Israeli startup, ECOncrete has developed a green concrete solution for enhancing the surrounding biological ecosystem while offering durability and strength to coastal and marine infrastructure. Just recently, the company had announced a $3 million investment to go with a previously $5 million in Series A funding led by Goldacre Ventures and Bridges Israel.
Eco-friendly concrete
More than half of the world’s population lives on the coastal line. Whether it be New York, Hong Kong, Tel Aviv, or others, these beach-side cities often require maintenance to their coastal and marine infrastructure, which at times tends to combat traditional ecological preservation. This is where ECOncrete’s organic concrete solution comes into play, offering a structural improvement to coastal infrastructures, like marinas, breakwaters, and piers, while also enhancing the growth and prosperity of marine sea-life. The company offers a wide array of coastal protection units, tide pool armor, bank stabilizing marine mats, eco-walls for both sea and urban construction that shelter marine wildlife as well as encourage plant growth, alongside other eco-friendly products.
The concrete solution doesn’t strictly serve the ecosystem, it also enables for more durable and stronger construction of coastal defenses, protecting us from potentially devastating water surges as well as invasive species of plants and animals. ECOncrete has developed a solution that reduces chloride permeability while also reducing the amount of standard concrete in a mix, allowing the construction project to decrease its CO2 footprint. Although currently, the costs of this magical product are between 2%-7% higher than standard concrete, the company notes that using its eco-friendly solution drastically reduces maintenance costs as well as future eco-preserving costs, making it a great value for money product over the long run and an easy return on investment.
ECOncrete is definitely on the upwards trend, as last year marked a listing on Time's 'The 100 Best Inventions of 2019' alongside a featured episode on the popular YouTube series, Nas Daily. ECOncrete was founded in 2012 by CTO Ido Sella Ph.D. and CEO Dr. Shimrit Perkol-Finkel, both of whom are marine biologists with extensive experience in coastal infrastructure care. With this latest $3 million Series A investment the company, which has now totaled $8 million in funding, can further expand operations into other markets, like green construction and sustainable building of urban water infrastructure.
