FluoRok, a UK-based company developing an innovative manufacturing platform for fluorochemicals without using highly hazardous hydrogen fluoride (HF), has raised $30 million (£22.8 million) in an oversubscribed Series A funding round. Orano Venture Fund and Supernova Invest led the round, with additional investments from Bidra Innovation Ventures and existing investors Oxford Science Enterprises, BGF, GGF, Volta Energy Technologies and the University of Oxford, from which FluoRok was spun out.
Why the Fluorochemical Industry Needs Safer Manufacturing Technology
Fluorochemicals play an essential role in several industries, including pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and energy storage. Approximately one in five medicines and one in three agrochemicals currently available on the market contain fluorine. Furthermore, fluorochemicals are critical components in lithium-ion batteries.
Despite their widespread applications, conventional fluorochemical manufacturing continues to rely on a process developed nearly 250 years ago. This method uses hydrogen fluoride (HF), one of the most hazardous chemicals in industrial applications, along with high-purity mined fluorspar (calcium fluoride).
However, HF is highly toxic and requires specialised handling, infrastructure and complex regulatory approvals. Consequently, conventional manufacturing involves significant capital investment and limits the locations where new production facilities can be established. The industry also faces supply-chain challenges because high-purity fluorspar is a critical raw material sourced from a limited number of countries, with China being a major supplier.
FluoRok’s HF-Free Technology Offers a New Manufacturing Approach
To address these challenges, FluoRok has developed a safer, lower-cost and HF-free manufacturing process that uses mechanical activation instead of hazardous acids and high temperatures. Unlike conventional methods, the company’s technology operates using commercially available industrial equipment, enabling faster and more cost-effective scale-up. It can also process lower-grade mined fluoride materials and recover fluoride from industrial waste streams.
As a result, this approach offers several potential advantages, including:
Improved industrial safety: Eliminates the need to use hydrogen fluoride in the manufacturing process.
Lower production costs: Reduces capital and operating expenditure.
Flexible raw material sourcing: Enables the use of lower-grade mined fluoride and recovered industrial waste.
Faster scale-up: Uses readily available industrial equipment.
Stronger supply-chain resilience: Supports production closer to end markets and reduces dependence on a limited number of supplying regions.
Initially, FluoRok is targeting inorganic fluorides for pharmaceutical and agrochemical applications, along with lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF₆), the most widely used electrolyte salt in lithium-ion batteries. The company plans to expand its portfolio to include additional fluorochemicals in the future.
$30 Million Funding to Accelerate Industrial-Scale Production
FluoRok has completed pilot-scale product qualifications and secured significant commercial interest from key customers. The latest funding will support the company’s transition from pilot operations to industrial-scale manufacturing.
Specifically, the investment will enable the company to:
Build demonstrator facilities for its reagents and lithium-ion battery electrolyte salts.
Demonstrate consistent and repeatable manufacturing at industrial scale.
Expand its workforce to support technology development and commercial operations.
Validate its products with customers at larger production volumes.
Develop additional commercial partnerships to accelerate global deployment.
As per the press release, these initiatives will help FluoRok establish its manufacturing platform and strengthen its position in the global fluorochemicals market.
Leadership Comments on the Investment
Dr Gabriele Pupo, CEO and Founder of FluoRok, said the company was pleased to welcome new investors as it works to transform fluorochemical manufacturing through safer chemistry and improved production economics. He added that the successful oversubscribed funding round reflects confidence in the company’s technology, commercial traction and execution capabilities. The investment will help FluoRok accelerate its transition from a start-up to an industrial-scale manufacturer.
Florian de Beauchaine, Investment Manager at Orano Venture Fund/Supernova Invest, highlighted the importance of technologies that support a sustainable and resilient industrial transition. He noted that FluoRok had demonstrated its process at pilot scale and that eliminating hydrogen fluoride from fluorochemical manufacturing addresses significant industry-wide safety and supply-chain challenges.
Abhiram Kannan, Ph.D., Head of Investment for Industrials and Mining at Bidra Innovation Ventures, said FluoRok’s technology has the potential to transform fluorochemical manufacturing because it is not limited to a single product category. He highlighted its applications across pharmaceutical and agrochemical building blocks, battery materials and inorganic fluorides, providing multiple opportunities for commercial expansion and industry partnerships.
