Claros Technologies has announced the raising of $55 million in funding to scale up commercial use and develop solutions for PFAS remediation. These funds will be directed towards expanding production capacities, improving operational efficiency, and advancing the company's PFAS destruction technology across North America, Europe, and Asia, as well as supporting further research and development.
The funding round was led by Treehouse Family Capital LLC in partnership with Daikin America, with participation from Veralto, Bush Foundation, Nord Asset Management, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, and existing investors. This announcement enables Claros Technology to execute its next global growth strategies.
The company also plans to grow ClarosLabs, its analytical services division, as various industries require reliable testing and permanent PFAS destruction methods. Claros positions itself as a provider of comprehensive solutions for mitigating PFAS contamination.
The ClarosTechUV system provides permanent destruction of PFAS compounds—both long-chain, short-chain, and ultra-short-chain—by completely eliminating contaminants rather than merely transferring them between waste streams. Today, this technology is utilized by industrial manufacturers, environmental remediation firms, consulting companies, utilities, and government agencies worldwide. The raised capital will significantly boost engineering and manufacturing operations while accelerating the adoption of the technology in the global market among industrial clients.
ClarosTech also intends to increase hiring in both commercial and technical teams, as well as strengthen customer support capabilities. The company will continue to invest in developing applications to meet growing customer demand and ensure global commercial deployment.
CEO and co-founder Michelle Belanca noted that ClarosTech has transitioned from the technology validation stage to commercial success. She explained that successful industrial and environmental projects have demonstrated the platform's effectiveness at a large scale.
The demand for permanent PFAS destruction is rising amid tightening environmental standards from governments. Earlier this year, the technology showed similar results in large-scale groundwater restoration projects. European regulators continue to push restrictions under the proposed REACH framework, while US federal and state agencies are expanding rules for drinking water, industrial discharge requirements, and remediation programs.
Claros believes that organizations now require both reliable destruction technology and precise laboratory analysis to meet compliance obligations. In addition to its destruction platform, ClarosLabs offers accredited detection, quantification, and impact assessment services for PFAS.
The company highlighted several recent achievements that have strengthened investor confidence. At the end of 2025, Claros partnered with Daikin America to complete one of the world's largest industrial PFAS destruction demonstrations, achieving over 99.99% destruction of target PFAS compounds.
This latest funding reflects growing confidence in environmental technologies that combine scientific innovation with commercial scalability. Investors believe that Claros has reached a critical stage where its focus is shifting from technology validation to broad implementation across various industries.
Treehouse Family Capital Manager Jack Kogen stated that Claros has proven that its integrated destruction and analysis platform works effectively in real-world conditions. The company is ideally positioned to capitalize on a strong regulatory trend and meet the global market's desire for permanent PFAS solutions. Founded in 2018 in Minneapolis, Claros develops technologies for the irreversible elimination of PFAS for sectors such as semiconductor manufacturing, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare, which need to find alternative ways to manage these chemicals in the future.
Antares, a company developing advanced nuclear microreactors for military and space applications using high-efficiency compact reactor technology, has raised $470 million in Series C funding. These funds were secured through a combination of equity and debt capital.
The round was co-led by Paradigm and Caffeinated Capital with participation from several strategic investors. Additional participants included Point72 Ventures, Shine Capital, and Industrious Ventures, as well as other global institutional investment firms. The financing comprised $370 million in equity capital and $100 million in debt capital, designated for commercial expansion.
Antares plans to use the raised capital to transition from reactor demonstrations to full-scale commercial deployment across various markets. This funding follows a significant technical achievement by the company in nuclear reactor development this year.
Antares became the first private company to design a non-water nuclear reactor that demonstrated criticality after more than forty years. The Mark-0 reactor achieved this milestone at Idaho National Laboratory in the United States. The company intends to direct the capital toward developing its power-generating Mark-1 reactor, which is expected by 2027.
