At a time when the construction industry is touted to be responsible for nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, a startup from Leoben, Austria, is rewriting the blueprint. Fiber Elements, founded in 2023, is leading the way in sustainable construction by replacing traditional steel reinforcements with advanced basalt fibre composites.
Now, the company secured a €2.6 million seed funding round led by LEA Partners and Amadeus APEX Technology Fund. The company is gearing up to scale its groundbreaking solution, one that promises to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of building materials while delivering unmatched performance.
A seed round to fuel sustainable scale
The €2.6 million raised in July 2025 will catalyse Fiber Elements’ growth. The startup plans to double its team from 10 to 20 employees by the end of the year and accelerate the transition from pilot projects to industrial-scale production. Crucially, the funds will also be invested in automating and optimising the company’s digital workflow through AI, which will improve efficiency and consistency across its manufacturing processes.
Beyond factory upgrades, the company is developing compact nano-factories for on-site deployment. These portable production units are designed to fabricate prefabricated basalt-reinforced concrete components directly at construction locations, significantly reducing transportation emissions and logistical costs. This decentralised production model could democratise access to green construction materials, particularly in remote or infrastructure-deficient areas.
Market timing and industry demand
Fiber Elements is entering the market at a critical juncture. In 2025, the global hardware and building materials industry was valued at $1.79 trillion, but it is under increasing regulatory and investor pressure to decarbonise. Governments and private sector players alike are seeking new technologies that align with net-zero carbon goals without compromising safety, durability, or cost efficiency.
Fibre Elements’ basalt-concrete composites are positioned against established materials, such as traditional steel rebar, and emerging solutions, including carbon or glass fibre composites. Unlike steel, which is heavy, energy-intensive, and susceptible to corrosion, basalt fibre offers a unique balance of strength, lightness, and corrosion resistance. It also has several performance advantages over glass fibre, including higher durability and resistance to aggressive environments.
The company must navigate regulatory and certification hurdles, as construction materials typically require extensive third-party testing and certification before they can be widely adopted in the market. Fiber Elements is reportedly engaged in these processes, a critical step for scaling.
Fiber Elements’ basalt-concrete composites offer a scalable solution for these challenges. The potential for a 70% reduction in CO₂ emissions makes the material especially attractive for use in large infrastructure projects, where traditional steel-reinforced concrete currently dominates. Moreover, the combination of strength, lightness, and recyclability means the product could play a vital role in both new construction and retrofitting applications.
The founder’s vision
Fiber Elements was founded by Wolfgang Fiel, an architect-turned-entrepreneur with a passion for blending design innovation and sustainability. Drawing on his architectural background and extensive research collaborations, Fiel identified basalt as a material with untapped potential to disrupt the conventional construction supply chain. His mission is clear: to decarbonise construction from the inside out—through smarter materials, intelligent automation, and a fundamentally circular approach to building.
Under his leadership, the company has embraced a multidisciplinary approach that fuses structural engineering, manufacturing science, and environmental responsibility. The long-term goal? To make sustainable building the default—not the exception—by equipping the industry with greener, better-performing alternatives to legacy materials like steel.
Research roots and recognitions
Fiber Elements’ success is deeply rooted in research and academic collaboration. The company’s core technology was developed in close partnership with three leading Austrian universities: the Technical University of Leoben (MUL), the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), and the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien). These partnerships not only ensured scientific rigour in product development but also accelerated the transition from lab to market.
The startup has already completed pilot projects and currently serves five early customers. It holds one granted patent and has filed several more in 2025, signalling strong momentum in intellectual property development. Industry recognition has followed, including the Deep Tech Seed financing award from Austria Wirtschaftsservice (AWS) and participation in the EIT Manufacturing Venture Building Programme 2025, a European initiative to accelerate deep tech ventures.
Breaking the mold in construction
At the heart of Fiber Elements’ innovation is the automated, three-dimensional production of basalt fibres reinforcements. Basalt, a volcanic rock, is melted and spun into ultra-fine fibres nearly 0.02 mm in diameter. These fibres are then transformed into structurally complex components through a proprietary manufacturing process informed by finite element analysis, a method used to simulate and predict the physical behaviour of materials under various stresses. The result is a mineral composite that’s three times stronger than steel and weighs two-thirds less.
This game-changing material also addresses one of the biggest pain points in construction: corrosion. Unlike steel, basalt fibres do not rust, extending the longevity of reinforced concrete structures and allowing for full material recycling at the end of a building’s life. That means fewer repairs, less maintenance, and a substantial reduction in both financial and environmental long-term costs.
A blueprint for the future
As Fiber Elements scales, its impact could ripple across the construction world. The company’s blend of digital manufacturing, AI-driven optimisation, and site-specific nano-factories presents a rare opportunity to tackle emissions without compromising performance or cost. If successful, it will not only replace steel in reinforced concrete but also rewrite the rules of sustainable infrastructure.
For an industry long seen as resistant to change, Fiber Elements offers a vision of what’s possible when innovation meets urgency. In a carbon-constrained world, that vision couldn’t come at a better time.
