Aisti, a Finnish construction tech startup is today announcing it has received €1.6M in funding. The startup has developed a wood fibre-based acoustic tile that is carbon negative, easy to recycle and plastic-free. This is opposed to current solutions which are problematic because they have high CO2 emissions and are not easily recyclable or plastic-free.
The company is backed by the Nordic seed fund Maki.vc who’s known for being Spinnova’s first investor. This round was complemented by a group of investors assembled by Valve Ventures. It also oversaw the invitation to the company’s Board of Directors of Pirkka Palomäki and Eerik Paasikivi.
Mitigating construction materials emissions
Emissions reports indicate that building and construction together are responsible for 39% of all carbon emissions globally. Moreover, it is estimated that emissions from making the cement, steel and rubber used in construction make up 60% of a building’s net emissions. Experts suggest that by switching to greener versions and improving efficiency, the lifetime emissions for buildings can be cut by 44% by 2050.
Efforts to reduce this carbon footprint, from design to operation and management, have received attention and backing leading to their proliferation and growth. Some of the mainstream measures taken in carbon reduction in construction materials include embodying carbon, recycling asphalt, aggregate & construction waste, utilising alternative water resources & materials, as well as design improvements, just to highlight a few.
Aisti’s materials solution
Aisti was founded in 2019 by Antti Fredrikson, Petri Jetsu and Mikko Paananenhavea. The trio has a strong background in acoustics, business development, wood fibre-based product and process development as well as brand creation. The startup has developed wood fibre-based acoustic tiles that are carbon negative, plastic-free and easy to recycle. In addition, Aisti’s tiles cause no irritation during installation or use. Aisti’s Founder and CEO, Mikko Paananen stressed, “Our goal is to rise alongside the world’s largest acoustic tile manufacturers by offering sustainable products for the needs of today’s construction.”
The first customers have already been obtained from large architectural firms, with the demo tiles having been well received by developers and construction companies. Aisti tiles help construction companies to reduce their carbon footprint without any cost impact as compared to existing stone, glass & wool products. There has been an increasing demand in the market for carbon-negative products for years, with very limited supply. The acoustic tile market is currently divided between four major players. Antti Fredrikson, co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Aisti said, “Our objective is to penetrate into that same market and aim for a turnover of 500 million euros in 2030.”
This fresh funding will enable Aisti to build a demo plant, further product development and prepare to invest in a large production plant. Pirkka Palomäki, a Partner at Maki.vc remarked “Aisti’s technology is ready and scalable quickly. There is a huge potential in carbon-negative and cost-competitive new building materials.”
