UniSieve

UniSieve is a Switzerland‑based cleantech company that builds flexible molecular‑sieve membranes to enable low‑energy separations for hydrocarbon streams and CO₂, aiming to replace energy‑intensive processes like distillation and amine scrubbing to cut emissions and operating costs for heavy industries[4][2].

High-Level Overview

UniSieve’s mission is to decarbonize hard‑to‑abate, heavy‑emitting industries by providing scalable, energy‑efficient membrane systems for molecular separations such as olefin recovery and point‑source carbon capture[3][2].
The company’s investment/backing profile includes seed and follow‑on funding from investors such as Amadeus APEX Technology Fund and Wingman Ventures, with reported total funding in the single‑ to low‑double‑digit millions (roughly $5–11M across sources)[5][1].
As a product company, UniSieve’s core offering is flexible molecular‑sieving membranes that perform size‑exclusion separations for hydrocarbons and CO₂, serving chemical manufacturers, petrochemical plants, and other industrial energy users that need more efficient separations and carbon capture solutions[2][4].
UniSieve positions itself to deliver substantial energy savings (claims of up to ~90% reduction compared with conventional approaches are stated by the company for some applications) and to improve product recovery and emissions footprints for customers[3][2].

Origin Story

UniSieve was spun out of ETH Zurich and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland; sources report the company was founded in 2018 and incubated from academic research at ETH[4][1].
Founders and early team members come from the ETH research ecosystem (the company describes itself as a spin‑out), and early public milestones include support from Swiss innovation agency Innosuisse and seed funding rounds that enabled development and pilot deployments[4][5].
Pivotal moments cited in press include raising seed financing (reported €4.9M / $5.5M in coverage) and public demonstrations of modular membrane systems targeted at olefin recovery and point‑source carbon capture[5][3].

Core Differentiators

• Flexible molecular‑sieve membranes: UniSieve’s membranes are positioned as mechanically flexible yet selectively molecular‑sieving, enabling size‑exclusion separations for small molecules such as hydrocarbons and CO₂[2][4].
  - Energy intensity reduction: The technology is presented as an alternative to thermal distillation and amine scrubbing, with substantially lower energy requirements and associated emissions[3][2].
  - Modular, plug‑and‑play systems: Company materials emphasize modular membrane platforms intended for scalable industrial deployment and retrofits[3][4].
  - Academic pedigree and investor backing: Spin‑out origin from ETH Zurich plus backing from specialized deep‑tech investors (e.g., Amadeus APEX) supports technical credibility and access to network and follow‑on capital[4][2].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

UniSieve rides multiple converging trends: industrial decarbonization, electrification and process‑electrification of chemical separations, and growing demand for point‑source carbon capture in hard‑to‑abate sectors[3][2].
Timing matters because conventional separation processes (distillation, solvent‑based scrubbing) account for large industrial energy use and emissions, creating a sizeable addressable market if membrane solutions can deliver lower cost and reliable performance at scale[1][2].
Market forces in UniSieve’s favor include regulatory pressure on industrial emissions, corporate net‑zero commitments by chemical and petrochemical firms, and investor interest in capital‑efficient decarbonization technologies[1][3].
If UniSieve’s membranes achieve demonstrated long‑term durability, manufacturability at scale, and cost parity or advantage versus incumbent options, the company could materially influence how industry performs separations and captures CO₂, potentially reducing operating emissions across multiple sectors[2][3].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Near term, UniSieve’s priorities are likely to be scaling manufacturing, demonstrating long‑duration field performance in commercial pilot projects (especially for olefin recovery and point‑source CO₂ capture), and securing commercial customers and follow‑on funding to expand deployments[5][3].
Key trends that will shape the company’s trajectory include membrane longevity and fouling performance in real industrial streams, unit‑cost reductions through scale‑up, and evolving regulation or incentives for industrial carbon reductions that improve project economics[2][1].
If UniSieve proves its membranes at industrial scale with reliable uptime and cost savings, it could become a widely adopted supplier of low‑energy separation modules that accelerate decarbonization in hard‑to‑abate sectors—fulfilling its stated mission to replace energy‑intensive separation processes[3][2].

If you’d like, I can: provide a short investor‑style SWOT based on public reporting, summarize recent funding and pilot announcements with dates, or draft questions to ask UniSieve’s team about scale‑up and durability for investor due diligence.