10 Top Fuel Cell Technology Companies & Startups to Watch in 2026

Executive Summary: Which are the Top 10 Fuel Cell Technology Companies to Watch?

1. Hydrogenea (Germany): Provides energy-efficient membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) that reduce catalyst use, extend service life, and lower hydrogen system costs.
2. Protonas (USA): Develops air-cooled fuel cells that generate electricity with high efficiency and low complexity for drones, backup power, and transport.
3. Hydrogen butterfly (South Korea): Offers compact fuel cell power packs that deliver clean, high-density energy for advanced mobility and marine applications.
4. Carbon Technology Energies (Netherlands): Designs durable fuel cell bipolar plates that regulate gas flow, conduct electricity, and improve hydrogen system performance.
5. Duramea (Austria): Produces multi-layer MEAs for fuel cells and electrolyzers with patented coatings that enhance corrosion resistance and extend lifetime.
6. StarLite Engineering (USA): Provides diesel fuel cells that combine reformer, solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), and turbine systems to generate power efficiently from conventional fuels.
7. GFS Fuel Cells (Germany): Manufactures measurement and testing systems for proton exchange membrane (PEM), anion exchange membrane (AEM), and alkaline electrolysis (AEL) electrolyzers as well as fuel cell applications.
8. Aeroworks Technologies (India): Builds hydrogen-powered drones that extend flight time and support logistics, healthcare, security, and precision farming.
9. Airowo (Turkey): Offers a fuel cell control unit that manages temperature, pressure, and power output to optimize performance and extend system life.
10. Synergy H2 Solutions (Italy): Develops modular hydrogen fuel cell systems for marine vessels to provide scalable, zero-emission propulsion and onboard power.

Global Startup Heat Map highlights Emerging Fuel Cell Technology Companies to Watch

Through the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering over 9M+ startups, 20K+ technology trends, plus 150M+ patents, news articles & market reports, we identified the top fuel cell technology startups.

The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights emerging fuel cell technology startups you should watch in 2026, as well as the geo-distribution of 200+ startups & scaleups we analyzed for this research.

According to our data, we observe high startup activity in the USA and the UK, followed by Germany. The top 5 Startup Hubs for fuel cell technologies are London, Bangalore, Houston, New Delhi, and Calgary.

Emerging Fuel Cell Technology Companies & Startups to Watch [2026]

We hand-picked startups to showcase in this report by filtering for their technology, founding year, location, funding, and other metrics. These emerging fuel cell technology startups work on solutions ranging from air-cooled fuel cells and diesel fuel cells to hydrogen drone technology and fuel cell control units.

1. Hydrogenea – Energy-Efficient Membrane Electrode Assemblies

• Founding Year: 2024
• Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany

German startup Hydrogenea provides energy-efficient membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for fuel cells and electrolyzers. This technology coats highly porous catalyst layers onto membranes, transport layers, and gas diffusion layers. This ensures high catalyst utilization and stable performance across different hydrogen systems.

The startup cuts catalyst material use, thereby reducing reliance on critical raw materials. Further, it extends component service life and lowers the total cost of ownership.

2. Protonas – Air-Cooled Fuel Cells

• Founding Year: 2024
• Location: Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
• Startup Stage: Seed

USA-based startup Protonas develops air-cooled fuel cells that generate electricity. For this, the startup combines hydrogen and oxygen through a stack of individual cells. The technology operates with high efficiency and minimal moving parts.

Moreover, these cells serve various applications, including drones, backup power, and transportation. Its air-cooled design reduces system complexity and cost, while offering lightweight and compact solutions that extend unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight range compared to batteries and provide long-duration backup power.

3. Hydrogen butterfly – Fuel Cell Power Pack

• Founding Year: 2023
• Location: Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

South Korean startup Hydrogen butterfly offers fuel cell power packs that supply clean energy for advanced mobility and marine applications.

It converts hydrogen into electricity through an electrochemical reaction that produces power without combustion. This results in minimal emissions and high energy density.

Additionally, the startup designs systems for urban air mobility and ships with stable performance while maintaining compact form and lightweight structure.

The fuel cell power packs integrate durability, scalability, and safety features for long-term operation and adaptability across different platforms.

4. Carbon Technology Energies – Fuel Cells Bipolar Plates

• Founding Year: 2023
• Location: Breda, Netherlands

Dutch startup Carbon Technology Energies designs fuel cell bipolar plates for hydrogen-based energy systems. These plates regulate the flow of gases and liquids within the fuel cell, ensure efficient distribution of reactants, and conduct electrical current between individual cells to generate power.

