Cooling Startup Pascal Raises $8.5 Million to Commercialize Solid-State Heat Pump Technology
Cooling startup Pascal secured $8.5 million in follow-on seed funding co-led by Sazze Partners and LB Investment, with participation from KDB Silicon Valley.
In Brief
- •Cooling startup Pascal secured $8.5 million in follow-on seed funding co-led by Sazze Partners and LB Investment, with participation from KDB Silicon Valley.
- •The company's proprietary thermal design combines carbon dioxide gas with a porous solid material, claiming a 20% efficiency improvement over conventional cooling systems.
- •Spun out of research conducted at Harvard University, Pascal secured a pilot contract with a multinational beverage firm ahead of schedule.
- •Solid-state cooling eliminates traditional chemical refrigerants, addressing environmental hazards such as ozone depletion and greenhouse gas emissions from leaks.
Why It Matters
Refrigeration and air conditioning represent significant global energy demands and rely heavily on chemical refrigerants that act as potent greenhouse gases or ozone-depleting substances. Pascal's solid-state technology offers a potential avenue to decarbonize cooling appliances by combining lower operational energy requirements with non-toxic, non-leaking working fluids.
Key Details
- Funding Amount
- $8.5 million
- Co-lead Investors
- Sazze Partners, LB Investment
- Claimed Efficiency Increase
- Around 20%
- Tested Durability
- Up to 300,000 cycles
Context & Background
Refrigeration technology has relied on vapor-compression cycles using chemical refrigerants for over a century. Regulatory phase-outs of ozone-depleting chemicals like Freon and potent greenhouse gases like hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) have pushed the cooling industry toward solid-state alternatives and low-impact gases like carbon dioxide.
What To Watch
Pascal plans to deliver its first prototype in early 2027, followed by an initial batch of commercial refrigerators in 2028.
Original Reporting & Sources
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