atmio helps protect the climate by detecting methane leaks

Methane is known as a gas that has a strong influence on climate change. It is mainly emitted in agriculture, and the belching cows are notorious. However, leaks in natural gas plants and pipe networks where methane escapes are also part of the problem. The Hamburg-based startup atmio has developed a all-in-one solution for this. 

To prevent this from happening, the startup atmio has developed a complete solution that combines hardware and software. The two founders behind atmio have a wealth of relevant experience. One of them is Matthias Schmittmann. He began his engineering studies in Munich and completed them with a master’s degree at the Technical University (TU) and the Northern Institute of Technology Management (NIT) in Hamburg. One reason for the change was that entrepreneurship is particularly encouraged at the TU and the NIT and the desire to found a company had developed in him early on. As part of his final thesis, he and his fellow student Johannes Weber developed a business plan that was not to remain merely theoretical.

Matthias initially took some time out, but the coronavirus pandemic soon got in the way of his travel plans. As he wanted to remain an entrepreneur anyhow, he joined the Entrepreneur First incubator in Berlin in 2020 to meet a potential co-founder. He later found one in Marius Krüger, who was also active at Entrepreneur First, albeit two years later and in London. He had previously worked for BP and founded the startup SWEDISH FALL in 2018 together with a few fellow students who, like him, studied at NORAKADEMIE in Elmshorn. SWEDISH FALL produced sustainable fashion in a circular model, recycled more than 8 tons of old clothes, had an appearance on the TV show “Die Höhle der Löwen” and temporarily achieved sales in the millions. In 2022, however, the point was reached where further growth no longer seemed possible and the startup ceased operations.

So the time was ripe for Marius' next project, which brought him back into the world of energy suppliers. After all, they are atmio's target group, or more precisely, companies that work with natural gas. The main component of natural gas is methane, which can escape at leaks both in pipelines and in central plants. The latter are the area of application for atmio's solution, which combines portable and stationary sensors with a mobile app and an integrated management platform. This can be used to create automated reporting and organise the seamless detection, repair and logging of all methane leaks. The software can also help with annual emissions reporting, which is an important part of the legal requirements.

The next drumbeat followed in June 2024. This time, another financing round provided 5.1 million euros. It was led by Notion Capital, with SquareOne and David Rowan's VOYAGERS Climate-Tech Fund also participating for the first time. HCVC and Robin Capital took part once again. The relatively timely and oversubscribed round was facilitated by a number of factors. For example, it was known that the methane regulation would soon come into force. Demand would increase accordingly, with few alternatives in this technically demanding niche. The founders' experience also spoke in atmio's favour. Nevertheless, Matthias, with the support of his team, spent three months almost exclusively on closing the deal.

Methane detection, on the other hand, is already a potential billion-euro business that offers atmio the opportunity to become a global company. A quick exit like bentekk is certainly not planned. Meanwhile, the expansion of the team, which currently consists of around ten people, is continuing, with at least five new positions to be filled at the start of 2025. An important personnel decision in the fall of 2024 was the hiring of Lucas Pfennig, a colleague of Matthias at bentekk who worked at Dräger until his move. Even though some team members now work remotely, Hamburg remains the center of atmio's operations. After all, this is where it all began.