AIR COMPANY

Today, we’re excited to announce that we have raised $69 million in our Series B funding round led by Avfuel, a leading global supplier of aviation fuel and services. The round was also supported by Lowercarbon Capital, IQT (In-Q-Tel), Alaska Airlines, Connecticut Innovations, Duncan Aviation, Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI), and the owners of Sheltair, among others. Existing investors Carbon Direct Capital, JetBlue Ventures and Toyota Ventures also participated in the financing. With this raise, we will further accelerate the development of our proprietary AIRMADE™ Technology to meet the increasing demand for clean fuels in both commercial and government sectors. This will include massive advancements toward large-scale production of our fully formulated AIRMADE® SAF, a CO2-derived sustainable aviation fuel. We’re looking forward to continuing our journey of paving the way to global energy security by transforming CO2 into a valuable resource. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/eby9x4Z5

Bruno Miller, our Vice President of Commercial Development & Government Affairs, was recently featured on 360 Energy’s podcast discussing the pathway to sustainable aviation. The conversation touched on everything from the aviation industry’s carbon footprint to the lifecycle of low-carbon fuels and the potential benefits for airlines and passengers. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/eN4YbtDQ

Hesitation is a buzzkill for brands. Last week, I spoke at Sustainable Brands about consumer hesitation around emerging technologies such as AI and climate innovation. Like many advanced technologies, it's important to ground these innovations in practical applications that are relatable to people’s lives, rather than focusing solely on futuristic possibilities. Since its inception, Gregory Constantine and the team at AIR COMPANY have redefined what sustainability can represent—not only by merging sustainability with high-end appeal but by providing a tangible experience as well. Our first products, AIR Vodka and AIR Eau de Parfum, demonstrated that carbon-negative ethanol is not a distant concept, but a reality today. These products and experiences helped challenge conventional views on climate and tech, fostering advocacy from new communities and audiences. Next, we are advancing our Sustainable Aviation Fuel to help decarbonize the aviation industry using our proprietary AIRMADE™ Technology. Thanks to my fellow speakers, Chris Konya at SYLVAIN, Dr. Misha Kouzeh, and Annie Longsworth, for the great session, and to Dimitar Vlahov and Michayla Herr from Sustainable Brands for hosting us! #SB24SanDiego #climatetech #aircompany #airmade #sustainability #SAF

An outstanding experience the last two days at the 14th Dii Leadership Summit in Vienna 🇦🇹! A big thank you to all the incredible participants along the #Energy #Transition value chain who made it such a dynamic event. Special shoutout to Cornelius Matthes and the brilliant Dii Desert Energy team for curating an inspiring program and fostering this esteemed network. Great to see the #SAF perspective from the #EU and #MENA landscape. With AIR COMPANY fully formulated #SAF, we will be ready to scale as the markets are being established and regulatory frameworks evolve. Looking forward to connecting again soon!

Conventional jet fuel is made from fossil fuels, a highly carbon-intensive process on a full lifecycle basis. While the hydrocarbons in jet fuel are necessary for air travel (they’re responsible for the combustion that propels aircraft), their source is what mainly determines the carbon intensity of fuel over its entire lifecycle. To meet 2050 net zero targets, we’ll have to shift towards SAF produced from sustainable feedstocks. Currently, ASTM-approved SAFs are produced using several of these feedstocks, including animal fats, cooking oil and municipal solid waste, among others. However, most of the approved SAF pathways can produce only some of the chemical compounds present in jet fuel and therefore require blending with conventional jet fuel in order to be used in an aircraft. AIRMADE® SAF belongs to a category of fuels called e-fuels, as it’s produced from biogenic CO2 and green hydrogen. Our technology targets the production of a fully formulated fuel identical to jet fuel that can be used in existing aircraft without modifications to existing infrastructure. This means it’s 100% drop-in, requiring no blending with fossil jet fuel, and enables deep carbon intensity reductions. Learn more about how the composition of AIRMADE® SAF and conventional jet fuel differ at https://lnkd.in/eKxP7ABc

“At a time when more rockets are launching into space than ever before, we want to show that there are more sustainable production methods to make the fuel needed, not only for rockets but across industries. It’s exciting to think about the possibilities.” — Gregory Constantine We're working on a carbon dioxide hydrogenation technology that NASA can use to produce sustainable rocket fuel. We’re focused on the research and development of the fuel—more specifically on the paraffins—to ensure it can properly scale and meet the property and chemical requirements of fossil fuel-derived rocket fuel. New York University is a collaborator on the project. Our work with NASA doesn’t stop at sustainable rocket fuel. Over the years, we have worked with them on various projects, including the Deep Space Food Challenge and CO2 Conversion Challenge, which focused on producing single-cell proteins and sugar molecules from CO2. These innovations could enable astronauts to produce food, medicine, vitamins and construction materials using only local resources on Mars or during exceptionally long space journeys. Learn more about our work with NASA on AIR.Index at https://lnkd.in/ey4Bd6N6 Note: this rendering is purely conceptual.

Heading to Sustainable Brands 2024? Don't miss our Head of Marketing's panel discussion on October 16th!

Serving as a technical expert on the International Civil Aviation Organization Fuels Task Group on behalf of AIR COMPANY is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. Last week, we wrapped up the last meeting of an intensive three-year cycle, and it’s inspiring to see the amount of progress we were able to make during this time, especially on eSAF. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with so many dedicated technical experts and government representatives from around the world. Rapid progress is possible through collaboration when everyone is working towards the same goal of decarbonization. I’ve never felt more excited about the future eFuels and its role in the clean energy transition! A special thank you for this productive CAEP cycle to Bruno Silva Anna Oldani Daniel Brousse Rivas Matteo Prussi Robert Malina Jon Albert Obnamia Kristin Lewis Florian Allroggen Glenn Johnston

Our Director of Regulatory Affairs and Quality in Aviation, Mark Rumizen, went on the ASTM International Standards Impact podcast to talk about all things alternate fuels, otherwise known as sustainable fuels. “Our focus [at AIR COMPANY] is on a drop-in fuel because there are 10+ thousand big airliners out here. The economic capital tied up in those airliners is enormous, and the design life of an airliner is 30-40 years. So the fleet is not going to change—that legacy fleet—so you need a fuel that fits that legacy fleet. You can't change the legacy fleet to operate on a new fuel, and that's what brings us back to what I said: drop-in fuels. So that's why aviation is really unique. When we talk about alternative fuels or sustainable fuels for aviation, the hardest thing to grasp is that if you put them in a beaker and analyze them, they would be exactly the same [as conventional jet] fuel.” Listen to the full episode: https://lnkd.in/eJfWam7z

Our co-founder and CTO, Staff Sheehan, was featured on the latest episode of #PodCAT, where he discusses green hydrogen, how we source carbon dioxide and our focus on sustainable aviation fuel. Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/e2EduunG