Solidia Technologies Names Doug Robinson CFO and Paul Majsztrik Director of Applied Research

Carbon-reducing cement and concrete technology expands commercially

Solidia Technologies CFO Doug Robinson (Photo: Business Wire)

PISCATAWAY, N.J.--()--Solidia Technologies® announces the appointments of Doug Robinson as chief financial officer and Paul Majsztrik as director of Applied Research. Coupled with recent additions to its Board of Directors, the new leaders bring expertise in policy, finance and commercialization to Solidia as it accelerates market growth of cement and concrete manufacturing technologies that can eliminate at least 1.5 gigatonnes of CO2 each year.

"Our investors want us to grow faster and have greater impact faster," said Solidia's President and CEO Tom Schuler. "The technology has been proven. The science is done and has been scaled up over 50 times around the world. We have proven that it works on commercial scale, and it is being sold in the market today. Doug and Paul add critical expertise and experience to our team that will help drive global commercial adoption.”

As CFO, Doug Robinson leads Solidia’s finance team with responsibility for the company’s financing strategy, financial planning, and analysis functions. He actively works with the commercialization team to assess the economic benefit to Solidia and its partners of business opportunities. Solidia is the third start-up he has worked for in the cleantech space, each time in a combination of financial and engineering roles. Previously, Doug was an investment banker for 17 years with Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank. In his banking career, he provided financing and strategic advice to companies at all stages of development and across many industries. He also served as a member of the Advisory Committee of a GMO Renewable Resources timber fund. Early in his career, Doug was a reservoir engineer for Shell. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia and a doctorate in Engineering-Economic Systems with a minor in Business from Stanford University.

As director of applied research, Paul Majsztrik helps bridge the gap between laboratory and commercialization, leading the research team taking Solidia’s technology to commercialization in a collaborative effort with the engineering, commercialization, and marketing teams. Prior to assuming his new role, Paul spent two years as leader of Solidia's mechanical engineering team. His work included ground-up design of CO2 curing equipment for commercial conversion of a paver manufacturing facility. Paul has a wide range of applied experience researching, innovating, and scaling technology and equipment over several materials-based applications, including PEM fuel cells, high-purity polysilicon production, high-temperature thermoelectric materials, graphene coatings for energy storage, and electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 to commodity chemicals. His broad, interdisciplinary background includes a bachelor’s degree in physics, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering, and a doctorate in Chemistry and Materials from Princeton University.

Global demand for concrete products is second only to the demand for water. Cement is the “glue” used to make concrete. For every ton of cement produced, a ton of CO2 is released into the atmosphere, making cement production the second largest carbon emitter, responsible for 5-7% of total carbon emissions on the planet. Solidia’s technology starts with a low-emissions cement and cures concrete with CO2 instead of water, reducing the carbon footprint of concrete up to 70% compared to traditional concrete. Using the industry’s existing infrastructure, raw materials, formulations, production methods and specifications, the resulting CO2-cured concrete products are higher performing, cost less to produce, and cure in less than 24 hours, as compared to the 28 days required for traditional concrete to reach full strength.

Solidia’s target market—the $1 trillion global concrete and $300 billion global cement markets—are among the few large to make a meaningful impact fast enough on carbon. Solidia’s is one of the only suite of technologies that addresses the carbon challenge from both ends, both reducing CO2 emissions in the production of Solidia Cement™ and consuming CO2 in the production of Solidia Concrete™. At full market conversion, Solidia can also save three trillion liters of fresh water, reduce energy consumption equal to ~260 million barrels of oil, and eliminate 100 million tonnes of concrete landfill waste every year.

About Solidia Technologies®

Based in Piscataway, N.J. (USA), Solidia Technologies® is a cement and concrete technology company that makes it easy and profitable to use CO2 to create superior and sustainable building and construction materials. Solidia’s investors include Kleiner Perkins, Bright Capital, BASF, BP, LafargeHolcim, Total Energy Ventures, Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) Climate Investments, Air Liquide, Bill Joy and other private investors.

Contacts

Ellen Yui, YUI+Company, Inc.
o: 301-270-8571, m: 301-332-4135
ellenyui@yuico.com

Release Summary

Solidia Technologies appoints Doug Robinson CFO and Paul Majsztrik as director of Applied Research as low-carbon cement and concrete tech hits market.

Contacts

Ellen Yui, YUI+Company, Inc.
o: 301-270-8571, m: 301-332-4135
ellenyui@yuico.com