My journey with Precise Works began when I started working in the renewable energy sector and saw firsthand the staggering amount of waste across supply chains. It struck me as ironic—we had spent decades and trillions of dollars investing in solar and wind power, yet we still hadn’t tackled one of the most fundamental problems: waste as an energy loss. This realization became an obsession, leading me to explore waste not as a byproduct but as an untapped resource. My early work focused on helping municipalities in Mexico improve waste management, which eventually brought me into the world of biogas and anaerobic digestion. That was when I had a breakthrough moment—waste could be transformed into energy and valuable materials simply by leveraging the power of microorganisms.
Nature has been decomposing and recycling carbon for millions of years, using bacteria, algae, and fungi in ways we are only beginning to understand. What fascinated me was how fermentation—a process humans have relied on for centuries to make bread, cheese, wine, and beer—could be applied to industrial waste management and carbon removal. The challenge was clear: how could we accelerate and scale nature’s ability to break down waste efficiently? That’s where Precise Works comes in. By using precision fermentation, we have developed proprietary microbial strains that speed up natural evolutionary processes. What would take thousands of years in nature, we can now achieve in months in a lab. Our technology allows us to capture CO₂ and break down waste streams with unparalleled efficiency, turning what was once discarded into something valuable. More than just carbon removal, we see this as a shift in how industries perceive and utilize waste—transforming it from a problem into a powerful solution.
Transforming Agricultural and Distillery Waste into High-Value Products
Our bioprocessing technology is designed with energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness at its core. Instead of reinventing the wheel, we integrate standardized equipment from industries that have already mastered fermentation at scale—like breweries and distilleries. This significantly reduces costs while allowing us to focus on the true innovation: our microbial cell factories. By enhancing microorganisms at the genetic level and organizing them into specialized microbial consortia, we can optimize the breakdown of different waste materials with unmatched efficiency. Each type of agricultural or distillery waste—whether agave bagasse from tequila production, spent grains from breweries, or rice straw from fields—requires a tailored microbial approach. Our technology ensures that we extract the maximum possible value from every feedstock by deploying custom-engineered microorganisms that thrive in specific conditions of temperature, moisture, and particle size.
One of the biggest challenges in biomass processing has always been de-polymerization—the process of breaking down the complex structures of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Traditionally, industries have relied on chemical or high-energy thermochemical treatments, which not only generate pollution but also drive up costs. Our breakthrough lies in achieving de-polymerization at the molecular level using only microbial activity—without additional energy input or harmful chemicals. This drastically lowers both carbon intensity and operational costs, making our process far more sustainable. Once broken down, the purified components of the biomass become the building blocks for high-value products. Cellulosic sugars are converted into bioethanol, a key revenue driver in our model, while the lignin fraction can be used to produce valuable aromatic compounds like benzene and toluene. Hemicellulose-derived byproducts serve as protein-rich feed additives for cattle, and nitrogen-rich fractions can be processed into biofertilizers, returning essential nutrients to the soil.
What sets our approach apart is its versatility and compatibility with existing waste-to-value technologies. Unlike traditional biochar production, which often sacrifices valuable biomass components, our system ensures that nothing goes to waste. In fact, we can even complement biochar and anaerobic digestion systems, supplying them with purified lignin to optimize pyrolysis or enhancing biogas yield in digesters. By recovering CO₂ during fermentation and designing a truly closed-loop system, we’re not just extracting value from waste—we’re redefining the economics of biomass utilization. Our consolidated bioprocessing model proves that waste isn't just a problem to solve, but a massive untapped opportunity to build a more circular and profitable bioeconomy.
From Stealth R&D to Global Commercialization
Precise Works is not your typical startup. Unlike many climate tech ventures that emerge from academic research and rush to fundraising, we spent over six years in stealth mode, rigorously testing and refining our technology across multiple countries. With more than three decades of experience in biotechnology and energy, we focused on proving the viability of our microbial cell factory approach before bringing it to market. Our R&D journey has taken us to Spain, Mexico, the U.S., England, Thailand, and now India, where we’ve conducted extensive pilot testing in diverse environments. One of our biggest milestones was scaling our research bioreactors to 1,000 liters, which gave us the confidence to take the next step—building a commercial pilot facility. While not yet at full industrial scale, this facility will not only validate our technology but also generate revenue, demonstrating the commercial viability of our process.
Overcoming Challenges in Scaling Up
Scaling any breakthrough technology comes with major hurdles, and for us, two key challenges stand out: selecting the right site and securing funding. Finding an environment where our microbial bioprocessing can operate efficiently requires careful evaluation of local feedstocks, regulatory conditions, and infrastructure. After extensive research, we’ve identified two ideal locations—one in Spain, where we’re partnering with a municipality to improve wastewater treatment and process forestry and olive production waste, and another in Mexico, where tequila distilleries face significant waste management issues. While these locations provide promising opportunities, seamless scaling isn’t guaranteed. The next major challenge is proving the bankability of our technology. As we move toward operations, establishing a robust traceability system for our data will be critical. By building a strong foundation of measurable results, we can create standardized operating procedures (SOPs) that financial institutions and investors trust—paving the way for industrial-scale expansion, just as our most successful competitors have done
Next Steps: Expanding Facilities, Securing Funding, and Entering New Markets
Right now, Precise Works is at a pivotal stage. We’ve established our headquarters in Murcia, Spain, where we’re collaborating with Regenera Energy, the Japanese specialty ingredient company TGO, the Polytechnic University, and the local municipality to advance our research. At the same time, we’re pushing forward with plans to launch our first commercial facility in Mexico, targeting the tequila industry’s waste management challenges. To make this a reality, we’ve just kicked off our pre-seed funding round, aiming to raise between $1.2 million and $1.6 million. So far, we’ve made strong progress—closing a friends-and-family round of $130,000 and securing a €50,000 grant from the EU to support our R&D efforts in Spain. If all goes well, we’re expecting an additional $800,000 in grant funding by March.
Beyond Spain and Mexico, we’re actively exploring opportunities in India, engaging with government ministries to identify the right site for expansion. Our vision is global, and we’re building strategic relationships to accelerate our impact in multiple markets. To gain further visibility, we’ll also be presenting at the Hack Summit in Lucerne, Switzerland, this May, showcasing our technology to investors, partners, and industry leaders. These next steps are all about moving from proven research to scalable deployment—turning years of development into real-world climate impact.
