Portfolio

Portfolio

Focus Areas

We build and invest in breakthrough technologies across three focus areas which have been selected on the basis of disproportionate climate impact, limited or no currently existing commercial solutions and alignment with UCLA’s/ ICM’s areas of expertise and ability to add value.

Industrial plant and the blue sky in the background

Industrial decarbonization

Heavy industries like cement and steel account for a third of our CO2 emissions. These emissions are “hard-to-abate”. They can only be partially mitigated through existing commercial technologies like renewable electricity as they arise from process emissions and high-temperature heat. We focus on breakthrough technologies and start-ups which enable deep decarbonization of these emissions.

We pick the toughest climate problems in order to de-risk the technology, the engineering and the product-market fit before we spin them out.

Portfolio Companies and On-Going Projects

Our portfolio consists of companies we have previously spun out, companies we are in the process of spinning out, and earlier-stage projects across our three focus areas.

  • Industrial Decarbonization
  • Spin-out

CarbonBuilt

Carbonbuilt makes ultra-low-carbon concrete which is based on their Carbon XPRIZE-winning technology which reduces concrete’s carbon footprint by 70% to over 100% without compromising product performance or plant operations — and at the same cost.

  • Industrial Decarbonization
  • Spin-out

Concrete.AI

Concrete AI uses an award-winning AI-powered tool to help concrete producers optimize their mix design to reduce the cost and embodied carbon without compromising its performance and strength.

Nextli
  • Industrial Decarbonization
  • In the process of spinning out

Nextli Technologies

Nextli is a stealth mode company in the space of cement and concrete decarbonization.

Cement and Concrete Decarbonization
  • Industrial Decarbonization
  • On-going projects

Cement and Concrete Decarbonization

Multiple projects to help decarbonize cement, concrete and the construction industry.

  • Carbon removal
  • Spin-out

Equatic

Equatic has developed a novel seawater electrolysis process for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) from the atmosphere with the production of green hydrogen at the lowest costs.

  • Carbon removal
  • In the process of spinning out

x/44

x/44 is a low-cost, modular, electrochemical direct air capture technology for atmospheric direct air capture.

Atmospheric CDR
  • Carbon removal
  • On-going projects

Atmospheric CDR

Multiple technologies for removal of CO2 from the atmosphere.

  • Energy transition
  • In the process of spinning out

SpecifX Lithium

SpecifX is a direct lithium extraction (DLE) company which uses a novel approach to extract lithium from waste brines at the lowest cost and a minimal environmental footprint.

Critical Materials for Energy Transition
  • Energy transition
  • On-going projects

Critical Materials for Energy Transition

Various innovative technologies to extract critical minerals like Li, Ni and Co from industrial wastes and abundant geological feedstock at low costs.

How ICM Creates Value for Startups and Research Groups

ICM provides a unique blend of value propositions which can enable deep-tech (or research-heavy) early stage start-ups or research groups across our three themes to de-risk and accelerate their commercialization.

Are you a start-up or research group looking to collaborate with ICM?