# Nicholas Flanders

> Nicholas Flanders is the Co-Founder and CEO of Twelve, a carbon transformation company that converts CO2, water, and renewable electricity into sustainable aviation fuel and carbon-neutral chemicals. A Stanford MBA and former McKinsey consultant, Flanders co-founded Twelve (originally Opus 12) in 2015 alongside scientists Dr. Etosha Cave and Dr. Kendra Kuhl to commercialize breakthrough electrochemical CO2 conversion technology developed at Stanford. The company has raised over $790 million, including a $645 million financing round in 2024 led by TPG Rise Climate, and is building AirPlant One - the world's first commercial-scale e-fuels facility - in Moses Lake, Washington.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at Twelve
- **Organizations:** Twelve (formerly Opus 12), McKinsey & Company, Levo, Cyclotron Road Fellowship, Echoing Green, Unreasonable Group, World Economic Forum
- **From:** Iran (raised in upstate New York, USA)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA - Mathematics, Economics, International Relations (triple major), Cornell University, MS in Engineering (renewable power focus) + MBA (Stanford Graduate School of Business), Stanford University
- **Known for:** Forbes 30 Under 30 in Energy (2016), Echoing Green Climate Fellow (2016), Keeling Curve Prize winner

## Career timeline

- **2004-2008** — Triple major at Cornell University in Mathematics, Economics, and International Relations
- **2008-2012** — Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company (Cleantech Practice), working across 7 countries including Syria, Ethiopia, and Dominican Republic
- **2012-2015** — COO & CFO at Levo, a venture-backed startup
- **2013-2016** — MS Engineering + MBA at Stanford University; met future Twelve co-founders in Stanford student space club
- **2015** — Co-founded Opus 12 (later renamed Twelve) with Dr. Etosha Cave and Dr. Kendra Kuhl; joined first cohort of Cyclotron Road Fellowship at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- **2016** — Named Forbes 30 Under 30 in Energy; awarded Echoing Green Climate Fellowship
- **2019** — Secured partnerships with Procter & Gamble and other major brands for CO2-derived products
- **2020** — Mercedes unveiled world's first C-pillar using polycarbonate from CO2 electrolysis; company featured on Netflix's 'Inside Bill's Brain'
- **2021** — Twelve raised $57M Series A; rebranded from Opus 12 to Twelve (carbon's atomic weight)
- **2022** — Raised $130M Series B from DCVC and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
- **2024** — Announced $645M financing round led by TPG Rise Climate - one of largest e-fuels financing rounds ever; signed 14-year IAG offtake deal for 785,000 tonnes of SAF
- **2025** — AirPlant One in Moses Lake, Washington expected to begin operations - world's first commercial-scale sustainable aviation fuel e-fuels facility

## Achievements

- Forbes 30 Under 30 in Energy (2016)
- Echoing Green Climate Fellow (2016)
- Keeling Curve Prize winner
- Ocean Exchange WW Orcelle Award winner
- Roddenberry Prize winner
- Forbes Change the World Competition winner
- World Economic Forum Agenda Contributor
- Led $645M financing round for Twelve in 2024 - one of the largest e-fuels financing rounds in history
- Closed a 14-year SAF supply agreement with International Airlines Group (IAG) for 785,000 tonnes
- Signed first construction loan for an e-fuel facility in the United States
- Secured partnerships with Mercedes, Procter & Gamble, Pangaia, and other major brands for CO2Made products
- Led Twelve's first cohort participation in Cyclotron Road Fellowship at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Helped commercialize CO2 electrolyzer technology from Stanford's Jaramillo Group

## Latest updates

- **2024-09** — Twelve announced $645M financing round led by TPG Rise Climate, including $200M Series C and $400M project equity for AirPlant One
- **2024-09** — Signed 14-year offtake agreement with International Airlines Group (IAG) for 785,000 tonnes of E-Jet SAF
- **2024-09** — Secured first construction loan for an e-fuel facility in the United States
- **2025-02** — Featured in Lombard Odier interview discussing Twelve's progress closing the carbon loop and AirPlant commercialization
- **2025-01** — AirPlant One in Moses Lake, Washington progressing toward first operations as world's first commercial e-fuels facility

## Links

- Website: https://twelve.co
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-flanders-co2
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/twelve_co2
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE2CHrD1SN8
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/opus12co2

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nicholas-flanders
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-25