Airthium was officially founded in March 2016 by Andrei Klochko and Franck Lahaye after several years of research into applying Stirling-engine gas-compression technology to industrial heat and energy storage. The concept originated around 2008 during Klochko’s doctoral studies in plasma physics; a breakthrough in fluid mechanics and electromagnetism emerged in 2014, followed by national innovation prizes in France, after which the founders devoted themselves full‑time to the project, culminating in its incorporation in 2016.
Airthium was accepted into Y Combinator’s Summer 2017 batch (S17), receiving early-stage funding of approximately €500K, including from Y Combinator itself. Initially incubated at École Polytechnique (Paris), later housed at Air Liquide’s Innovation Campus until 2019, before relocating to dedicated facilities in Villebon-sur-Yvette in France around October 2023.
Airthium’s core innovation is a high-temperature Stirling-engine-based heat pump, capable of delivering industrial heat up to 550 °C (≈1,000 °F) with Coefficients of Performance (COPs) up to ~3.5, aiming to replace fossil-fired utilities like steam boilers at lower cost and carbon footprint. They’re also developing long-duration seasonal electricity storage, using heat stored in molten salt and ammonia—with efficiencies up to 70%—leveraging the same reversible heat-pump engine.
Prototype & Deployment Timeline:
- 2023: 1 kW prototype (550 °C)
- 2024: Industrial heat pump demonstrator
- 2025: 1 MW commercial model
- 2028: 20 MW modular heat pumps
- 2030–2035: Scaling to seasonal storage (50 MW → 1 GW)
Raised ~€1.3M via earlier crowdfunding in 2021–2022; latest Reg-CF campaign from July to October 2022 raised approximately $2.68M at a valuation cap of ~$20M, closing Oct. 2023. Seed funding totaled ~$2.6M between 2021–2023; team size reported at ~11–12 staff as of 2023. In June 2024, venture firm Ritch Ventures made a strategic investment to accelerate Airthium’s development and market deployment.
A pilot agreement with McCain, the Canadian food producer, was announced for deploying a 100 kW heat pump prototype at their plant in France in late 2024, validating industrial interest in Airthium’s heat technology.
Recognized through national innovation prizes such as the Prix Gérondeau, Concours mondial de l’innovation Bpifrance, and Prix des Innovateurs by ArcelorMittal, underscoring credibility in French deep tech circles.