Brisil raises Pre-Series A round led by Peak Sustainability Ventures

Brisil Technologies, a Gujarat-based advanced materials company converting rice husk ash (RHA) into low-carbon, precipitated silica, raised its Pre-Series A round led by Peak Sustainability Ventures. With this investment, Brisil aims to scale commercial production to meet growing demand for green silica both in India and globally, expand its team and accelerate product development.

High-Performance Alternative to Conventional Silica

Founded by Tanmay Pandya in 2016, Brisil has developed a proprietary process to convert rice husk ash (RHA) – an agricultural waste byproduct from rice crop, which is abundantly grown in India – into high-purity, low-carbon precipitated silica. Brisil’s process produces its precipitated silica in both powder and micro-pearl forms, irrespective of variations in RHA feedstock, with the same level of consistency, making it applicable as a drop-in replacement for conventional silica in industry. Silica is seeing growing applications across tyres, rubber, footwear, consumer goods (eg. toothpaste), and other industries, and also as an alternative to carbon black. In tyres, silica improves rolling resistance, wet grip and tyre life, while in toothpaste it improves abrasive strength.

Circular Process Using the "Waste of Waste"

Brisil has a strong sustainability and circularity story. Conventional precipitated silica is produced from mined quartz and silica sand, which is an energy-intensive and environmentally damaging process, that carries a significant carbon, water and biodiversity footprint. Brisil’s waste-to-value process instead valorises rice husk ash (RHA), an abundant agricultural waste stream that is the “waste of waste”. Rice husk is typically used as biomass fuel in industrial boilers and power plants. Brisil is using rice husk ash - the waste byproduct generated from burning rice husk - which is otherwise underutilized, wasted, or released into the environment. Brisil’s process promotes circularity, supports improved resource efficiency and biodiversity, and delivers silica with up to 65% lower embodied carbon.

Supply Chain Resilience

Brisil also strengthens corporate supply chain resilience while helping companies accelerate their sustainability goals. Given the global macro environment and geopolitical uncertainty, corporates are keener than ever before to build supply chain resilience across all important materials. Brisil’s green silica is less exposed to global commodity price fluctuations than conventional silica and, given the abundance of RHA feedstock, is less susceptible to the supply-side disruptions that can affect traditional silica.

Global Customer Base Unlocking New Regions

Brisil’s high-performance green silica is already being supplied to leading global brands, including Adidas and Decathalon, and a number of leading tyre companies, across India, Southeast Asia, and Europe. The company has a strong customer pipeline with new regions being unlocked over the next 1-2 years across multiple industries.

In Their Words

Commenting on the round, Tanmay Pandya, Founder and CEO of Brisil Technologies, said,

“We are delighted to partner with Peak, one of India’s foremost climate VCs, to scale the company into its next phase of growth. We are seeing a tremendous opportunity globally for low-carbon, advanced materials, that can achieve performance and cost parity, at commercial scale. We have several exciting developments underway, and look forward to building a recognized global business in India for the world.” — Tanmay Pandya, Founder and CEO, Brisil Technologies

Mr. Samir Shah, Managing Partner at Peak Sustainability Ventures, noted,

“Brisil is an exemplary example of our core thesis in action: high-quality climate technologies that can deliver large-scale climate impact alongside strong financial returns. Brisil is not only providing a high-performance, sustainable alternative to traditional silica, but it is also utilising an abundant waste byproduct, creating a circular business with a positive biodiversity footprint. We believe the strongest climate businesses have multiple use cases, multiple climate benefits, and resilience integrated into their design. We look forward to working with Tanmay to build a category leader in advanced materials.” — Samir Shah, Managing Partner, Peak Sustainability Ventures

Institutional Backing by Investors & Foundations

Brisil’s investors alongside Peak include 1Crowd, which participated in the current round, Fondation Botnar (advised by Sagana), Sanyo Trading, Momentum Capital, and IIM-A Ventures. The company has also won a grant from Impact Capital Managers, and is supported by ACT Grants, Marico Innovation Foundation and Millennium Alliance.

About Brisil Technologies

Headquartered in Vadodara, Gujarat, Brisil Technologies is a waste-to-value company that converts rice husk ash (RHA) into low-carbon, precipitated silica, replacing the environmentally degrading and carbon-intensive process of quartz mining. Brisil’s green silica can be used as a drop-in replacement for conventional silica across tyres, rubber, footwear, paints, coatings, and other consumer applications. www.brisil.com

About Peak Sustainability Ventures

Peak Sustainability Ventures is a global climate investment firm based in Mumbai. Peak invests in innovative, scalable companies across New Energy, Food Systems, Water and Climate, that can generate strong financial returns and large-scale climate impact. Peak has also launched two large-scale joint ventures with corporate partners to address core sustainability challenges in India. Peak is backed by global corporates and financial investors. www.peakventures.in