech start-ups.
A culmination of this development is now ReCatalyst, a company that has won titles such as “Slovenian Start-up of the Year 2023”. Together with Matija Gatalo, the co-founder and innovative mind behind the technology, the young company achieved an oversubscribed Seed financing round in 2023. This enables the company to successfully compete in the emerging hydrogen fuel cell market, now working with more than 20 international industrial customers.
Since the Seed investment by OCCIDENT and other renowned investors from Germany and Austria, the company has confirmed the industrial viability of its process and validated its technology even better. Its patented nanotechnology process enables a reduction of the platinum content in the catalyst for PEM fuel cells by about 60%, resulting in a reduction of the production cost of the final system by up to an incredible 45%.
With an exceptionally high innovation potential and a progressive and internationally oriented business philosophy, ReCatalyst is now raising a € 12 million Series A to spearhead innovation in the field of electrocatalysts for hydrogen and other cleantech applications. If ReCatalyst has caught your interest, please contact Tomaz or our portfolio manager Simon to find out more about ReCatalyst and its current fundraising activities.
#climatetech #innovation #technologytransfer #hydrogen #catalysts #deeptech #seriesA
