Sora Fuel raises $14.6M

Sora Fuel said on April 8 that it raised $14.6 million to scale a process for making jet fuel from air, water, and renewable electricity. (sorafuel.com) The round was co-led by Spero Ventures and Inspired Capital, with follow-on backing from Engine Ventures and Wireframe Ventures. Sora said the money will fund a pilot plant and a larger engineering team in Boston. (sorafuel.com) Jet fuel is hard to replace because airplanes need a dense liquid fuel that still works at high altitude and low temperature. Sora’s pitch is that it can make a drop-in version by pulling carbon dioxide from ambient air, splitting water for hydrogen, and turning the gases into hydrocarbons. (iea.org) (sorafuel.com) The technical claim at the center of the company is an electrolyzer — an electrochemical device that uses electricity like a charged filter — that captures carbon dioxide and converts it into synthesis gas in one step. Sora said that skips the heat-heavy regeneration stage that drives most of the cost in conventional direct air capture systems. (sorafuel.com 1) (sorafuel.com 2) That matters in aviation because sustainable aviation fuel is still scarce. The International Air Transport Association said global sustainable aviation fuel output reached 1 million tonnes in 2024 and was expected to rise to 2 million tonnes in 2025, or about 0.7% of airlines’ total fuel use. (iata.org 1) (iata.org 2) Governments are pushing supply higher at the same time. The United States Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge targets 3 billion gallons of domestic production by 2030, and the United Kingdom has legislated targets starting at 2% in 2025 and rising to 10% in 2030. (energy.gov) (iea.org) Most sustainable aviation fuel on the market today comes from used cooking oil, animal fats, or other biomass feedstocks, which limits scale and creates competition for raw materials. Sora is part of a smaller group of startups trying to make synthetic fuel from carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and clean power instead. (icao.int) (sorafuel.com) Sora was founded in 2024 and grew out of research from the Berlinguette group at the University of British Columbia, according to the company and investor Engine Ventures. The chief executive is Gareth Ross and the chief science officer is Patrick Sarver. (sorafuel.com) (engineventures.com) (greentownlabs.com) The company had already raised seed funding led by Engine Ventures, and it signed a 2024 cooperation agreement with Emerging Fuels Technology to work on converting its synthesis gas into aviation fuel. The new round moves the company from lab claims toward pilot-scale output, where cost and reliability will be tested. (sorafuel.com 1) (sorafuel.com 2)