Biogas tech startup Vertus Energy secures €8.75mn funding

Apex Ventures and Amadeus Capital Partners have invested €8.75mn in Vertus Energy, a waste-to-x industrial biotech startup, through the Amadeus Apex Technology Fund, Apex announced on June 27. The investment round saw participation from lead investors Energy Capital Ventures, alongside Blackbird, Aussie Angels, and existing investors.

Vienna-based Vertus Energy specialises in controlling bacterial behavior. The new funding will accelerate the adoption of the company's flagship product, BRIO, in commercial units across various applications.

BRIO is a compact unit that resides inside the anaerobic digester (AD). It allows AD plants to process three times more waste in the same-sized tank while delivering biogas with 60% more energy potential. The technology can be retrofitted into existing AD plants, controlling the existing bacteria without introducing new bacteria, and thus enabling the utilization of any waste stream.

Commenting on the investment, Wolfgang Neubert, general partner at the Amadeus Apex Technology Fund, said, "Looking through a long-term lens, we are excited by BRIO’s potential for further advancements in the biogas market. We look forward to uncovering those broader possibilities."

Vertus Energy’s second technology, BODA, focuses on carbon sequestration and conversion. It can either be used to upgrade biogas from AD into bio-methane or capture raw CO₂ and convert it into renewable natural gas. BODA consumes CO₂ and H₂ to produce renewable natural gas.