
As participants in Techleap’s Pole Position programme, six deeptech companies are joining Batch 8 - each tackling a different piece of the energy transition, from waste-to-fuel and floating solar to next-generation batteries and hydrogen power.
SCW Systems
Founded by Wout de Groot and Philip Janssen, SCW Systems converts organic and industrial waste into valuable circular resources using its advanced supercritical water gasification technology. The process transforms waste into (bio)methane, hydrogen, CO₂, and clean water, turning what was once a disposal problem into a source of renewable resources.
SolarDuck
Led by Koen Burgers, Don Hoogendoorn, and Gerald Verweij, SolarDuck is pioneering offshore floating solar technology. As land availability shrinks and offshore electrification grows, the company’s configurable platforms offer a way to generate solar power at sea.
Vertoro B.V.
Founded by Dr. Michael Boot, Panos D. Kouris, Dirk den Ouden, and drs. Tim van Helsland RA FD, Vertoro converts low-value agricultural and forestry residues into lignin-based liquid renewable carbon carriers. These carriers offer an alternative to fossil carbon across fuels, chemicals, materials, and marine applications.
LionVolt
Led by Kevin Brundish, Sandeep Unnikrishnan, and Vivian Smetsers, LionVolt develops next-generation battery cells built on a proprietary 3D anode architecture. The technology delivers 50–100% more energy density than conventional lithium-ion cells, with an initial focus on the drone and UAV market.
Ore Energy
Founded by Aytac Yilmaz and Rutil Özdemir, Ore Energy builds iron-air batteries that store renewable power for up to 100 hours. The batteries rely on low-cost, widely available materials - no lithium or cobalt required.
zepp.solutions
Led by Jan Bot, Jonas Brendelberger, Remco Duba, Joost Kortleve, and Kevin Schreiber, zepp.solutions develops high-power gensets based on hydrogen fuel cell technology, delivering cost-effective, off-grid power at zero emissions.




