Cottonwood Technology Fund, a high-tech investor in startups from the Southwest of the United States, Northern Europe, and the Netherlands has announced a € 1M investment in the Dutch startup Sound Energy. The Enschede-based company has designed technology for cooling buildings without the use of electricity or gas.
Becoming the worldwide market leader
Sound Energy is a young company that aims to be a disruptive force in the space – and process cooling industry. It is their goal to become the worldwide market leader of thermo-acoustics cooling, in order to shake up the industry. Also, cutting down on fossil energy consumption is one of Sound Energy’s top priorities. The patented Thermo Acoustic technology allows the startup to convert the heat of solar – or industrial waste directly into useable cooling without the use of electric power, toxic refrigerants or moving parts and at a much lower cost.
The THEAC-25
The device itself is an interesting piece of technology. Its core function is to convert heat into the cold by using thermo-acoustic technology. The main working fluid applied in the device is argon, which is an inert gas. It is easily accessible, as 0,94% of the earth’s atmosphere consists of it. Even more importantly, argon has a global warming potential of zero.
Temperatures below -30°C
Eventually, the output of the device can reach temperatures below -30°C. The THEAC-25 can also be used for heating, as its heat source can feed the heating system of a building. During a big part of autumn and winter, the hot water from VTC-panels still reaches temperatures over 40°C. The heat from this source can be fed directly into heating system of the building. Subsequently, the heat that is gained throughout the year is fully used. Therefore, it is an effective and integrated system for cooling and heating. It is also an efficient way to contribute to the environment.
Available on a global scale
“The participation of Cottonwood in Sound Energy is a major step which helps us to roll-out on a global scale,” said Herbert Berkhout, CEO of Sound Energy. “We are now able to fully focus on the industrial ramp-up of our THEAC-25 prototype and start expecting international orders. Cottonwood has the team, experience, and worldwide worthy network to make our high-impact ambition come through.”
Cottonwood Technology Fund
Cottonwood Technology Fund is a seed and early-stage technology fund with offices in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Enschede, the Netherlands. The company invests in technology-related companies and patents originating from the United States and in Northern Europe. The investor has currently funded companies like Skorpios, Clear Flight Solutions, xF Technologies, Eurekite, Respira, Trilumina, Acme Materials, OPNT and Exagen.
Here’s some solid startup-advice from Cottonwood’s Ray Quintana.