In the Netherlands, Avantium N.V., a pioneer in renewable and circular polymer materials, has announced the spin‑out of its electrochemical platform, previously known as Volta Technology, into a new, independent company named Carbeau, with retrospective effect from April 1, 2026. Carbeau is backed by a strong investor consortium comprising GKT GmbH (Austria), the National Promotional Institution of the Netherlands (Invest‑NL), Al Baleed Petrochemical (Oman), the Investment and Development Agency for the Northern Netherlands (NOM), alongside Avantium, which retains a minority share in the new company.
Carbeau has secured a total of €35.2 million in funding. This includes €23.7 million in cash contributions from external investors and €11.5 million in-kind contribution (non-cash) from Avantium.
Following the transaction, Avantium retains a 32.7 percent shareholding in Carbeau.
Solid partnership
The external investor group brings together complementary industrial, financial and regional expertise.
Strategic partners comprise GKT, contributing extensive experience in industrial process technology, and Al Baleed Petrochemical, adding petrochemical and international market expertise.
Financial partners are Invest‑NL, which supports the acceleration of innovative and sustainable technologies, and NOM, strengthening Carbeau’s connection to the Northern Netherlands’ industrial ecosystem.
Together with Avantium, the consortium is well positioned to support Carbeau’s next phase of growth and scale‑up ambitions.
Shifting the global carbon dioxide narrative
The name Carbeau unites “Carbon” and “Beau” (beautiful), perfectly capturing the company’s mission: Making Carbon Work Beautifully.
Carbeau shifts the global narrative around carbon dioxide by transforming it from a critical emission challenge into valuable and sustainable materials.
Carbeau’s technology platform focuses on the electrochemical conversion of CO2, using electrons, preferably generated from renewable electricity, into valuable chemical building blocks.
This approach enables the transformation of CO2 from a waste emission into a valuable feedstock, supporting the production of high‑value, renewable products with limited to negative carbon emissions.
Two initial products
The company’s initial product focus includes glycolic acid for the personal care market and polylactic‑co‑glycolic acid (PLGA), a compostable plastic offering strong technical performance in terms of barrier properties and marine degradability.
These CO2‑based products are designed to be cost‑competitive with incumbent fossil‑based materials, supporting both climate objectives and broad market adoption.
Carbeau will be headquartered at the Amsterdam Science Park, maintaining close ties with Avantium’s broader innovation ecosystem, and is planning the development of a pilot plant in Delfzijl in the north of the Netherlands.
The Delfzijl region offers a strong industrial and carbon capture and utilization (CCU) base, aligning well with Carbeau’s ambitions to leverage sustainable energy and infrastructure for scaling its electrochemical CO2 conversion technology.
The company is being led by an experienced management team with expertise across technology development, scale‑up and commercialization.
Today marks an important milestone for our team. What started within Avantium as a pioneering technology platform has grown into Carbeau, a company with a clear mission and a bright future ahead. I would like to sincerely thank Avantium for its support and belief in the technology over the years, as well as our investors for their confidence in our vision. With €35.2 million in funding and the backing of an outstanding consortium of strategic and financial partners, we are in a strong position to accelerate commercialization and scale-up. We believe Carbeau can play an important role in transforming CO2 from a challenge into an opportunity, and we now have the team, technology and partners to make that ambition a reality, said Yap Chie Cheung, CEO of Carbeau.
By spinning out Volta Technology into Carbeau, Avantium enables a sharper strategic focus for both companies.
Avantium continues to advance its core activities in renewable polymer materials, while Carbeau accelerates the development and industrial deployment of electrochemical CO2 utilization technologies.
We are tremendously proud to see Volta Technology evolve into Carbeau. This spin-out demonstrates Avantium’s ability to develop breakthrough technologies and bring them to a stage where they can attract substantial external investment and pursue their own growth trajectory. The €35.2 million financing and the strong consortium supporting Carbeau are a powerful endorsement of both the technology and the team behind it. We are pleased to remain closely involved as a significant shareholder, retaining a 32.7 percent stake in Carbeau. We look forward to supporting the company as it enters this exciting next phase and to seeing the impact its technology can have on advancing the circular carbon economy, commented Tom van Aken, CEO of Avantium.
