Climate tech hope from Essen: Greenlyte brings new co-founder on board – how and why?
We rarely report on founders reaching retirement age – and therefore leaving their positions. But rare is not never, and here's a bit of news: Peter Behr, one of the three founders of the Essen-based CO2-capturing startup Greelyte Carbon Technologies, is retiring from the executive suite of the company he co-founded three years ago at the age of 66.
Previously Chief Scientific Officer and Managing Director, he will now work "only" as Lead Scientist. "From now on, Peter will do what he's always done. He'll be in the lab, filing invention disclosures, and can now focus on what he's enjoyed his entire life," says Greenlyte CEO Florian Hildebrand.
Read also
A logical move for the founder himself – but potentially a challenge for the team. Martin Schmickler, a new addition to the management team , will replace Behr.
The Essen-based cleantech startup develops and operates systems for direct air capture (DCAC). The technology uses a special liquid that filters CO2 molecules from the ambient air and converts them into a solid salt. A subsequent electrolysis process splits the CO2, producing hydrogen as a byproduct. The filtered CO2 can then either be stored underground or reused industrially.
Florian Hildebrand, Peter Behr, and Niklas Friedrichsen founded Greenlyte in 2022. Hildebrand had previously co-founded the pharmaceutical software startup Qualifyze , Behr was a scientist at the University of Duisburg-Essen, and Friedrichsen was the founder of the steel marketplace Mapudo.
The startup has now raised 45 million euros. Investors include the Green Generation Fund, Earlybird Venture Capital, Axel Springer Porsche, and Auxxo.
The industrial engineer from RWTH Aachen University brings experience in the chemical and automotive industries and was previously Chief of Staff at Greenlyte. He is now becoming Chief Operating Officer and co-founder.
We spoke with him and the startup's CEO, Florian Hildebrand, about how to make such transitions as smooth as possible.
businessinsider
