# Joule Unlimited

Joule Unlimited is an Asset Manager based in Cambridge, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Asset Manager
- **Headquarters:** Cambridge, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Cambridge, MA, United States
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** jouledunlimited.com

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Joule Unlimited is a Bedford, United States-based company founded in 2007. It has developed a platform for converting CO2 into fuel using solar energy. The company has secured $236.58 million in total funding.

## Sectors

- Energy & Renewables
- Industrial Tech
- ClimateTech

## Questions

### What was Joule Unlimited's core technology?

Joule Unlimited developed a solar-to-fuel platform called Helioculture, using engineered photosynthetic microorganisms (cyanobacteria) in a patented bioreactor system to convert carbon dioxide directly into hydrocarbon fuels like ethanol and diesel. The process eliminated the need for biomass feedstock or land use associated with traditional biofuels (per company disclosures, 2011).

### Who invested in Joule Unlimited?

Flagship Pioneering, the venture creation firm behind Moderna, incubated Joule Unlimited. Later investors included KSR, a London-based asset manager, and several family offices. The company also secured a $25M grant from the US Department of Energy in 2011 (per DOE announcement).

### What partnership did Joule Unlimited have with Audi?

In 2013, Joule Unlimited announced a partnership with Audi to produce a synthetic diesel fuel called 'e-diesel' using its Helioculture process. The partnership was meant to pilot a commercial fuel production facility in the US, though no subsequent commercial scale-up was reported (per Audi media release, 2013).

### Did Joule Unlimited have a pilot plant?

Yes, the company operated a pilot facility in Leander, Texas, designed to demonstrate its bioprocess at a small commercial scale. The plant was part of a $50M+ buildout, but it is unclear if it ever reached continuous production before the company's pivot (per company press releases, 2012).

### What was the fate of Joule Unlimited's intellectual property?

No public record of an IP sale or license exists. The US Patent and Trademark Office shows assignments to 'Joule Unlimited Technologies, Inc.' for patents related to cyanobacteria strains and photobioreactor systems. Any successor ownership is unknown.

## Related profiles

- [Red Rock Biofuels](https://altss.com/profile/red-rock-biofuels)
- [ChiroTouch](https://altss.com/profile/chirotouch)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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