The startup utilizes advanced materials for mass production. These provide durability, corrosion resistance, and precise performance under demanding operating conditions.

5. Duramea – MEA for Fuel Cells & Electrolyzers

• Founding Year: 2024
• Location: Graz, Austria
• Prominent Partnerships: Gründungsgarage, Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws)

Austrian startup Duramea specializes in MEA technology for fuel cells and electrolyzers. The MEA enables fuel cells to generate electricity from hydrogen and oxygen with water as the only by-product.

Moreover, it allows electrolyzers to split water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity. The startup produces MEAs in multiple configurations, including 3-layer, 5-layer, and 7-layer designs.

It applies coating methods like slot-die coating, spray-coating, and electrospinning to ensure consistent performance. Its patent-pending polyaniline (PANI) coating enhances corrosion resistance and significantly extends MEA lifetime, thereby improving efficiency and reducing costs.

Want to Explore 200+ Fuel Cell Technology Startups & Scaleups?

6. StarLite Engineering – Diesel Fuel Cells

• Founding Year: 2023
• Location: Tacoma, Washington, USA

USA-based startup StarLite Engineering offers diesel fuel cells that integrate reformer, fuel cell, and turbine technologies into a single power system.

The process starts with a reformer that converts conventional fuels into a pure hydrogen stream. Then it feeds into a solid oxide fuel cell to generate electricity efficiently and quietly.

Moreover, a high-temperature SOFC works with the reformer to enhance performance, while a gas turbine supplies compressed air to both the reformer and the fuel cell.

This combination of steps reduces reliance on stored hydrogen, leverages existing fuel infrastructure, and maximizes energy recovery.

7. GFS Fuel Cells – Fuel Cells Measurement Technology

• Founding Year: 2023
• Location: Saarbrucken, Germany

German startup GFS Fuel Cells manufactures measurement technology for electrolysis and fuel cell applications. The startup provides hydrogen test benches, test cells, pumps, and fittings that enable precise testing and characterization of electrolysis cells under controlled conditions.

Further, it includes compact plug-and-play systems for small cells, large-format benches for short stacks, and high-capacity platforms for multi-kilowatt applications. Also, it produces standardized and modular test enclosures for PEM, AEM, and AEL as well as PEM fuel cells.

8. Aeroworks Technologies – Hydrogen Drone Technology

• Founding Year: 2024
• Location: Greater Noida, India

Indian startup Aeroworks Technologies provides hydrogen-powered drone systems to deliver efficient and sustainable aerial operations.

The drones use hydrogen fuel cells to generate electricity through a clean electrochemical process. This extends flight duration while reducing reliance on conventional batteries.

Moreover, the drones streamline logistics, enable rapid delivery of medical supplies, strengthen security, and enhance farming with precision crop analysis and spraying.

This way, Aeroworks Technologies enables logistics providers, healthcare organizations, security agencies, farmers, and infrastructure planners to improve efficiency, reduce environmental impact, reduce costs, and improve safety.

9. Airowo – Fuel Cell Control Unit

• Founding Year: 2023
• Location: Istanbul, Turkey
• Prominent Partnerships: H2Gremm, Ballard Power, Filament Technology

Turkish startup Airowo offers a fuel cell control unit that manages the operation of hydrogen fuel cell systems with precision. It regulates parameters such as temperature, pressure, and power output to ensure stable performance and efficient energy conversion.

Moreover, it integrates advanced monitoring functions that detect variations in system behavior and adjust operations in real time. This reduces wear and extends system life.

10. Synergy H2 Solutions – Hydrogen Propulsion Systems for Marine Mobility

• Founding Year: 2024
• Location: Milan, Italy
• Prominent Partnerships: Politecnico di Milano, Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco, and Syensqo

Italian startup Synergy H2 Solutions develops hydrogen propulsion and generation systems for marine mobility. Its product, ACCA, is a modular plug-and-play fuel cell system that produces clean energy by converting hydrogen into electricity through an optimized stack design. The system enables flexible integration for different vessel sizes and energy demands.

Also, it includes features like high efficiency, marine durability, and a scalable architecture to support both propulsion for leisure boats and hotel services on yachts.

Thus, Synergy H2 Solutions allows boat owners and operators to benefit from reliable zero-emission power that reduces environmental impact while ensuring efficient and sustainable marine operations.

Discover All Emerging Fuel Cell Technology Startups

The 10 fuel cell technology startups showcased in this report are only a small sample of all startups we identified through our data-driven startup scouting approach. Download our free Industry Innovation Reports for a broad overview of the industry or get in touch for quick & exhaustive research on the latest technologies & emerging solutions that will impact your company in 2026!