Vertimass Launches Series C Fundraising to Bring Technology to Commercialization Stage

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Mar 09, 2023, 11:00 ET

The Fund is seeking to raise $25 million from accredited investors and strategic institutional investors

IRVINE, Calif., March 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Vertimass announced today that it has launched a Series C investment opportunity with the goal of establishing a commercialization platform for its breakthrough biofuel technology.

"Vertimass is nearing the commercial introduction of its novel technology, which can be rapidly implemented to produce jet, diesel, gasoline, and LPG fuels from biomass," explained Vertimass Chairman William A. Shopoff. "This unique investment opportunity will allow investors to support the scale-up of Vertimass technology and help move the company forward to commercial use, while potentially earning a return on their investment."

In a 506(c) private placement, the minimum investment is $100,000 and is only open to accredited investors. Series C investors will become entitled to an annual, accruable, non-compounded 8% preferred return, although not guaranteed.

Series C proceeds will be used to provide working capital for the Company to establish the commercialization platform, including completing scale-up with Technip Energies; qualifying gasoline and sustainable aviation fuels; identifying, designing, and building the first stand-alone plant; and expanding the laboratory and library of intellectual property.

Accredited investors* interested in this opportunity should contact [email protected].

Vertimass President and CEO Dr. Charles Wyman noted, "Vertimass has the potential to substantially expand the use of sustainable transportation fuels that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy security and domestic economies. The unique catalyst technology produces low-cost sustainable fuels that are compatible with the existing transportation infrastructure and offer a very low carbon footprint."

Vertimass has secured several awards and key partnerships over the last few years, including:

December 2022, Vertimass is part of a European consortium that received a $1.35 million award from the Danish Government.
February 2022, Vertimass and World Energy announced a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on the development and application of Vertimass Technologies to produce renewable fuels.
January 2022, UGI Corporation signed a 15-year agreement to use Vertimass technology to produce renewal fuels.
January 2022, Vertimass and European Energy completed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to integrate technologies for capturing carbon dioxide and converting it into hydrocarbon products around the world.
October 2019/August 2017, Vertimass secured two Department of Energy Awards totaling approximately $3.4 million to accelerate commercialization.

For more information please visit: www.Vertimass.com

About Vertimass Technology

Vertimass technology sustainably produces vital jet, gasoline, and diesel fuels and chemicals from ethanol, methanol, and other renewable alcohols with high yields that can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to sourcing these products from petroleum. The simplicity of the Vertimass single reaction system results in low capital and operating costs. The compatibility of Vertimass fuels and chemicals with the existing infrastructure makes possible production of low-cost, low-carbon fuels for everything, everyone, and everywhere. This Consolidated Alcohol Deoxygenation and Oligomerization (CADO) technology originated from Oak Ridge National Laboratories operated by UT-Battelle, with Vertimass obtaining worldwide exclusive rights in 2014 and advancing the technology for commercial applicability.

Through a simple bolt-on of Vertimass technology, existing and future ethanol producers can break through the blend wall that currently limits ethanol use in gasoline. And the low cost Vertimass bolt-on opens up entirely new jet, diesel, and chemical markets. In addition, application of Vertimass technology to produce fuels and chemicals from methanol and other alcohols made through capture of carbon dioxide from ethanol production, electrical power generation, cement manufacture, and other operations can further reduce greenhouse gas footprints. Beyond lowering carbon footprints, jet, diesel, and gasoline fuels and chemicals derived from renewable alcohols can improve strategic security, rural economies, and international competitiveness.

About Vertimass LLC

Vertimass LLC is based in Irvine, California with the mission to develop and widely license breakthrough technologies that substantially expand production of sustainable transportation fuels and chemicals that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy security and domestic economies. Commercialization of proprietary Vertimass technology can overcome the blend wall that currently impedes expansion of ethanol production from multiple sources of biomass and open up large new markets for aircraft and heavy-duty vehicle fuels and for chemicals not currently amenable to ethanol or other alcohols. For more information, visit http://www.vertimass.com/.

This is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. Such an offer may only be made by means of an offering document that must accompany or precede this information. There is no assurance that this strategy will succeed to meet its objectives. All investments have risk, including loss of investment; please see the risk factors section of the offering document. Securities offered through Shopoff Securities, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC.

*Visit the following SEC website for more information on what an accredited investor is: SEC.gov | Accredited Investor

Risk Factors

An investment in Vertimass must be considered speculative. There are no guarantees of distributions or returns, and an investor may lose all or part of their investment. There are various risks related to an investment in Vertimass which are described in the Private Placement Memorandum. These risks include:
Emerging Growth Company: The Company is an emerging growth company that is not yet profitable, is without significant operating history, and may experience significant losses for some time after the Offering.
Expectations of Future Losses: The Company is not currently profitable.
Failure to Achieve Targeted Raise: As discussed above, the Company is seeking to raise up to an additional $25 million for use as working capital through the Offering (the "Targeted Raise"). In the event the Company is unable to raise up to the Targeted Raise, it may not be able to fund its operations as it presently anticipates.
Illiquid Investment: Members of the Company are not permitted to withdraw their investment from the Company and therefore may have to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Company for a substantial period of time.
No Assurance of Additional Capital: The success of the Company depends upon receiving significant funding from the net proceeds of this Offering, as well as additional financing.
No Assurance of Distributions: Members may not receive any cash distributions.
Changes in Fuel Prices: In recent years, the price of ethanol has been less than the price of petroleum-based fuels, which increased demand for ethanol and other comparably priced alternative fuels. However, the price of ethanol and petroleum-based fuels can drastically change over time so it is difficult to predict how fuel prices will be in the future. Securities Form CRS.