Starting a business in an unfamiliar country carries real risk. New regulations, unknown supply chains, and the challenge of building a network from scratch can slow even the most promising technology down.
For Michael Irwin, founder and chief executive of MCatalysis, those risks were real—but Lyon made them manageable. His previous visits to the region had left a strong impression, and when the time came to choose a European base for his deep-tech venture, the region’s industrial density, scientific infrastructure, and hands-on institutional support made the decision straightforward.
“Choosing Lyon was a strategic decision,” Irwin shares. “The region’s industrial density, scientific excellence and the support of ONLYLYON Invest and HL Energy Ventures allow us to accelerate our ambition: to produce sustainable synthetic fuels and chemicals at costs comparable to those of the petrochemical industry.”
MCatalysis has established its European subsidiary in Lyon, with its first industrial prototype now installed at the Axel’One platform in Villeurbanne. ONLYLYON Invest, the investment promotion agency for the Lyon region, supported the company throughout its establishment, facilitating connections to scientific, industrial, and financial partners and providing administrative and legal guidance to secure the creation of the French entity.
A Technology Built For The Energy Transition
MCatalysis develops a process based on microwave-driven catalysis—a method that uses industrial microwaves to activate a specially engineered catalyst, turning carbon-based waste into usable synthetic fuels and chemical molecules. With a team of nine people, they are targeting heavy transport, such as ships, trucks, and buses, as well as the broader automotive sector and local business-to-business use cases.
The raw materials are industrial off-gases, residual plastics, and agricultural residues: materials that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere or sent to landfill. The output is a synthetic fuel comparable to diesel, usable in existing vehicles and equipment without modification, as well as petrochemical molecules such as paraxylene, which serve as feedstocks for plastic manufacturing. Combustion of the fuel produces primarily carbon dioxide and water, and the overall process is designed to be cost-competitive with conventional petroleum-based products.
The catalyst itself is developed at the University of Oxford. The microwave equipment comes from Sairem, a specialist manufacturer based near Lyon, whose proximity to MCatalysis’s new base is not coincidental: Irwin identified the supplier early in his planning and chose to locate operations where that relationship could be managed efficiently and at close range.
The technology is modular by design. Rather than requiring large, capital-intensive plants, MCatalysis’s approach allows multiple smaller units to be installed adjacent to existing carbon sources, such as industrial sites that generate off-gases or waste streams. This reduces investment risk and makes it easier to scale progressively.
A demonstrator is planned for the Axel’One PMI site in Solaize by the end of 2027, followed by a pilot plant in 2028 targeting production of around 10 barrels per day. A typical commercial plant would operate at approximately 500 barrels per day through this modular approach.
Lyon, The European Capital Of Chemistry-Environment And Industrial Innovation
The establishment of MCatalysis in Lyon illustrates the strength of the Lyon region’s chemistry-environment excellence cluster, which is recognized internationally. Michael admits he liked Lyon during his previous visit. However, more than his good experience of the region, the founder saw through a business owner’s mindset and identified strong academic and industrial expertise in catalysis at Oxford, as well as with his equipment supplier, Sairem, based in Lyon.
As an entrepreneur, his priority is to reduce risk by setting up on existing industrial sites (more suitable for chemical activities), by reducing operational risks (proximity to manufacturers facilitates maintenance and interventions), and by choosing a region with available administrative and legal support.
The Lyon area brings together a unique ecosystem combining:
- Unmatched industrial power in France: As the country’s second largest metropolitan area and its leading industrial hub, Lyon is the European capital of catalysis and chemical processes, at the heart of the major value chains in chemicals, energy, materials, and mobility.
- A world-class scientific and talent hub: Lyon is home to leading institutions such as INSA Lyon, CPE Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS and numerous internationally recognized engineering schools and laboratories. This is evident in the presence of more than 170,000 students and 17,000 researchers, notably on the La Doua campus, one of Europe’s largest scientific campuses.
- A globally recognized industrial fabric: Lyon is structured around major players including Sanofi, bioMérieux, Renault Trucks, SEB (Krups, All-Clad, T-Fal), Hermès, Framatome, EDF and Air Liquide, which nourish a dense network of SMEs, technology suppliers and innovation platforms.
- The heart of the industries of transition: R&D: The Lyon region’s R&D is strongly focused on combining re-industrialization and decarbonization: circular chemistry, sustainable fuels, hydrogen, low-carbon materials, process intensification and advanced recycling. The region operates as a true “impact factory”, capable of turning scientific breakthroughs into large-scale industrial solutions.
- A strong international, particularly American, footprint: From America, many European headquarters and R&D centers of groups such as GE Vernova, Hexcel, Charles River, Becton Dickinson and Manitowoc, have also chosen Lyon as their European base for industrial and technology activities.
Axel’One, An Accelerator For Industrialization
Axel’One, where MCatalysis has installed its first industrial prototype, is a French platform dedicated to innovative processes and advanced materials. Located on the La Doua campus in Villeurbanne, it bridges scientific research and industrial deployment by providing companies with access to pilot equipment, technical expertise, and shared infrastructure, in proximity to academic laboratories and industrial players.
For MCatalysis, this open door provides the collaborative environment and technological resources needed to test, validate, and optimize its microwave-driven catalysis process under near-industrial conditions.
The long-term vision is circular: by converting carbon waste into fuel and chemical feedstocks at competitive costs, MCatalysis aims to offer an alternative to petroleum-based products that is accessible to mainstream markets rather than confined to premium or niche applications.
Strategic Support For A Global Deep-Tech Champion
ONLYLYON Invest played a central role in MCatalysis’s establishment by facilitating its integration into the local ecosystem and connecting the company with key scientific, industrial and financial partners. The agency also provided administrative and legal support to secure the creation of the French subsidiary.
MCatalysis has already secured €3.5 million of a €5 million target during its establishment, with the remaining €1.5 million to be raised as the project advances. The company has also received a grant from the U.K. government and previously raised $1.5 million in a prior funding round, backed by HL Energy Ventures.
“MCatalysis’s arrival confirms Lyon’s position as a global hub for chemical and environmental innovation,” says Bertrand Foucher, CEO of ONLYLYON Invest.
“We are very proud to have supported Michael Irwin’s team in choosing Lyon as their European platform for industrial scale-up. His expertise and international profile will strongly benefit the ONLYLYON ecosystem, just as we are convinced MCatalysis will benefit from our highly specialized catalysis ecosystem.”
About ONLYLYON Invest
ONLYLYON & CO is the Investment Promotion Agency for the Lyon region, responsible for identifying, attracting and supporting companies, talent and solutions to ensure their successful establishment in Greater Lyon. It brings together a whole ecosystem of public and private partners to facilitate the long-term anchoring of new economic players. The ONLYLYON Invest program supports high-impact industrial and technological projects by showcasing the region’s excellence in R&D and strategic industries.
About MCatalysis and its founder
Founded in 2025, MCatalysis, Inc. is an American deep-tech company born from the commercialization of microwave catalysis technologies developed at the University of Oxford. Backed by HL Energy Ventures, the company aims to transform carbon waste into high-value fuels and chemicals through modular, energy-efficient systems.
Its founder and CEO, Michael Irwin, is an American entrepreneur specializing in the energy transition and the commercialization of breakthrough scientific technologies.
