The Genoa-based deeptech scaleup aims to secure resources to lead the two-dimensional materials revolution, co-founder and Vittorio Pellegrini said to BeBeez
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Vittorio Pellegrini, the ceo of BeDimensional, a Genoa-base deeptech scaleup that produces graphene and other two-dimensional crystals, said to BeBeez Live that in early 2026 the company aims to launch a 20 million euros round for financing its strategy for a market that previously did not exist (video). The firm was born in 2016 out of a spin-off of Genoa Italian Institute of Technology’s Graphene Labs and since then it raised 35 million euro in equity and 20 million worth venture debt facilities from the European Investment Bank (EIB) in 2024 (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Pellegrini explained to Stefania Peveraro, the Editor in Chief of BeBeez, that graphene is a two-dimensional crystal and the thinnest material in the world and is derived from graphite, which is very available.
Graphite is like a massive book and graphene is the single page. The thickness of this page is equal to the carbon atom. After 10 years of research both in Italy and abroad, BeDimensional invented a scalable production method that allows to get large quantities with a low-cost, non-polluting process. When the crystal, graphite, transforms from three-dimensional to two-dimensional, it acquires extraordinary properties such as electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, barrier effect, and mechanical resistance. Graphene is just the progenitor of a new family of two-dimensional materials: very thin structures like graphene in shape but different atoms make it. While graphene consists exclusively of carbon atoms, different elements are necessary to create other 2D materials.
For example, two-dimensional boron nitride is a sheet of matter composed of nitrogen and boron. Again hexagonal geometry, this mesh, this sheet of matter, being two-dimensional in turn offers properties similar to graphene and in some cases complementary. So today we are facing a real revolution for materials whose applications are almost infinite. In a way, we are making matter lighter and more powerful at the same time: a concept that is difficult to visualise, but which opens up enormous commercial prospects, already recognised globally. It is a silent revolution that will transform entire industrial sectors.
In 2013, Pellegrini and Roberto Cingolani founded the graphene centre of the Italian Institute of Technology. Francesco Bonaccorso and Andrea Gamucci joined the lab and later cofounded BeDimensional that carried on a spin off in 2020.
The company previously attracted the investments of EniNext, CDP Venture Capital, Eureka, Nova Capital (the holding of Paolo Merloni), and Pellan Italia di Achille Costamagna e C. sapa. (see here a previous post by BeBeez).
BeDimensional also received a 5 million round linked to the EIB venture debt facility from Stefano Drago, a managing partner PAI, and BluAcquario, the investment holding of the Boroli Drago Family.
Invitalia is also supporting BeDimensional’s industrial development ahead of producing 40 tonnes per year. We are also directing our commercial efforts to application areas concerning the energy transition, hence the application of these two-dimensional materials in the lithium-ion battery sector. The company also signed a partnership with VARTA for the improvement of battery performance, both in terms of durability and charging speed.At the end of 2025, BeDimensional’s a plant in Genoa could generate a 2 million turnover withouth achieving yet a breakeven. The company is investing heavily to support our industrial and commercial expansion strategy. The market for the use of bi-dimensioanl crystals does not yet exist. One of the key elements in expanding the market is precisely demonstrating that it is possible to produce two-dimensional crystals, such as graphene, in large quantities, of the right quality (i.e. at the right atomic thickness) and at a cost that the market can absorb. It’s necessary demonstrate an adequate production capacity, a great solidity in the production of these materials, because the material enters a very complex supply chain such as batteries or lubricants. So it is essential that the quality of the crystals is reproducible and on an industrial scale. Today, many people talk about producing graphene but actually doing it and producing atomically thick crystalline sheets at low cost remains a phenomenal challenge. Data can support BeDimensional’s technology.
BeDimensional is also working with automotive players on the creation of a new type of ultra-high-performance lubricant, thanks to the addition of graphene. Some Construction companies are using a paint with a very small amount of graphene that can develop heat. These are innovative applications inside and outside buildings. Fashion brands introduced BeDimensional’s graphene into their fabrics to improve their heat management capabilities.