subsurface-energy
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Addis Energy
Addis Energy is a Somerville, Massachusetts climate-tech company turning the Earth's subsurface into a chemical reactor to make ammonia. By injecting nitrate-bearing water into iron-rich underground rock, its process uses natural heat and pressure to convert nitrogen into ammonia without hydrogen feedstock, added electricity, or CO2 emissions. Spun out of MIT research and paired with deep oil-and-gas engineering experience, the company aims to produce clean ammonia - a fertilizer and potential fuel behind more than 1% of global emissions - at a fraction of conventional cost.
Michael Alexander
Michael Alexander is the co-founder and CEO of Addis Energy, a Somerville, Massachusetts startup turning the Earth's crust into a chemical reactor to make clean ammonia. A chemical engineer who spent more than eight years refining oil at Shell and Marathon Petroleum, he discovered geologic hydrogen at Harvard Business School and teamed up with classmate Charlie Mitchell and MIT professors Iwnetim Abate and Yet-Ming Chiang to commercialize a process that stimulates ammonia production from iron-rich rock underground. In December 2025 Addis raised an oversubscribed $8.3M seed round, bringing total funding to $17.3M.