Tampere-based industrial technology company Upheat Solutions Oy has been selected as one of 13 companies worldwide for L’Oréal’s €100 million L’AcceleratOR sustainable innovation programme. Upheat develops oil-free high-temperature heat pumps that recover waste heat and turn it into process heat and steam at 100–200°C, targeting industrial processes that have traditionally relied on fossil fuels. As part of the programme, Upheat will enter an acceleration phase led by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), with the opportunity to work with L’Oréal on six- to nine-month pilot projects and potentially scale its technology across the beauty group’s international operations.
Upheat Solutions develops high-temperature heat pump systems for industrial applications. Founded by engineers and business leaders with experience in the industrial air compressor and chiller sectors, the company focuses on electrifying industrial heat processes that have traditionally relied on fossil fuels. Its oil-free heat pump technology uses high-speed compressors to recover waste heat and produce process heat and steam at temperatures of 100–200°C. The systems are designed to integrate with existing industrial infrastructure and are factory-tested before installation.
Industrial process heat represents a significant share of the energy used by European industry, much of which still comes from burning fossil fuels. The European Commission’s Electrification Action Plan, presented in July 2026, identified heat pumps among the technologies that could help replace fossil fuel use with electricity in industrial applications.
”Manufacturers have wanted to get their process heat off fossil fuel for a long time. Above 100 degrees there has been nothing practical available, so we built it,” says Timo Pulkki, CEO and co-founder of Upheat. ”Industrial change needs large companies to get behind new technology. When one of this size does, the effect reaches the whole sector, and that is where the emission reductions come from.”
For Upheat, the L’AcceleratOR selection could provide an opportunity to test its technology within the operations of one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies. The programme is backed by €100 million, and the selected companies will enter an acceleration phase led by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), focused on preparing technologies for real-world pilots.
Participants will also have the opportunity to access L’Oréal’s global resources to launch six- to nine-month pilot projects, with the potential for successful solutions to be scaled across the group’s international operations.
“We are working to unlock new frontiers in the beauty industry through pioneering solutions.” said Ezgi Barcenas, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer at L’Oréal. “This second L’AcceleratOR cohort reflects our ambition to bring together entrepreneurial ingenuity, scientific progress and the global reach of L’Oréal to help scale breakthrough innovations.”
The second L’AcceleratOR cohort includes 13 companies from eight countries and covers areas including sustainable packaging and materials, ingredients and formulations, industrial processes and data intelligence. Alongside Upheat, the cohort includes companies working on technologies such as plant-based materials, chemical recycling, green ammonia, precision fermentation and industrial water management.
“We’re excited to welcome the second cohort in the L’AcceleratOR program after many months of careful selection to find commercially relevant solutions in target geographies internationally. The continued investment and support to sustainability innovation shown by L’Oreal demonstrates the power of foresighted brands to lead the market towards better solutions for all”, added James Cole, Chief Innovation Officer at CISL.
For the Tampere-based startup, the programme places its high-temperature heat pump technology in a setting where industrial decarbonisation can be tested not only as a technology challenge, but also at the scale of a global manufacturing operation.
Read the orginal article: https://arcticstartup.com/upheat-selected-for-loreal-programme/
