Advanced composites are steadily redefining performance ceilings in aerospace and defense, and K3RX's latest €1.65 million funding round signals a decisive step in that direction. The deep-tech company is accelerating the industrialization of UHTCMC (Ultra High Temperature Ceramic Matrix Composites), ultra-refractory composite materials engineered to withstand temperatures up to 2,700°C while maintaining mechanical integrity, oxidation resistance, and reusability.
The round is led by Deep Ocean Capital and RoboIT to accelerate the industrialization of UHTCMC for the aerospace and defense sectors, with the goal of scaling production, strengthening the European supply chain, and reducing the continent's strategic dependencies.
Ultra-refractory materials are designed to meet extreme temperatures, severe mechanical stress, and severe oxidative conditions where traditional metal alloys and composite materials are no longer sufficient. Compared to solutions historically used in these fields, such as reinforced carbon-carbon or high-temperature metals like tungsten, UHTCMC offer overall superior performance in terms of resistance to ablation, oxidation, and mechanical stress at high temperatures.
The round also saw the participation of Pariter Robotics and Pariter Partners, part of a broader strategy to strengthen Italian and European industrial autonomy. The funds raised will be used to develop scalable and competitive production capacity, expand the target market, strengthen international presence particularly in Europe and the United States, and strengthen the supply chain, alongside new hires in technical-engineering, production, and administration.
"Italy has a tradition of excellence in materials science that too often remains confined to laboratories," observes Claudia Pingue, head of the Tech Transfer Fund. "Here, we see cutting-edge academic expertise being transformed into internationally competitive industrial solutions."
"Italy cannot afford strategic dependencies in advanced materials," remarks Matteo Elli of RoboIT. CEO Giorgio Montanari added: "Partners who share our technological and industrial vision allow us to approach the next phases of development with greater ambition, continuing to push materials innovation beyond current limits."
Source: K3RX
