FluoRok reported a busy week marked by external recognition, fresh government funding and continued hiring to support scale-up of its sustainable fluorochemistry platform. The U.K.-based deep tech company was selected by Hello Tomorrow as one of the Top 100 Deep Tech Start-ups to Watch in 2026 in the Resource Efficiency & Circular Systems track, from more than 4,800 applicants.
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The accolade highlights FluoRok’s work on cleaner, HF-free fluorochemical production and circular technologies that recover and reuse critical raw materials for use in energy transition and food supply chains. CEO Gabriele Pupo is set to attend the Hello Tomorrow Summit in Amsterdam on June 11–12, where the company will compete in the finale for a €100,000 grand prize.
The summit is expected to draw over 3,500 attendees, including deep tech investors, corporates and more than 60 national government delegations, offering FluoRok networking and visibility benefits. This third-party recognition may strengthen the company’s credibility with potential partners and investors in specialty chemicals and the circular economy.
FluoRok also secured a £1.5M grant under the U.K. Government’s DRIVE35 programme, part of the £4B Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan. The funding will support an enhanced demonstrator unit and updated technical assessments for its HF-free LiPF₆ production process targeting the lithium-ion battery supply chain.
The company says its HF-free LiPF₆ technology could cut CO₂ emissions by up to 45%, lower capital and operating costs and improve circularity in fluorochemical manufacturing. If successfully scaled, these characteristics could position FluoRok as a cleaner and more cost-competitive supplier for U.K. and European battery manufacturers.
To underpin this transition from R&D to industrial-scale deployment, FluoRok is expanding its technical team in Oxford. It is recruiting a Laboratory Analyst and additional scale-up and production roles to strengthen analytical workflows, quality control and kilogram-scale process development.
The new analyst role emphasizes techniques such as ion chromatography, ICP-OES, liquid chromatography and NMR, reflecting a focus on robust analytical and quality infrastructure. Enhanced in-house expertise is intended to support safer, more sustainable routes to critical fluorochemicals and meet stringent requirements in applications spanning food security, energy storage and advanced materials.
FluoRok also highlighted collaboration with the University of Oxford’s IMAT CDT programme, hosting PhD chemistry students to support both R&D and scale-up activities. Combined with its grant win, hiring drive and international recognition, the week’s developments appear to reinforce FluoRok’s technical capabilities and long-term positioning in sustainable fluorochemicals and battery materials, even as major commercial contracts have yet to be disclosed.