Furthermore, the funds will be used to improve manufacturing capabilities and processes, supporting existing defense clients under government programs. This includes work on the U.S. Air Force Advanced Nuclear Power Program initiatives. The funding also supports the U.S. Navy expeditionary energy program and related advanced energy projects.
Chief Executive Officer Jordan Bramble stated that Antares has successfully proven the concept of its innovative nuclear technology. He added that the company will now focus on preparing for commercialization and broader market adoption. The investments support collaboration with government partners in creating reliable energy systems that do not require refueling for six years.
Antares' compact nuclear microreactors are designed to provide continuous power supply in locations where traditional energy infrastructure is difficult to maintain. These systems target military bases and space applications requiring reliable long-term power. The company's reactors are designed to operate autonomously for years, reducing dependence on vulnerable fuel supply chains, which is becoming increasingly relevant as governments strive to create more resilient energy infrastructure for defense operations.
According to the company, the latest funding will help meet the deadlines set by Executive Order 14299, which requires an operational reactor on an inland military base by September 2028.
Investors cited Antares' recent engineering successes as a key reason for their support. Paradigm specifically highlighted the successful operation of the company's factory microreactor and its transition to large-scale deployment. Caffeinated Capital also noted Antares' progress in reactor development, client acquisition, and supply chain strategy. The firm believes that the company's focus on defense clients and long-term operational reliability positions it well in the growing advanced nuclear energy sector.
Founded in 2023, Antares has rapidly expanded its operations in locations such as California, Idaho, and South Carolina. The company develops nuclear energy systems capable of providing safe and sustained power for defense and strategic missions while reducing reliance on traditional energy sources.
Gritt has successfully raised $26 million in investments that will be used to scale infrastructure automation using artificial intelligence. Obvious Ventures led the round, with participation from Union Square Ventures, Active Impact Investments, and existing investors, including First Round Capital, Climactic, Congruent Ventures, and VSC Ventures.
With this new injection of capital, Gritt's total funding has reached $32.4 million. The company plans to use the acquired capital to expand its operations and further develop an intelligent robotic platform designed for complex outdoor construction environments.
Founded by Punith Puri and Vishal Dugar, Gritt develops robotic systems to automate construction equipment. Its AI-based system can autonomously perform tasks such as material handling, assembly, placement, inspection, and project planning. Gritt's technology integrates with existing equipment on sites, allowing contractors to apply automation to their machinery and ensuring safe collaboration between robots and humans.
CEO Punith Puri noted that automating outdoor construction is more complex due to changing weather conditions, terrain specifics, and other unforeseen factors. He emphasized that their 'Physical AI' is specifically designed for such tasks, enabling the acceleration of construction for solar, bridge, and road projects, as well as large infrastructure projects like data centers, with robot support.
The company's platform continuously improves through learning from every completed project. Tasks that previously required months of system setup can now be adapted in just a few days, allowing robots to perform high-precision work on various construction sites. In addition to automation, Gritt collects real-time data from sites, including information on completed work, material movement, and changes in site conditions. This information helps project managers make faster decisions and optimize schedules.
The company has already implemented its systems in several large American construction firms involved in industrial-scale solar panel installation. According to Gritt, their robots have independently installed tens of thousands of solar panels without a single failure. Demand for automation is supported by industry challenges: it is expected that over 40% of the US construction workforce will retire by 2031, and the sector's overall productivity is declining, forcing companies to turn to AI and robotics to solve labor shortages.
Obvious Ventures stated that Gritt is creating a new category of physical AI by implementing intelligent automation in one of the most demanding industrial environments. Investors believe that the company's ability to learn after each deployment gives it a long-term competitive advantage. Gritt's long-term goal is to transform AI into a comprehensive object condition analysis platform that tracks resource usage, identifies potential workflow obstacles, and assists project managers in making real-time decisions. Ultimately, the startup aims to reduce manual labor for construction workers and allow contractors to accelerate the implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects, believing that intelligent robotics will become an integral part of modern construction.
