Mantle8 secures €2.06M EU grant to scale natural hydrogen tech

A €2.06 million EU grant gives the Grenoble deep-tech startup non-dilutive runway to industrialise a four-component technology platform, and moves it one step closer to its first commercial drilling campaign.

Fourteen months after closing a €3.4 million seed round backed by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Kiko Ventures, Mantle8 has secured a second source of capital to advance its work, this time from the European Union. The Grenoble-based natural hydrogen exploration company has been awarded €2.06 million from the EU’s Just Transition Fund, channelled through the FEDER/FSE+/JTF 2021–2027 regional programme managed by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The grant is non-dilutive, meaning no equity changes hands.

The award forms part of a broader €4.84 million research and development programme running through 2028, and brings Mantle8’s total funding to approximately €5.46 million. All activity under the programme will be ...