Düsseldorf-based start-up Co-reactive has raised €6.5 million to advance its innovative CO₂ mineralisation process, aiming to transform the cement industry with net CO₂-negative materials.
Düsseldorf-based Co-reactive has closed a €6.5 million seed financing round to accelerate commercial deployment of its carbon mineralisation technology for the cement sector, according to multiple reports. The backing, equivalent to about $7.7 million, was led by High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) with participation from NRW.BANK, HBG Ventures, AFI Ventures, Evercurious VC and a syndicate of climate-tech business angels, and is complemented by public grants from Germany’s Federal Industry and Climate Fund (BIK), Reuters-style reporting shows. (Carbon Herald; BFT International; EU-Startups.)
The start-up, formed in 2024 in North Rhine-Westphalia, has developed a continuous process that binds captured CO2 with naturally occurring minerals such as olivine and with metallurgical slags (EAF and BOF) to produce supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) that the company says are net CO2-negative. Industry reporting and legal advisories note the material is intended to replace a portion of clinker in cement formulations, cutting the carbon intensity of cement and concrete while enhancing compressive strength and durability. The technology is described as a drop-in solution that can be integrated into existing cement and construction-material production lines. (BFT International; Startbase; Heuking.)
Co-reactive plans to use the seed capital to scale laboratory and pilot work into a continuous demonstration facility targeted to reach roughly 1,000 tonnes per year by the second quarter of 2026, with parallel development of larger industrial pilot plants on the order of tens of thousands of tonnes. The company says it is partnering with CO2 and raw-material suppliers, cement and concrete manufacturers and standards and certification bodies as it transitions from pilot to industrial operation, and envisages on-site plants at cement and steel facilities mineralising biogenic and process CO2 streams from 2027 onward. (Carbon Herald; Heuking; EU-Startups.)
Dr.-Ing. Andreas Bremen, co-founder and CEO of Co-reactive, underscored the team’s ambition in media comments: “With the right co-founders and an interdisciplinary team, we are taking CO₂ mineralisation from the lab into continuous industrial operation.” (EU-Startups; BeBeez.)
The financing also included the conversion of existing convertible loan agreements, and Co-reactive engaged corporate counsel for the transaction, according to legal advisers who worked on the round. Observers note that pairing private seed capital with targeted public funding follows a familiar route for deep-tech climate ventures seeking to scale capital- and energy-intensive process technologies towards industrial throughput. (Heuking; BFT International.)
For industrial decarbonisation professionals, Co-reactive’s proposition targets two persistent challenges in cement abatement: replacing high-emissions clinker in high-volume binders, and creating a secure route to store CO2 in durable building products. Industry data and supplier dynamics will shape how rapidly such SCMs can be certified and adopted at scale, because the degree of clinker substitution, long-term durability performance and supply of suitable mineral feedstocks vary regionally. According to reporting, the company is already assembling partnerships across the value chain to address these certification and feedstock-sourcing requirements. (Startbase; BFT International; Carbon Herald.)
As the firm moves toward demonstration and industrial pilots, key commercial questions remain for potential customers and investors: the lifecycle carbon accounting methodology for the mineralised SCMs, cost parity with incumbent SCMs and cements, readiness of standards bodies to recognise CO2-negative inputs, and the logistics of siting mineralisation equipment at steel and cement plants. Co-reactive’s planned timeline and growing investor support position it among a cohort of start-ups pursuing mineralisation routes for cement decarbonisation, but wider adoption will depend on regulatory recognition, offtake agreements and the economics of integrating the process into existing industrial operations. (Heuking; Carbon Herald; EU-Startups.)
If successful at scale, the approach could deliver permanent CO2 removal embedded into one of the world’s largest materials supply chains while simultaneously lowering the operational emissions intensity of cement and concrete. Co-reactive’s next 18–24 months of demonstration activity will be critical to validate performance, secure certifications and demonstrate cost competitiveness to major cement and construction-material purchasers. (BFT International; Startbase.)
- https://carbonherald.com/co-reactive-secures-more-than-7m-in-seed-funding-for-its-cement-decarbonization-solution/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=co-reactive-secures-more-than-7m-in-seed-funding-for-its-cement-decarbonization-solution – Please view link – unable to able to access data
- https://www.bft-international.com/en/news/co-reactive-secures-eur6-5-million-in-seed-funding-for-climate-neutral-building-material-technology-4342688.html – Co-reactive, a climate tech start-up founded in 2024 in North Rhine-Westphalia, has completed a seed financing round totaling €6.5 million. The capital will be used to scale the company’s CO₂ mineralization technology, which harnesses CO₂ and binds it sustainably as high-performance building materials, from prototype to industrial application. The round is led by HTGF. Additional investors include NRW.Bank, HBG Ventures, AFI Ventures (the early-stage impact arm of Ventech), Evercurious VC, and a network of experienced climate tech business angels. The company also receives support from funding programs such as the Federal Industry and Climate Fund (BIK) from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). Co-reactive has developed a continuous process that converts CO₂ together with natural minerals such as olivine or metallurgical slag (EAF & BOF) into CO₂-negative Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs). The materials enable a significant reduction in the clinker content of cement and building materials – and thus a significant reduction in their carbon footprint.
- https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/01/dusseldorf-based-co-reactive-secures-e6-5-million-to-take-concrete-action-to-decarbonise-the-cement-industry/ – Düsseldorf-based Co-reactive, a ClimateTech startup focused on decarbonising the construction industry at scale, has closed a Seed financing round totalling €6.5 million to scale its CO₂ mineralisation technology. The round was led by HTGF, with participation from NRW.Bank, HBG Ventures, AFI Ventures (the early-stage impact arm of Ventech), Evercurious VC and a network of experienced climate tech business angels. It has also received support through grants such as the Federal Funding for Industry and Climate (BIK) from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). Dr.-Ing. Andreas Bremen, co-founder and CEO of Co-reactive, commented, “With the right co-founders and an interdisciplinary team, we are taking CO₂ mineralisation from the lab into continuous industrial operation.
