As global energy demand surges, driven by everything from AI data centres to the 3.5 billion people expected to need life-saving cooling by 2050, one UK startup thinks the solution might be floating all around us: air.
Ionech, an Oxford-based cleantech company, has raised £2 million in seed funding to commercialise its Air Voltaic Cell technology, which converts thermal energy from ambient air into electricity. The round was led by Elbow Beach Capital, with an additional £700,000 grant from Innovate UK."Energy sits at the foundation of the technology stack," said Thomas Kirk, co-founder of Ionech. "We're building a platform energy technology that will fundamentally change the distribution and consumption of electricity in energy-intensive industries."
The technology works by using high voltage pulses and field electron emission to generate superoxide ions. These ions then convert the thermal and chemical potential energy of ambient air into usable electrical power. The company is initially targeting integration into commercial refrigeration, air conditioning, and HVAC systems, sectors that account for over a quarter of global energy consumption.
Ionech isn't just building in the lab. The company has already signed a joint development agreement with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) to pilot the technology in their drinks cooler fleet, with the goal of reducing the carbon footprint of commercial refrigeration.
"We continue to be excited about the potential of the technology that Ionech is developing, and how it could support CCEP in accelerating towards our sustainability goals," said Joe Franses, VP Sustainability at CCEP.
Founded in 2016 by Nathan Owen and Thomas Kirk, Ionech is based at the Harwell Energy Technology Cluster in Oxfordshire, one of the UK's premier science and innovation hubs. The company has seven employees and plans to use the funding to transition from lab-scale development to real-world pilots over the next 24 months.
"Their investment enables the transition from lab-scale development to real-world pilots, including initial work with CCEP's cooler fleet," said Nathan Owen, co-founder and managing director of Ionech. "It also accelerates our route to market and deployment across energy-intensive applications, such as HVAC and data centres, with the potential to reduce energy consumption, emissions, and reliance on the grid at scale."
Jonathan Pollock, CEO of Elbow Beach Capital, said the investment reflects the growing intersection between energy demand and emerging technologies like AI.
"Energy demand is growing, driven by among other things, cooling systems and AI," Pollock said. "Ionech is developing ways to harness clean energy from ambient air. Their Air Voltaic Cell technology has the potential to reduce reliance on the grid, lower energy consumption, and deliver tangible benefits across the real economy."
The funding comes at a time when the UK energy tech sector is experiencing a surge of activity. With 56,615 new tech companies incorporated in 2025, a 17% increase from the previous year, and the UK securing second place globally in tech funding, the environment for startups has never looked stronger.
Ionech's longer-term ambitions extend beyond commercial cooling. The company is working towards grid-scale deployment of its Air Voltaic Cell technology, which could position it as a key player in the transition to distributed, clean energy generation.
