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§ Private Profile · Berlin, Germany
Sustainable building materials developer creating biochar-based concrete admix for the construction industry, focused on carbon sequestration.
Based in Berlin, Germany, ecoLocked develops sustainable building materials that incorporate biochar from captured carbon and biomass waste into concrete to create permanent carbon sinks. The company's proprietary Carbon-to-Concrete Platform processes biochar into EN 12878 certified admix materials, such as eLM Zero, which integrate directly into existing construction workflows without requiring major operational changes. Operating a modular processing hub scalable from 500 to over 3,000 tonnes annually, the firm has tested more than 100 biochars across 800 mix designs. These formulations allow construction projects to sequester an average of 250 kilograms of carbon dioxide per cubic meter of concrete. The enterprise supplies concrete manufacturers and real estate developers across the DACH region and the Netherlands, supported by venture capital investors including Counteract VC and Climentum. ecoLocked was established in 2021 by Stefanie Gerhart and her co-founders.
ecoLocked has raised $6.0M across 2 funding rounds.
ecoLocked has raised $6.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
ecoLocked has raised $6.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $4.0M Seed in June 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2024 | $4M Seed | Climentum Capital, Matterwave Ventures | — | Announced |
| Sep 1, 2022 | $2M Seed | — | Amino Collective, Better Ventures, Felicis Ventures, Lakestar, Übermorgen Ventures, Charlie Songhurst | Announced |
ecoLocked has raised $6.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
ecoLocked's investors include Climentum Capital, Matterwave Ventures, Amino Collective, Better Ventures, Felicis Ventures, Lakestar, Übermorgen Ventures, Charlie Songhurst.
ecoLocked is a Berlin-based climate tech startup founded in 2021 that develops CO₂-negative building materials, primarily biochar-based concrete admixtures, to turn buildings into permanent carbon sinks.[1][2][3][5] The company serves the construction industry by addressing embodied carbon emissions from materials like cement, enabling scalable carbon removal while improving concrete performance in areas like insulation, durability, and pollutant absorption.[2][3][4][5] With $6.14M raised and validation through commercial pilots in 2023, plus accelerator support from programs like Carbon2Value and RESPOND, ecoLocked shows strong growth momentum, including recent 2025 recognition in cleantech pitching events.[1][2]
Their vision targets over 1 Gt of cumulative CO₂ impact by 2040 by integrating biochar from biomass residues into precast and other applications, reconciling environmental impact with economic value in sustainable construction value chains.[1][4][5]
ecoLocked emerged in September 2021 from the founders' passion to accelerate climate change mitigation through rapid carbon removal, recognizing that emission reductions alone won't meet the 1.5°C target.[1][2] Co-CEOs and co-founders Steff Gerhart (biz dev, partnerships, marketing) and Micheil (environmental scientist and mechanical engineer with experience in the UK, China, and Germany) lead the team, supported by a diverse group of multidisciplinary experts and advisors including Ines Kolmsee, Lorenzo De Angeli, Dörte Hirschberg, and others.[1]
Key early milestones include raising initial public and venture funding in 2022 to open a laboratory and manufacturing space near Berlin, commercial-scale validation with industry partners in 2023, and releasing first products for precast applications.[1] Prestigious accelerators like Carbon2Value and RESPOND provided pivotal support, fueling their trajectory from idea to market-ready solutions.[1][2]
ecoLocked rides the carbon removal and construction decarbonization megatrend, targeting the sector's net-zero-by-2050 pledges amid slow progress on embodied carbon, which demands 10 Gt/year of capture by mid-century.[5] Timing is ideal as biochar carbon removal (BCR)—the most mature, cost-efficient method—scales via novel applications like theirs, breaking the carbon cycle from biomass residues to durable sinks in buildings, the largest human-made structure type.[1][3][5]
Market forces favor them: rising demand for compliant materials under EU regulations, cleantech funding (e.g., their $6.14M and 2025 pilots), and partnerships with innovators in alternative cements and CCU.[2][4] They influence the ecosystem by catalyzing BCR adoption, bundling resources with peers, and proving hybrid solutions for complex industries, potentially unlocking gigaton-scale impact.[1][3][5]
ecoLocked is poised for accelerated expansion with pilot wins, new funding rounds, and product rollouts across Europe and beyond, leveraging 2025 momentum like Swiss Prime Site discussions.[2] Trends like stricter building codes, BCR maturation, and proptech-cleantech convergence will propel them, evolving their role from niche innovator to key enabler of gigaton carbon sinks by 2040.[1][4][5]
As construction commits to net zero yet grapples with materials, ecoLocked's mission to scale carbon removal where it's needed most—turning buildings into sinks—positions them to deliver outsized climate and economic impact.[1][5]