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Executive Summary: Which are the Top 10 Hydrogen Fuel Companies to Watch?
- Crinum Clean Power (Türkiye): Builds hydrogen fuel cell & battery systems for drones to extend flight times.
- ATOM H2 (Spain): Provides solid-state hydrogen storage & generation modules for off-grid energy use.
- Mantle8 (France): Locates natural hydrogen with geophysical & geochemical imaging for low-cost energy.
- PowerGenX (USA): Produces portable hydrogen fuel cell generators as a diesel alternative.
- Shakti Photon Solutions (India): Manufactures PEM & AEM electrolyzers for scalable green hydrogen.
- Evolve Hydrogen Solutions (USA): Extracts hydrogen from seawater with solid-state storage.
- H4e-motion (France): Develops liquid hydrogen propulsion systems for regional aircraft.
- Entropyst (UK): Produces turquoise hydrogen via methane pyrolysis with CNT byproducts.
- Synergy H2 Solutions (Italy): Designs modular hydrogen fuel cells for boats & yachts.
- Sail Energy (Germany): Generates hydrogen onboard vessels using wind-powered electrolysis.
Global Startup Heat Map highlights Emerging Hydrogen Fuel Companies to Watch
Through the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering over 7M+ startups, 20K+ technology trends, plus 150M+ patents, news articles & market reports, we identified the top hydrogen fuel cell companies.
The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights emerging hydrogen fuel companies startups you should watch in 2026, as well as the geo-distribution of 930+ 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 Hydrogen Fuel Cells are London, Houston, Calgary, New York City, and Bangalore.
Discover Top Hydrogen Fuel Cell Companies to Watch in 2026
We hand-picked startups to showcase in this report by filtering for their technology, founding year, location, funding, and other metrics. These emerging hydrogen fuel cell startups work on solutions ranging from electrolyzers for hydrogen extraction and hydrogen propulsion for aircraft to geophysical and geochemical data for natural hydrogen location and hydrogen fuel cells for drones.
1. Crinum Clean Power – Hydrogen Fuel Cell for Drones
- Founding Year: 2023
- Location: Ankara, Türkiye
Turkish startup Crinum Clean Power builds hybrid hydrogen fuel cell and battery power systems for heavy-lift aerial drones. Its system multiplies drone flight times by up to four times compared to standard battery variants. Using hydrogen fuel cell technology also allows it to produce zero emissions and near-silent output.
The startup’s power system incorporates a small battery component to support short, high-power bursts during flight. Its solution includes proprietary power management software that balances fuel cell and battery loads in real time for optimal usage of either.
This modular design suits both continuous operations and remote deployments. Among others, its architecture supports zero-carbon missions for logistics, surveying, and mobile backup purposes.
2. ATOM H2 – On-site Hydrogen Storage & Generation
- Founding Year: 2023
- Location: Barcelona, Spain
Spanish startup ATOM H2 delivers a solid-state hydrogen storage system that stores surplus renewable energy. The system, ATOM, uses metal hydrides at ambient temperature and pressure. It simultaneously integrates solar panels, lithium batteries, and hydrogen storage in a compact, safe container. ATOM releases energy via fuel cells and produces only water as a byproduct.
The system operates without high-pressure tanks or cryogenic cooling. Each ATOM module supports stackable expansion and plug-and-play deployment. The solution is used for off-grid telecommunication towers, critical infrastructure, rural microgrids, and remote data centers. The modular design of ATOM enables scalability and minimizes upfront investment from the user.
3. Mantle8 – Locating Subsurface Natural Hydrogen Reservoirs
- Founding Year: 2024
- Location: Sassenage, France
- Funding: EUR 3.4M raised in the Seed round in February 2025
French startup Mantle8 applies geology, geophysics, and geochemistry to locate subsurface natural hydrogen reservoirs. It connects iron-rich mantle rock to shallow water reservoirs to initiate a hydrogen-producing reaction. This serpentinization process is a completely natural and cost-efficient way to continually generate hydrogen.
Mantle8’s multi-physics imaging models quantify hydrogen presence to enable low-cost energy production by 2028. Its method aims to deliver natural hydrogen at a price below 0,8 EUR per kilogram. Mantle8 is currently holding projects in the Pyrenees and plans on global scalability.
4. PowerGenX – Portable Hydrogen Fuel Cell Generators
- Founding Year: 2023
- Location: Austin, USA
USA-based startup PowerGenX produces portable hydrogen fuel cell generators. Its 4 kW and 8 kW systems operate quietly, produce no emissions, and deploy quickly with available hydrogen supplies. The generators’ plug-and-play setup delivers reliable power wherever needed.
