Startups based in continental Europe are going to be critical to the success of our journey toward deep decarbonisation. That’s why we recently made our first leap into this market with our investment in Level 9, and why today we are excited to welcome Max Werny to the ZCC team, as an Associate based in Berlin.
At ZCC, we invest in, and support, very early-stage startups, built by scientific founders tackling the biggest challenges of decarbonisation. We think the best way to do this is by ensuring every member of our team has a profound understanding of science and a belief in its ability to solve the hardest problems at scale. Max has this in spades. He has a Masters in Chemistry and Catalysis from TUM and a PhD in Industrial Catalysis from Utrecht University (Weckhuysen Group). After getting his PhD, Max wanted to apply his knowledge at scale and worked for a year on CO2 valorisation and hydrogen-related tech at Heraeus Precious Metals in the chemical industry. He then joined our friends at Extantia for 4 months as a Scientist in Residence to look at technologies in the critical raw material space, mainly focusing on direct lithium extraction and battery recycling.
Max is based in Berlin, and will travel heavily both within Germany and across Europe. When he’s not connecting with founders, universities or partners, you might find him in the CrossFit gym, cycling or hiking.
Welcome Max! The whole team is pumped to be working with you.