Poland’s Ciech Ventures joins $5.5M round for UniSieve, Swiss cleantech 

Zurich-based cleantech company UniSieve, that offers separation technology using molecular sieving membranes, has announced $5.5 million in a seed round to pilot and expand production capacities. A venture capital consortium including the Amadeus APEX Technology Fund, Wingman Ventures, Ciech Ventures, and Zürcher Kantonalban participates in the investment.

• UniSieve was established in 2018 by ETH Zürich university classmates Samuel Hess and Elia Schneider. UniSieve’s membrane-based separation solutions can separate chemicals, energy carriers, or CO2 from flue gas based on size exclusion without heat or cold.

• UniSieve claims that it can reduce the energy needed for separating and purifying molecules by up to 90%. The startup seeks to create energy efficiencies and to help get closer to Net-Zero goals.

“We have run pilot testing with industry leaders which have demonstrated that the separation solution works. Today, we have several contracts signed and under negotiation to pilot our membranes in a variety of applications,”

Samuel Hess, co-founder and CEO of UniSieve commented.

• The fresh round was backed by:
  • Amadeus APEX Technology Fund, launched in early 2023, the €80M fund invests in sectors that include AI and ML, quantum technologies, mobility and space innovation, robotics, and other emerging deep tech areas. 
  • Wingman Ventures, Switzerland’s pre-seed fund backing tech founder teams with the potential to become global market leaders.
  • The Warsaw-based Ciech Ventures, a CVC arm of Ciech, an internationally developing chemical group, with 8 production plants and over 3,000 employees in several countries. The company supports startups that develop solutions associated with inter alia chemistry innovations, cleantech and circular economy, agriculture. 
  • Zürcher Kantonalbank, a leading universal bank in the Zürich economic area with Swiss roots and international reach. 
• The funding will help UniSieve to develop and commercialize its energy-efficient technology.