Europe is at a pivotal point. With energy costs at record levels and an urgent need to reduce emissions, the continent faces a tough choice: how to transition away from fossil fuels without losing billions of dollars invested in existing gas turbine infrastructure. Meet Crosstown — a Swiss DeepTech startup with a visionary goal and innovative technology set to revolutionise the energy sector.
Instead of dismantling existing systems, Crosstown is developing a way to upgrade and adapt Europe’s gas turbines for the future. Their patented H2R Burner technology enables these energy grid mainstays to operate on 100% renewable fuels, such as hydrogen or any mix with natural gas, providing a practical and quick route to zero-carbon energy. The potential is immense: one 100MW turbine using Crosstown’s burner can reduce over 300,000 tons of CO₂ annually.
In an exclusive conversation with TFN, the company shares: “Crosstown was started with a mission to have a big impact on humanity’s journey to eliminate CO₂. The gas turbine sector is one of the largest contributors to CO₂ emissions globally. With its deep domain expertise, this team has a unique advantage to be the trailblazers in the ambition to accelerate this sector to zero carbon.”
This vision just received a powerful boost. Crosstown has secured CHF 3 million in fresh seed funding from a coalition of forward-thinking investors, including 2100Ventures, Climate Insiders, Unruly Capital, and SDAC, alongside continued support from CiRi, Voyagers, and the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. The funding will accelerate the rollout of Crosstown’s technology across Europe and beyond, bringing the continent closer to true energy sovereignty and resilience.
“Over $5 million in total has been invested in the mission so far,” the company adds.
Founders on a mission to become climate pioneers
Crosstown’s origin is rooted in a team that combines entrepreneurial resilience with industry expertise.
Manoj Harasgama has been a serial B2B SaaS founder for over ten years, now concentrating on ClimateTech and DeepTech. He founded and sold Treatwell.com, which now employs over 700 staff and generates $750 million in revenue, and grew JOIN.com from inception to $10 million in annual recurring revenue within three years. Since 2022, Manoj has served as founder and co-CEO of Crosstown H2R, overseeing strategy, expansion, funding, and the development of proprietary burner technology.
In his new ClimateTech venture, he raises investment and drives growth, building and patenting burner technology aimed at lowering CO₂ emissions in the gas turbine industry.
Prith Harasgama, holding a PhD from Loughborough and an education from Wharton, has held executive positions worldwide at the UK Ministry of Defence, Rolls-Royce, ABB, Alstom, and Wood, and has consulted for Siemens, Doosan, and other companies. With more than 35 years of experience in the gas turbine sector, he possesses expertise across the entire value chain, from technology development to management.
Prith’s extensive knowledge played a key role in developing a zero-carbon burner technology. His vision has brought together leading experts on the Crosstown H2R team, and under his leadership as founder and co-CEO, a revolutionary patented technology has been successfully created.
The Crosstown team, although comprising fewer than 10 people, is highly diverse, representing nearly as many nationalities (Swiss, British, Sri Lankan, French, and German) as its members, all with global academic and professional experience.
Behind Crosstown: the hydrogen edge
Crosstown’s ambition is reflected in its engineering. The H2R® Burner is a modular, upgradeable system that allows gas turbines to operate on various fuel blends, including natural gas, hydrogen, or cracked ammonia. Operators can begin reducing emissions immediately and gradually transition to zero-carbon fuels without incurring the expense of replacing systems that cost up to $50 million.
“Crosstown’s technology enables a gas turbine to run on any fuel mix from 100% natural gas to 100% zero-carbon fuel (e.g. hydrogen) fully flexibly and thereby not only reduce and eliminate CO₂, but also slash NOx emissions by up to 80%. The technology is ‘brand agnostic’ meaning that it can be installed into the gas turbines of all major gas turbine manufacturers. These features provide the gas turbine fleet operators and independent service providers, who service gas turbines, much more flexibility, which is another key commercial attribute,” the company adds.
Protected by a new European patent and with more patents in progress, Crosstown’s burner significantly reduces CO₂ emissions and cuts harmful NOx emissions by up to 80%. Unlike competitors that need complete turbine replacement or are tied to specific fuels, Crosstown’s design is flexible, scalable, and compatible with many turbine models, including those from Rolls-Royce, GE, Siemens, and ABB.
Currently, no other company has achieved this level of technological prowess. However, Crosstown expects the industry’s large incumbents, such as GE and Siemens, as well as other publicly listed players, to emerge as key competitors as the market evolves.
Scaling for impact: A vision for the future
With fresh funding in hand, Crosstown is gearing up for rapid expansion. The company is adapting its technology to support an even wider range of turbine types, forging new partnerships with Independent Service Providers and Original Equipment Manufacturers, and expanding its world-class team at its Swiss headquarters.
The company concluded, “Crosstown plans to deploy broadly on the market, establish itself as the only significant independent burner technology provider and be recognised as the go-to technology for all gas turbine operators aiming to decarbonise and reduce other emissions.”
Over the next 3 to 5 years, Crosstown’s key objectives are to deploy its technology at scale, become the leading independent burner technology provider, and ensure that all gas turbine operators have a clear, cost-effective path to decarbonization and regulatory compliance.
The ambition is to retrofit thousands of turbines worldwide, unlocking massive CO₂ reduction potential while ensuring grid stability and energy independence for decades to come. By future-proofing existing infrastructure, Crosstown offers a bridge from today’s energy reality to tomorrow’s zero-carbon future, without leaving anyone behind.