- https://www.heuking.de/en/news-events/latest-news/article/heuking-advises-duesseldorf-deeptech-start-up-co-reactive-on-its-seed-financing-round.html – The Düsseldorf-based DeepTech start-up Co-reactive, developer of technology for converting CO₂ into cementitious additives, was advised by HEUKING on the legal aspects of its successful seed financing round. A total of EUR 6.5 million was raised during the financing round and existing convertible loans (CLAs) were converted. The lead investor in this round is High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF). Other investors include NRW.BANK, AFI Ventures, the early-stage impact arm of Ventech (France), and Evercurious VC (Greece). In addition, the company receives subsidies from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). Co-reactive GmbH is developing a novel carbon mineralization technology that converts CO₂ into high-performance CO₂-negative cementitious additives (SCMs). The aim is to improve the strength and durability of cement-based building materials and thus contribute to the decarbonization of the large-volume construction sector. The company is now scaling up from the prototype to a 1,000-ton demonstration plant. Industrial pilot plants on a ten-thousand-ton scale are already being prepared.
- https://bebeez.eu/2026/01/28/dusseldorf-based-co-reactive-secures-e6-5-million-to-take-concrete-action-to-decarbonise-the-cement-industry/ – Düsseldorf-based Co-reactive, a ClimateTech startup focused on decarbonising the construction industry at scale, has closed a Seed financing round totalling €6.5 million to scale its CO₂ mineralisation technology. The round was led by HTGF, with participation from NRW.Bank, HBG Ventures, AFI Ventures (the early-stage impact arm of Ventech), Evercurious VC and a network of experienced climate tech business angels. It has also received support through grants such as the Federal Funding for Industry and Climate (BIK) from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). Dr.-Ing. Andreas Bremen, co-founder and CEO of Co-reactive, commented, “With the right co-founders and an interdisciplinary team, we are taking CO₂ mineralisation from the lab into continuous industrial operation.
- https://www.startbase.com/news/co-reactive-sichert-65-mio-e-seed-finanzierung/ – The climate tech start-up Co-reactive from North Rhine-Westphalia, founded in 2024, has completed seed financing totaling €6.5 million. The company plans to use the capital to take its CO₂ mineralization technology from prototype to industrial application. The financing round is led by High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF). Other investors include NRW.Bank, HBG Ventures, AFI Ventures (the early-stage impact arm of Ventech), Evercurious VC and a network of experienced climate-tech business angels. Co-reactive has developed a continuous process that converts CO₂ together with natural minerals such as olivine or metallurgical slags (EAF & BOF) into performance-enhancing, CO₂-negative supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). These materials enable a significant reduction of the clinker content in cement and construction materials – and thus a substantial reduction of their CO₂ footprint. At the same time, they increase compressive strength and durability. The solution is designed as a drop-in technology and can be integrated into existing production processes.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
8
Notes:
The article reports on Co-reactive’s recent €6.5 million seed funding round, announced on January 28, 2026. ([eu-startups.com](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/01/dusseldorf-based-co-reactive-secures-e6-5-million-to-take-concrete-action-to-decarbonise-the-cement-industry/?utm_source=openai)) This is the earliest known publication date for this information, indicating freshness. However, the article includes a link to Carbon Herald, which may be a republished source.
Quotes check
Score:
7
Notes:
The article includes a direct quote from Dr.-Ing. Andreas Bremen, co-founder and CEO of Co-reactive: “With the right co-founders and an interdisciplinary team, we are taking CO₂ mineralisation from the lab into continuous industrial operation.” ([eu-startups.com](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/01/dusseldorf-based-co-reactive-secures-e6-5-million-to-take-concrete-action-to-decarbonise-the-cement-industry/?utm_source=openai)) A search for this quote reveals it is used in multiple sources, suggesting it may be a standard press release statement. ([bft-international.com](https://www.bft-international.com/en/news/co-reactive-secures-eur6-5-million-in-seed-funding-for-climate-neutral-building-material-technology-4342688.html?utm_source=openai))
Source reliability
Score:
6
Notes:
The article cites multiple sources, including Carbon Herald, BFT International, and EU-Startups. ([bft-international.com](https://www.bft-international.com/en/news/co-reactive-secures-eur6-5-million-in-seed-funding-for-climate-neutral-building-material-technology-4342688.html?utm_source=openai)) However, Carbon Herald is a niche publication, and the article includes a link to their content, which may indicate republished material.
Plausibility check
Score:
8
Notes:
The claims about Co-reactive’s €6.5 million seed funding round and their CO₂ mineralisation technology are plausible and align with industry trends in cement decarbonisation. ([eu-startups.com](https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/01/dusseldorf-based-co-reactive-secures-e6-5-million-to-take-concrete-action-to-decarbonise-the-cement-industry/?utm_source=openai)) However, the article’s reliance on a single quote from the CEO raises questions about the depth of independent verification.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): OPEN
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM
Summary:
The article reports on Co-reactive’s recent €6.5 million seed funding round and their CO₂ mineralisation technology. While the information is plausible and aligns with industry trends, the reliance on a single quote from the CEO and the inclusion of a link to Carbon Herald, which may be a republished source, raise concerns about the depth of independent verification and the originality of the content. Further independent verification is recommended before publishing.
