Calgary Climatech CURA Captures Capital to Decarbonize Cement Industry in Canada

Calgary’s CURA announced this week its first raise of private capital.

The pre-seed round for Alberta-based startup CURA, which is developing technology to produce cement with up to 85% less CO2 emissions, hails from Amplify Capital and Zacua Ventures.

“This investment is a launchpad for us,” comments cofounder Erin Bobicki.

“We’re moving quickly to meet our timelines, deliver decarbonized cement to customers, and prove that industrial decarbonization is happening now,” the chief executive officer stated.

CURA is “tackling one of the hardest-to-decarbonize sectors with a solution that is both innovative and commercially grounded,” according to Trish Nixon, Venture Partner at Amplify Capital, a Canadian climate fund.

Nixon believes CURA “has the team, technology, and industry traction to become a foundational player in the clean industrial transition.”

Zacua Ventures, a sector-specific venture firm focused on construction, will provide CURA with strategic reach into the construction value chain, including cement and heavy material producers, engineering and construction firms, and infrastructure developers.

“Our thesis at Zacua is to back breakthrough technologies that directly transform the construction industry,” explains Juan Nieto, Founding Partner at Zacua Ventures. “CURA’s electrochemical process addresses one of the industry’s hardest-to-abate challenges with a solution that is both technically elegant and economically compelling.”

The funds will be used to complete engineering and begin construction of a 100-tonne-per-year pilot, expand the technical team, and deliver product samples to early customers and strategic partners, according to a statement from the cleantech upstart.

“Zacua’s global reach and introductions across the construction value chain, combined with Amplify’s connectivity in Canada’s cleantech ecosystem, give us the momentum to accelerate,” Bobicki remarked. “We’re excited to work with partners who share our vision and are committed to making cement decarbonization real today.”

Recently emerged from stealth, CURA’s founding team includes Bobicki, former Deep Sky officer Phil De Luna, UBC researcher Sabrina Scott, and UBC professor Curtis Berlinguette.

Amplify Capital was founded in Toronto in 2016 and today manages $100M in assets across three funds.