PuriFire Energy, a startup founded by Dr Matthew Pearce in Cambridge, UK, has successfully closed a £2.7 million seed round investment led by HICO Investment Group, with contributions from Bulnes Capital, R&R Investments, and Abhishek Desai. The company aims to commercialize hydrothermal treatment technologies to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy by scaling green hydrogen, biomethanol, and sustainable fuel production. PuriFire will utilize the investment and a £525k grant from Innovate UK to launch a pilot project converting wet feedstocks into green methanol by mid-2025. The focus on green methanol aligns with HICO Investment Group's vision, foreseeing significant demand in the shipping industry. Major shipping companies like Maersk, Evergreen, Costco, and CMA-CGM have already ordered methanol-powered ships, indicating a growing market for sustainable fuel solutions. Chris Hartnoll from HICO Investment Group emphasizes PuriFire's potential to reduce methanol production costs by targeting unconventional feedstock. Key figures within PuriFire and HICO express optimism about the company's technology and its ability to revolutionize sustainable fuel production. Neel Shah, CEO of PuriFire, highlights the scalability and value proposition of the technology, while Chris Hartnoll underlines the advantages of converting wet waste into green methanol. The partnership between PuriFire and HICO Investment Group aims to advance green methanol and sustainable fuel production, contributing to the global energy transition.