In a bold stride toward a carbon-neutral future, Crosstown H2R AG, a ClimateTech startup based in Baden, Switzerland, has raised €2.5 million in seed funding to push forward its hydrogen-to-renewable (H2R) burner technology. The funding round drew support from notable investors including 2100 Ventures, Unruly Capital, and Climate Insiders, with additional backing from the Swiss Federal Office for Energy and Innosuisse, the Swiss Innovation Agency.
This milestone positions Crosstown as a pioneering player in the global clean energy sector. The company doesn’t aim to tweak existing solutions—it plans to completely reinvent the way industrial turbines generate energy by shifting their fuel base from carbon-heavy sources to hydrogen, the lightest and cleanest element in the universe.
Reimagining Turbines for a Carbon-Free World
Gas turbines currently serve as a cornerstone of global power generation. They dominate industries, data centers, and grid backup systems across continents. Yet, despite their effectiveness, these turbines rely heavily on fossil fuels, emitting large quantities of carbon dioxide. Crosstown wants to end that cycle.
Their core innovation, the H2R Burner, allows conventional gas turbines to run on pure hydrogen without retrofitting the entire machinery. While hydrogen burns cleanly, it poses significant engineering challenges—higher flame temperatures, altered combustion dynamics, and complex safety requirements. Crosstown’s proprietary burner technology addresses these issues head-on.
“We designed the H2R Burner to integrate seamlessly into existing gas turbines,” said Tobias Muntwyler, CEO and co-founder of Crosstown. “We aren’t asking companies to overhaul their entire infrastructure. Instead, we’re giving them a plug-and-play solution that enables a zero-carbon operation almost instantly.”
The Science Behind the Flame
Hydrogen burns at over 2,000°C—significantly hotter than natural gas. That heat, while powerful, creates risks such as NOx (nitrogen oxide) formation and metal fatigue. To solve these, Crosstown engineered a burner that spreads flame across a wider combustion zone and regulates flame speed using real-time airflow modulation.
This method not only prevents dangerous hot spots but also reduces nitrogen oxide emissions to within EU safety thresholds. Unlike traditional hydrogen systems that rely on premixed combustion—an unstable and often dangerous method—Crosstown’s H2R Burner uses non-premixed combustion, which remains more stable and safer under variable loads.
Their engineers have already tested the burner under full-load industrial conditions, and results show nearly identical performance metrics when compared to natural gas—but with zero carbon output.
Backed by Deep Tech and Public Trust
The €2.5 million seed investment provides not just capital but also validation. Venture firms like 2100 Ventures and Unruly Capital usually scout for radical, scalable innovations. Their interest in Crosstown signals strong commercial promise. Meanwhile, Climate Insiders, a collective focused on decarbonization, recognized the startup’s immediate potential to reduce emissions in heavy industry—a sector notoriously difficult to decarbonize.
In parallel, public institutions like Innosuisse and the Swiss Federal Office for Energy offered both financial and technical support. They provided grants for early-stage prototyping and facilitated industrial partnerships with Switzerland’s energy majors.
“These organizations did more than hand us funding,” said Muntwyler. “They connected us to testing facilities, industry mentors, and policy advisors. That ecosystem support made the difference between building a cool idea and engineering a product that works in the real world.”
Real-World Applications and Pilots
Crosstown’s burner doesn’t sit in a lab waiting for validation. The company has already signed MOUs with two European utilities to test H2R-integrated turbines in live grid scenarios. These pilot programs will begin deployment in Q4 of 2025 and will include performance benchmarking, safety testing, and environmental impact assessments.
“We’re not pitching a future technology,” explained Elena Meier, the company’s CTO. “We’ve already run high-temperature tests under fluctuating loads. Now, we’re entering the deployment phase.”
One pilot, confirmed for southern Germany, will integrate Crosstown’s burners into standby turbines for a major data center. These turbines traditionally remain offline until a power outage occurs. When that happens, they must start instantly and run at full load. Hydrogen burners have typically failed in such scenarios due to slow ignition or erratic heat flux. But Crosstown claims their burner can ignite and stabilize within four seconds, rivaling diesel-based systems.
Challenges Ahead
Despite their early success, the road ahead won’t be easy. Scaling hydrogen infrastructure remains a challenge in most parts of Europe. Pipelines, storage facilities, and safety protocols still lag behind the needs of industrial-scale hydrogen combustion.
Crosstown knows this. That’s why the company has formed alliances with GreenHydro Alliance and Hydrogen Europe, two networks advocating for rapid hydrogen infrastructure development. Through these partnerships, Crosstown aims to co-develop supply chains, fueling systems, and safety standards.
“The biggest risk isn’t technical—it’s systemic,” said Meier. “We need governments and companies to move faster on hydrogen production and distribution. The technology exists. The urgency exists. Now, we need alignment.”
A Vision Beyond Switzerland
While Crosstown began its journey in Switzerland, it never intended to stay confined. The company plans to expand across Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia in the next 18 months. These regions have already committed to hydrogen integration in their national energy strategies, creating fertile ground for adoption.
To support this expansion, Crosstown will open an engineering satellite office in Munich and a business development branch in Amsterdam. The company also intends to double its headcount from 15 to 30 employees by early 2026, hiring combustion engineers, hydrogen safety experts, and industrial sales managers.
Investors Speak
“We look for startups that don’t just predict the future—they build it,” said Luca Arnold, managing partner at 2100 Ventures. “Crosstown didn’t show us a concept. They showed us a tested product that solves a billion-dollar climate problem.”
Unruly Capital echoed the sentiment. “We believe hydrogen will power industries that solar and wind can’t reach. Crosstown gives us the combustion tech we need for that revolution,” said partner Claire Voss.
Conclusion: A Beacon for Clean Industry
Crosstown H2R AG embodies the kind of deep-tech innovation the planet urgently needs. By enabling hydrogen combustion in traditional gas turbines, the startup offers a rare combination of practicality, scalability, and zero-emission performance.
In a world that often chooses between progress and sustainability, Crosstown refuses to compromise. It offers both.
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