Born out of Rutgers research and nurtured through university–industry collaboration, Queens Carbon exemplifies how academic innovation can drive both climate solutions and economic
growth.
Founded by triple Rutgers graduate Daniel Kopp, along with School of Engineering Distinguished Professor Richard Riman and entrepreneur David Gersholowitz, the company is built on technology invented by Kopp and Riman as part of Kopp’s PhD thesis in Riman’s lab. This technology uses steam and pressure to react conventional raw materials such as limestone and sand at less than half the temperature of the traditional process. Operating at lower temperatures reduces energy use, enables electrification, and produces zero-CO₂ cementitious materials, offering a profitable pathway for large-scale decarbonization of the cement industry. The Rutgers Office for Research executed the exclusive license agreement between the university and Queens Carbon.
Since its launch in 2022, Queens Carbon has scaled at an unrivaled pace. Shortly after incorporation, the company secured Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Fellowship, which provided catalytic support to build its core R&D team, establish laboratory infrastructure, and prototype the technology. In 2024, Queens Carbon was awarded $14.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-E SCALEUP program, accelerating development of its pilot facilities and advancing the transition toward commercial deployment. In April 2025, the company announced $10 million in seed funding led by Clean Energy Ventures with participation from Plug & Play Ventures, Clean Energy Venture Group, and strategic partner Buzzi Unicem USA, a top-five U.S. cement producer that is both an investor and host of Queens Carbon’s 2,000-tonne/year pilot facility.
“We are thrilled to see how far Queens Carbon has come since its launch,” said Deborah Perez Fernandez, PhD, MBA, executive director of the Office for Research’s Technology Transfer department. “The work they do is important, and we are proud to have played our role in their growth, including making the first warm intro to Clean Energy Ventures that led to Queens Carbon receiving $10 million in funding.”
“Queens Carbon has made impressive progress in changing and improving the cement manufacturing industry, and we are not surprised in the least,” said Vincent Smeraglia, JD, executive director of the OfR’s New Ventures department. “We look forward to collaborating with them further to help the company continue to grow and expand.”
The technology has been recognized with the Research and Development Council of New Jersey’s Edison Patent Award for Industrial Processes and the Rutgers Startup Award at the 2024 Rutgers Innovation Awards. From its origins as a three-person startup, Queens Carbon has grown to a team of 19 full-time employees, with several key members also graduates of
Rutgers University. Its latest expansion is a move from a 7,000 sq. ft. facility to an 18,000 sq. ft. facility in Cedar Grove, N.J., enabling the company to build a robust engineering team, accelerate R&D, and broaden pilot activities.
“Queens Carbon’s growth is a testament to the strength of our team, the ingenuity of our technology, the urgency of our mission, and the support of our partners,” said Daniel Kopp, CEO and Co-Founder. “Changing the cement industry requires a solution that is symbiotic with existing operations. Producers are hesitant to adopt technologies that reduce profits, so the path forward must combine scalability, market advantage, and increased profitability. Expanding into our new 18,000 sq. ft. facility gives us the ability to accelerate innovation, scale pilot operations, and continue building the technological foundation for a first-of-a-kind commercial plant. We’re proud to be creating high-quality jobs in New Jersey while proving that cement decarbonization can be both economically competitive and globally impactful.”
