Cura raises $10M to scale low-carbon cement tech in Alberta
What's the deal? Calgary cleantech startup CuraDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has closed a $10-million USD ($14-million CAD) early-stage round to accelerate commercial development and expand its footprint near Taber, Alberta. Zacua VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led, with Sandpiper VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Vantage FuturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Amplify CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the University of CalgaryDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s UCEED fund, the Mount Rundle ClubDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Sebastian BeckerDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → participating. Zacua's Juan Nieto joins Cura's board.
What's the endgame? Founded in 2025, Cura develops systems to produce low-carbon cement, using an electrochemical process on limestone that separates out CO2. It claims the method can cut emissions from cement production by 30 to 85%.
Where the money goes: Cura is splitting the capital across three fronts — hiring, a pilot plant, and a commercial demonstration facility. The company plans to grow headcount from 15 to 20 by year-end, mostly engineers and scientists.
The bulk funds a pilot plant built with Grand Forks ConcreteDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Taber-based precast manufacturer. The project aims to produce 100 tonnes of cement per year and begin commissioning in the first quarter of 2027, running on solar power from a nearby Grand Forks-owned farm.
Why it matters: Cement, the binder in concrete, is typically made from limestone heated in fossil-fuel kilns that can account for up to two-thirds of the concrete industry's emissions. The broader industry contributes roughly 7% of global emissions.
What's next? If the 2027 pilot succeeds, Cura plans a commercial demonstration facility producing about 30,000 tonnes per year, with a portion of this round funding its engineering. The long-term goal is selling retrofit equipment to cement producers.
"In the long term, we actually want to sell equipment to cement producers … to decarbonize their operations," CEO and co-founder Erin Bobicki said. Full-scale industry facilities often produce upwards of one million tonnes annually.
The signal: Bobicki points to "four trillion in sunk assets" across the cement industry — a reminder that decarbonising heavy industry means retrofitting entrenched infrastructure, not just building greener plants from scratch.
Read more: betakit.com
Image credit: DFID - UK Department for International Development
