Neel Shah

Neel Shah is the co-founder and CEO of PuriFire Energy, a Cambridge-based clean technology company developing novel hydrothermal treatment processes to convert waste carbon and water feedstocks into green hydrogen and bio-methanol — two critical fuels for decarbonising the shipping and chemicals industries.

PuriFire was founded in 2019 and has attracted funding from investors including Bulnes Capital, HICO Investment Group and the Repsol Foundation, as well as grant support from Innovate UK and the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking. The company's proprietary reactor technology produces green hydrogen and biogenic CO2 on-site, which is then catalytically converted into renewable methanol — a fuel that accounts for over 98% of the 110 million tonnes of methanol produced globally each year, virtually all of it currently derived from fossil feedstocks.

Under Neel's leadership, PuriFire has built a strong pipeline of partnerships and R&D collaborations, including its WoodVALOR project — a six-country, 11-partner EU-funded consortium exploring the conversion of contaminated waste wood into high-value bio-based materials. PuriFire is part of Third Derivative's Clean Fuels cohort and continues to scale its technology towards commercial deployment for maritime and industrial decarbonisation.