Furno is a Mountain View–based startup that develops compact, upright micro-kilns to produce cement onsite with lower emissions. Its vertical kiln design increases heat participation in calcination, which the company says cuts fossil-fuel pollution by at least 70% and can eliminate it when fired with hydrogen. Furno will deploy up to eight micro-kilns at Ozinga’s Chinatown Yard in Chicago under “Project Oz,” sized to match Ozinga’s annual use (Ozinga buys 60,000 tons of cement annually). The facility intends to use recycled material and potentially biogas to further reduce climate impact and eliminate transportation costs. Financially, Furno raised a $6.5M seed in March and will receive a $20M Department of Energy grant to fund a significant portion of the Chicago project; the company plans a Series A in early 2025 to cover remaining costs. The project is expected to create 50 construction jobs and 30 permanent jobs, a point the DOE highlighted given prior coal plant closures. Furno builds smaller, vertical, modular kilns intended to be more efficient and flexible than conventional large rotary kilns. Its design controls the flame front inside a vertical column, feeding ground raw materials and combustive gas (natural gas, biogas or hydrogen) to concentrate heat on calcination and cut fossil-fuel emissions by 70% or more. By producing smaller units that can be mass-manufactured, Furno aims to lower capital expenditures versus bespoke, oversized plants and reduce operating costs through improved energy efficiency. The kiln design also opens a path to using recycled cement from old concrete and to on-site clinker production for construction projects. Furno pairs its hardware with software controls and has drawn interest from ready-mix concrete companies seeking alternatives to vertically integrated cement suppliers. The company has gained external financing, completing a $6.5 million seed round led by Energy Capital Ventures with participation from Cantos, Neotribe and O’Shaughnessy Ventures.

Total raised

$27M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Grant

Latest activity

Oct 2024