ARC Marine, the developer of pioneering low-carbon concrete solutions for use in marine environments, has secured £1million from the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF), as part of a £2million funding round, which also includes a Mulago Foundation grant and investment from Mercuria, one of the world’s largest independent energy and commodities groups.
The Truro based business has developed Marinecrete®, a proprietary non-toxic binder, which emits 90% less CO2 than Portland cement and has recently broken new ground on carbon neutral and carbon negative mix designs. It’s patented product, reef cubes®, can be used in a variety of marine applications across aquaculture, coastal defence, offshore wind, reef conservation and eco-engineering.
ARC’s innovation has the potential to transform the offshore wind farm sector by improving infrastructure installation while preserving marine biodiversity and this will be a key area of focus for the business.
This latest funding follows a previous CIOSIF investment in 2021 and will be used to scale up production and application of ARC’s market-disrupting solutions. Since the first CIOSIF investment ARC has more than doubled the number of employees and quadrupled its turnover and the new funding will be used to further increase headcount with the creation of several highly skilled roles over the next two years
Co-investor Mercuria strategically deploys multi-billion-dollar investments across the energy sector with a focus on the energy transition. With a discerning eye for value and impact, the team annually picks a select number of high-potential ventures that align with a commitment to innovation, sustainability, and market leadership. These carefully curated investments are poised for significant scalability and are instrumental in shaping the future landscape of the energy market. By focusing on transformative projects that bolster energy security and transition, Mercuria plays a pivotal role in driving progress within the industry, fortifying supply chains, and fostering long-term economic growth.
Tom Birbeck, ARC Marine founder and CEO, said: “We are delighted to have secured further CIOSIF funding, via The FSE Group, alongside our new co-investors. The first investment helped us grow our team and expand operations and we’re well on our way to proving our innovative solutions can work at scale. Mercuria recognises the potential of Marinecrete® and reef cubes® in the natural energy supply chain and their partnership will be instrumental in boosting the visibility of ARC.”
Meg Salt, Investment Manager at The FSE Group, appointed CIOSIF fund manager, added: “Since our initial investment, ARC has secured a number of blue-chip customers including multi-national energy companies. ARC is uniquely placed to support global carbon net zero targets. The opportunity in offshore wind projects alone is significant while there remains huge potential impact across many sectors beyond its current marine setting. We’re thrilled to work with the team as they take the next step in their growth journey.”
The £40m Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund was established by the British Business Bank in partnership with the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to provide debt and equity finance to help growing small businesses across the region.
Funding through CIOSIF came to an end in December 2023 but wider funding is now available through the British Business Bank’s £200m South West Investment Fund providing loans from £25k to £2m and equity investment up to £5m.
CIOSIF has been supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.