GraphEnergyTech raises £3m backed by Aramco Ventures
This article covers GraphEnergyTech, a UK-Swiss greentech startup, which has closed the first tranche of a seed funding round as it seeks up to £3m to scale metal-free electrode technology for solar and wider energy applications. The funding is intended to advance industrial validation and commercialisation from bases in Cambridge and Lausanne, targeting solar module manufacturers and adjacent energy technologies such as fuel cells, printed electronics and heating systems.
GraphEnergyTech, a UK-Swiss greentech startup, has closed the first tranche of a seed funding round as it seeks up to £3 million to scale metal-free electrode technology for solar and wider energy applications. The first close brings renewed backing from Aramco Ventures alongside existing shareholders and new business angels, and the cash will be used to advance industrial validation and commercialisation from bases in Cambridge and Lausanne.
Why it matters
GraphEnergyTech’s approach replaces traditional gold and silver electrodes with carbon- and graphene-based inks and pastes. That matters because metallic electrodes add cost and exposure to volatile metal markets in sectors such as photovoltaics. If the company can prove comparable durability and efficiency at scale, it could lower manufacturing costs for solar panels and open routes into fuel cells, heating technologies and printed electronics.
The deal also signals continued corporate interest in materials innovation from energy-focused investors. Aramco Ventures’ ongoing support is a practical vote of confidence in commercial potential beyond laboratory prototypes.
Inside the product
GET’s core product is a conductive ink and paste formulation based on carbon and graphene that can be printed or deposited as electrodes. The technical claim is that these metal-free electrodes match key performance metrics while avoiding dependence on scarce precious metals. That combination targets three commercial challenges simultaneously: cost, supply-chain resilience and manufacturability.
The company began in academic research led by perovskite pioneer Michael Grätzel and teams at EPFL and the Cambridge Graphene Centre. GET says the technology has already been applied to solar panel prototypes and is being adapted for fuel cells, printed electronics and heating applications. The seed funding is earmarked for continued material development, industrial validation work and partner-led pilots to prove process compatibility at manufacturing scale.
Who are the investors?
The first close includes follow-on investment from Aramco Ventures, participation from existing shareholders and a group of new business angels, including investors from Canada. GraphEnergyTech previously raised a £1 million pre-seed round also led by Aramco Ventures and has received non-dilutive support from Horizon Europe, Innovate UK and Innosuisse.
In the announcement, Thomas Baumeler, CEO and co-founder of GraphEnergyTech, said:
We're delighted to have secured this first close and grateful for the continued support of Aramco Ventures and our new angel investors. This funding will help us accelerate the development and commercialisation of our graphene-based electrode technologies, as we work with industrial partners to bring more resilient and cost-effective solutions to market.
In the announcement, Zayed Alamri, Executive Managing Director, Aramco Ventures, said:
We continue to back GraphEnergyTech as the team advances the development and commercialization of its graphene-based electrode technology. We see potential for this technology to support various industries and reduce the reliance on expensive metallic electrode technologies.
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Founder perspective
GraphEnergyTech was spun out of EPFL and Cambridge University, rooted in work from Michael Grätzel’s perovskite research and the Cambridge Graphene Centre. CEO and co-founder Thomas Baumeler has positioned the company to move from lab demonstration to industrial pilots, leveraging grants and corporate capital to bridge the gap that often stalls materials startups. The team’s combination of academic provenance and industrial partners aims to reduce the technical risk of scale-up and validate manufacturing processes in situ.
The bigger picture
Materials innovation is a recurring theme for greentech investment in the UK and Europe: lowering costs and de-risking supply chains are priorities as governments and firms push towards decarbonisation. GraphEnergyTech’s funding round sits alongside other bets on alternative conductive materials and printed electronics, where early commercial traction can unlock larger industrial contracts.
If GET can demonstrate repeatable manufacturing performance and durability, it could become a practical supplier to module manufacturers and adjacent energy technology firms. The company’s cross-border footprint and range of public and private backers also reflect the increasingly international nature of deeptech financing in the UK and Europe, where academic spin-outs still require a mix of grants, angel capital and corporate investors to reach scale.
They've invested in GraphEnergyTech
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