Alcemy founders received ULI Germany Leadership Award
Leopold Spenner and Dr. Robert Meyer, the two founders of the Berlin-based start-up Alcemy, have been honored by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) with this year‘s ULI Germany Leadership Award in the Young Leader category. Each year, the ULI recognizes individuals who have the courage to make a lasting contribution to shaping cities through innovation and commitment. The company Alcemy has developed software that uses smart algorithms to produce low-CO2 cements and concretes.
The ULI Germany Leadership Awards 2022 were presented at a festive evening event. Award winners in the Young Leader category are Leopold Spenner and Dr. Robert Meyer, founder of Alcemy. Using artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive quality control, their startup helps the construction industry become more sustainable and thus remain fit for the future. Alcemy‘s AI-powered technology enables cement and concrete plants to produce low-CO2 building materials cost-effectively and efficiently. The focus is on the entire value chain.
Revolutionizing the industry with the help of AI
With the concrete and cement industry responsible for about 8 % of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide, the two founders‘ mission to revolutionize the industry using AI represents an important step towards a livable future. „We are very proud of this award. It is great to see that the real estate and construction industry is increasingly focusing on decarbonizing the concrete value chain and giving the topic the necessary prominence in the design of green and sustainable buildings,“ said Leopold Spenner, co-founder and CEO of Alcemy.
In a ceremonial setting and with a laudatory speech, Dr. Markus Wiedenmann, managing director and CEO of Art-Invest Real Estate Management and German chairperson of the ULI, presented the trophy at the Wintergarten Berlin Varieté. „Almost one tenth of global CO2 emissions can be attributed to the production of our most important building material, concrete and cement respectively. In addition to the use of alternative building materials, the most urgent goal must be to start here and optimize this production step. This is exactly what our award winners are doing this year. Alcemy delivers a direct impact in decarbonizing the cement production process by minimizing the necessary aggregates with the help of artificial intelligence. Leopold Spenner and Dr. Robert Meyer impress not only with their very deep and detailed expertise, but also with their special personal drive, which does not arise from economic interests, but from the will to make the construction of buildings fundamentally more sustainable. Their product has already made it possible to control 5 million tons of cement and thus already save more than 80,000 tons of CO2,“ said Dr. Markus Wiedenmann. For the ULI Germany Leadership Award, the jury submitted their nominations in advance and decided in a joint session who would receive the award.