PowerGenX offers a quiet, low-maintenance, and green alternative to standard diesel generators, thus being optimal for deployment in urban and environmentally demanding environments. It powers entertainment events, film production, construction, and remote energy-demanding projects.
5. Shakti Photon Solutions – Electrolyzers for Hydrogen Extraction
- Founding Year: 2023
- Location: Chennai, India
Indian startup Shakti Photon Solutions offers hydrogen electrolyzers designed for scalable green hydrogen production. Using water as the main source material, it targets industrial and off-grid adoption, reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Shakti Proton Solutions manufactures both proton exchange membrane (PEM) and anion exchange membrane (AEM) for flexibility in application. Combining multiple electrolyzers into stacks and stacks into grids, it offers electrolysis with a capacity range from 0.01 to 100 kW. Flexible modular design of electrolyzer systems supports customized water flows and allows for competitive cost-per-kilogram hydrogen production.
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6. Evolve Hydrogen Solutions – Hydrogen from Seawater
- Founding Year: 2023
- Location: Lake Grove, USA
USA-based startup Evolve Hydrogen Solutions delivers direct seawater electrolysis combined with solid-state hydride hydrogen storage. Evolve Hydrogen’s patented system produces green hydrogen faster and cheaper than conventional electrolysis solutions.
Firstly, it allows for a cost-efficient process by not requiring expensive deionized water feedstock. Secondly, the units themselves are manufactured by injection molding, allowing for production at scale.
Evolve Hydrogen’s system also supplies reusable hydride storage that ships safely without a need for high-pressure tanks. It also uses recyclable and low-maintenance parts to further decrease the cost of hydrogen production and storage. The integrated production-storage solution positions hydrogen energy as affordable and globally deployable.
7. H4e-motion – Hydrogen Propulsion for Aircraft
- Founding Year: 2025
- Location: Ondes, France
French startup H4e-motion develops a twin-engine aircraft retrofitted with hybrid liquid hydrogen fuel cell systems for regional aviation. Its 8-seat planes deliver a range of 500 nautical miles and produce zero carbon emissions. H4e-motion is on track for prototype testing by 2032.
It combines batteries and cryogenic hydrogen tanks to balance between power density and energy density. This provides the plane with sufficient power in peak demand stretches and enables it to sustain longer flights. H4e-motion’s hybrid propulsion technology allows an optimal ratio of fuel mass relative to the fuel system, and enables a true zero-emission flight.
8. Entropyst – Methane Pyrolysis-based H2 Production
- Founding Year: 2024
- Location: Glasgow, UK
UK-based startup Entropyst develops compact reactor systems that convert natural gas into turquoise hydrogen. It employs proprietary Joule Electrolysis Technology (JET) that introduces electricity into the methane pyrolysis process.
This maintains the energy advantage that pyrolysis has over conventional electrolysis while allowing for a compact and modular approach. The procedure combines hydrogen production with high-value carbon nanotubes (CNT) byproducts to simultaneously generate fuel along with a material that is ~100 times stronger than steel.
Entropyst’s modular pyrolysis units achieve power density over 15 kW-H2 to keep capital expenditures below 650 USD per kilowatt of hydrogen. It enables oil & gas companies to shift to hydrogen ecosystems while adding revenue from CNT byproducts.
9. Synergy H2 Solutions – Fuel Cell System for Boats & Yachts
- Founding Year: 2024
- Location: Milan, Italy
Italian startup Synergy H2 Solutions designs fuel cell modules for clean marine propulsion. Their ACCA system features four modular hydrogen fuel cells ranging from 10 to 120 kW capacities. These systems power leisure boats and yachts with compact and durable designs developed specifically for marine applications.
ACCA units plug into existing boat and yacht engine systems. They offer high efficiency, low O&M costs, and simplified integration. Synergy H2 enables emission-free boating through retrofitting existing power systems with robust fuel cell technology.
10. Sail Energy – Wind Power-led H2 Production
- Founding Year: 2023
- Location: Bimöhlen, Germany
German startup Sail Energy develops hydrogen power production onboard marine vessels with onboard electrolysis and fuel cells. It integrates renewable energy, hydrogen generation, and storage into one self-sustaining vessel platform. Sail Energy employs a large sail-like surface to generate energy at 80 MW per hour. This allows for an hourly hydrogen production rate of 1.5 to 2 tons.
Sail Energy’s system features direct production of hydrogen from wind energy to avoid electrical transmission or conversion losses associated with wind generators. It supports long-range sailing missions in international waters to limit lease costs and taxes.
Discover All Emerging Hydrogen Startups
The hydrogen 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 Hydrogen Innovation Report 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!
