In California, Hgen, a hydrogen startup focused on decarbonizing heavy industries, has raised $5 million in seed funding to commercialize its high-efficiency alkaline electrolyzers. The round was led by Seven Seven Six, with participation from Founders Fund and Fontinalis Partners. The new funding will accelerate the deployment of Hgen’s technology at customer sites.
The company’s proprietary alkaline electrolyzers achieve 20 times the volume output density of traditional models, enabling systems that are 1/20th the size to produce the same amount of hydrogen. Additionally, Hgen’s technology is 9% more efficient than standard alkaline cells, reducing both size and cost, making clean hydrogen production more scalable.
CEO Molly Yang emphasized that Hgen’s pre-assembled, modular systems eliminate the need for expensive custom-built hydrogen projects, further lowering costs. The company initially gained support from Breakthrough Energy Fellows, an initiative led by Bill Gates to accelerate sustainable energy innovations. With Breakthrough’s backing, Hgen scaled its technology from benchtop prototypes to industrial-scale demonstrations at its Hawthorne facility.
Hgen’s founding team, with backgrounds at SpaceX and Tesla, has rapidly advanced alkaline electrolysis technology. Alexis Ohanian of Seven Seven Six praised their expertise in driving transformative technological advancements.
