Astracite just closed an oversubscribed pre-seed round of 750K plus 380K in loans from the Flemish Innovation Agency, and founder Christian Fink sat down with Carbon13’s Simon Dierks to tell the story behind it. Christian explains how he met his co-founders Sander and Joel inside Carbon13’s Venture Builder programme and how the idea evolved from a rough concept about CO2 utilisation into a differentiated battery material tackling both the energy density challenge and Europe’s 93% dependency on Chinese graphite. He talks candidly about the challenge of selling a deep tech vision to investors before a prototype exists, and why a makeshift lab proof-of-concept and a clear-eyed view of your own limitations can be more convincing than a polished deck. The conversation also covers how Carbon13’s network, from EIR support to investor introductions, directly shaped both the product direction and the cap table.
