Pascal raises $8.5m to develop more efficient heat pumps and fridges

Pascal, a start-up founded by former Harvard researchers, is developing refrigerators and heat pumps that use a porous solid material with compressed carbon dioxide. The approach could make appliances about 20% more efficient while avoiding refrigerants that can damage the ozone layer or contribute strongly to global warming.

The company has raised $8.5 million in a funding round co-led by Sazze Partners and LB Investment, after signing a pilot contract with a multinational drinks company. Pascal aims to deliver its first prototype early next year and a more polished batch of refrigerators in 2028. Its system compresses carbon dioxide into a cartridge containing a proprietary sponge-like material, which heats or cools as gas moves through its pores.