WASE - Unlocking the Power of Waste
Science Angel Syndicate was launched in September 2021 to support investments into frontier scientific discoveries that impact society on a global scale. Leveraging their unique due diligence capabilities they have supported SAS investors to make an investment into WASE.
WASE, a modular bioenergy production and wastewater treatment company based in London, UK, have secured a £1m Seed funding round to accelerate the commercialisation of their technology to help the food and drinks industry become net carbon neutral. Science Angel Syndicate invested alongside lead investor Elbow Beach Capital, a newly established private investment company focused on sustainable energy, transition technology and social impact business. WASE were successful in completing their round from crowdfunding platform Seedrs.
WASE has developed a modular waste to energy solution for food and drink manufacturers called industriWASE. The investment will allow the company to begin paid pilot trials with customers in the brewing sector. SME breweries face a unique challenge to become net carbon neutral and WASE believe their modular approach ensures customers have the optimal waste treatment capacity on site. By generating energy from wastewater treatment they will enable the food and beverage industry to generate energy onsite, reducing operational cost and improving profitability whilst supporting them to become more self-sustaining.
Beyond the food and beverage industry, globally, 80% of wastewater is discharged untreated into the environment. This is the equivalent to 2.5 million Olympic pools of wastewater polluting the planet every day. There is a huge missed opportunity to convert this waste into bioenergy, to offset the carbon footprint of industrial processes, while reducing pollution entering the environment.
Dr Thomas Fudge, CEO of WASE said, “To tackle the growing issues of pollution, climate change and the energy crisis we need to implement new approaches now to create a sustainable future. We are scaling up our work with SME food and drink manufacturers to provide decentralised solutions. Allowing our customers to treat waste where it is produced and generate bioenergy, fertilisers and recover water. Together we will grow our work so that we can create flourishing communities.
WASE’s system is based on a patent-pending electrode technology that treats both solid and liquid wastewater 3-10 times faster than conventional anaerobic digestion with a 10-20% increase in energy recovery and waste removal. Dr Ben Miles, co-founder of Science Angel Syndicate, said "the WASE technology represents a step change in overcoming many of the limitations of previous approaches to bioenergy production. We were exceptionally impressed by the expertise of the WASE team and believe they will have a great impact in helping to decarbonise the sector."
Science Angel Syndicate is part of the Regional Angel Investment Accelerator run by SETsquared and Innovate UK. The scheme enables early stage innovation-led businesses to simultaneously raise non-dilutable grant funding alongside Angel investment. WASE were successful in securing grant funding through RAIA and Dr Johnathan Matlock, co-founder of Science Angel Syndicate, said “developing new hardware solutions is risky and the timelines to maturity are often longer than in other industries. Grant funding is a critical mechanism to support angel investors who are investing in innovative companies like WASE. By leveraging the private investment with non-dilutive grant funding we think this will enable WASE to continue the development of the next generation of electrodes and improve performance even further.”
Dr Thomas Fudge, CEO of WASE said, “Working with Science Angel Syndicate has been incredible. One of the benefits of angel syndicates is the pool of expertise you bring on board. We are already reaping the benefits of working with a scientific backed group of experts in helping develop new processes and grow our team. SAS is also unique in sharing its due diligence with other investors further supporting our investment round and building confidence with other independent angels. We are excited to start this journey with SAS onboard, so together, we can unlock the power of waste to make it the fuel of the future.”
*Risk disclaimer: Investment in early-stage companies involves risks such as illiquidity, lack of dividends, loss of investment and dilution. For professional investors only.
Public relations enquiries
Dr Johnathan Matlock
johnathan@scienceangelsyndicate.com
About Science Angel Syndicate
Science Angel Syndicate was founded in 2021 with a mission to source world-class scientific discoveries, provide unique scientific due diligence and help our members to identify exceptional investment opportunities that tackle the most important global challenges. Our collective knowledge helps our members invest in the most exciting companies of tomorrow, founded by leading scientists at the forefront of their fields.
Learn more about Science Angel Syndicate: www.scienceangelsyndicate.com
About WASE
WASE is unlocking the power of waste to make it the fuel of the future. With the global energy crisis, worldwide pollution and climate change affecting everyone, we need a gigantic shift in how we approach these issues. For a sustainable future we need a circular economy where we extract the value from waste. At WASE we are creating a plug and play modular solution to treat solid organic matter and wastewater onsite. Our modular ‘lego brick’ approach provides a quick and easy way to turn waste into renewable energy onsite, fertilisers for agricultural inputs and recover water. Our approach allows food and drink manufacturers to turn waste streams into revenue by reducing their demand on fossil fuels and provides them with financial security to grow. Unlike other biological methods, our electromethanogic process offers multiple benefits making it suitable for decentralised applications. Helping reduce pollution and allowing communities to flourish.
Learn more about WASE: www.wase.com
