Foundation of the month: ICODOS
23.06.2025
Aline Kinzie
Founder of the month
KIT spin-off ICODOS is developing a novel technology for producing sustainable e-methanol—a key component for a climate-neutral future in transportation and chemistry.
The team has a clear vision of a climate-neutral process industry. Find out more about how the company was founded, the challenges it had to overcome, and much more here.
What does your company stand for?
ICODOS is a climate tech company based in Mannheim and a spin-off of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Our mission is to produce sustainable fuels and chemicals on a scalable basis, currently focusing primarily on sustainable e-methanol. To do this, we combine CO₂ from biogas with renewable electricity.
Our patented hybrid process creates a climate-friendly carbon cycle that enables the process, chemical, and fuel industries to become CO₂-neutral. Our solution is both cost-effective and scalable, which is crucial for the global energy transition.
Where and how did you come up with the brilliant idea to start the company?
The idea and the process originally came from my co-founder Francisco “Paco” Vidal Vázquez, who had been researching the technology at KIT for over seven years and had filed the basic patent. Paco and I met in early 2022 through a mutual friend in the climate tech industry. After several intensive months of analyzing the technology and its market entry together, we finally decided to officially spin off ICODOS in the fall of 2022.
How did the founding team come together?
The founding team, consisting of Paco and myself, found each other through the mutual friend I mentioned earlier. Paco brings extensive technical expertise and many years of experience in process engineering, while I contributed strategic and economic know-how from my previous position at McKinsey. After a period of intensive collaboration, mutual personal and professional assessment, and joint discussions with our families, we decided to found ICODOS together.
What is your big vision?
Our big vision is to operate numerous industrial-scale plants worldwide by 2032 and avoid several million tons of CO₂ emissions every year. We want to be recognized as a leading global technology company in the sustainable process industry; in a sense, as the BASF of renewable molecules.
Where do you see significant hurdles in the start-up process?
In our field, known as deep tech, it takes a very long time to get from the initial idea to industrial market readiness, often between five and ten years. Regulatory hurdles are also considerable, especially when it comes to approvals and safety requirements, for example in the areas of explosion protection and urban land-use planning. In addition, plant development and construction require high investment costs, long lead times, and reliable suppliers—all factors that pose additional challenges.
Where did you get support?
We received extensive support from several sources. On the one hand, the KIT Start-up Center provided us with coaching and advice. Furthermore, the Institute for Micro Process Engineering, headed by Prof. Roland Dittmeier, supported us by providing access to laboratories, personnel, and intellectual property.
We received financial support from an EU-funded Horizon Europe project and in a pre-seed financing round from business angels and 1.5° Ventures. In addition, the city of Mannheim and the EBS Mannheim, which is based there, played an important role in the realization of our pilot plant.
What were the biggest challenges during the start-up phase?
One of the biggest challenges was definitely setting up our pilot plant “Mannheim 001,” the world’s first plant to demonstrate the entire process chain from wastewater to CO₂ to sustainable marine fuel based on renewable electricity. At the same time, securing financing was also a challenge, as without the capital we raised, we would not have been able to build the plant or assemble our team.
Has anything changed for you since you were formally established?
A lot has changed for us since we were officially established. Our company has grown rapidly to over 20 employees in Germany and Spain. Our responsibilities and public profile have increased significantly.
How did you solve the problem of follow-up financing?
We were able to secure financing through several channels. The first important source of financing was EU funding from the Horizon Europe program. We then conducted a pre-seed round in 2023, in which we were supported by Climate Tech Angels and the 1.5 Ventures fund. In addition, we have secured several project grants and are currently planning an extensive financing round for our first large-scale plant in Spain.
Are global crises affecting your startup?
Global crises such as the war in Ukraine and trade disputes have indeed had an impact on ICODOS. They have led to longer delivery times and higher prices for important components and materials. They have also significantly influenced our location decisions.
What are your next major milestones in the coming 12 months?
Over the next twelve months, we want to press ahead with the construction of our first industrial plant, known as “Plant S,” in Spain and complete the relevant approval process. At the same time, we are currently negotiating long-term purchase agreements with partners from the shipping and chemical industries. We are also preparing a financing round and plan to expand our team further.
In your opinion, what qualities should a founder have?
In my view, it is essential for founders to have radical self-confidence: a deep belief that they can overcome any problem that arises. At the same time, it is important to have the humility to draw on external knowledge and seek support in order to solve these problems.
Do you have any practical tips for other young entrepreneurs?
First, you should honestly ask yourself what motivates you to start a business, because the path of an entrepreneur is long, challenging, and full of hurdles.
Big challenges should always be broken down into small, manageable steps. Problems are best solved by bringing in experts who have already mastered similar challenges. In addition, you should thoroughly vet service providers and suppliers and carefully select networking events to make the most of your time.
Looking back, what would you do differently?
In retrospect, we would probably have checked our suppliers and service providers more thoroughly and at an earlier stage, as this would have helped us avoid some delays and quality issues. Overall, however, we are convinced that we are on the right track and would make most of our decisions again in exactly the same way.
Thank you very much for the interview!
ICODOS on the podcast
Would you like to learn more about ICODOS and the start-up process? You can find our podcast episode with David from the founding team on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
