Telura unveils breakthrough drilling tech to clear Europe’s path to sovereignty with geothermal energy

‍ Munich, March 9th - Deep-tech startup Telura enables access to affordable and safe geothermal energy everywhere through a next-generation drilling system. The technology is built on over two decades of research from Germany’s top technical universities and has already demonstrated efficient granite rock breakage. Following a $5M pre-seed round backed by leading European investors, Telura has entered a validation agreement with breakthrough innovation agency SPRIND and plans to begin its market entry already in 2026.

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Europe’s energy gap is widening as AI and electrification push demand to unprecedented levels. At the same time, energy security and sovereignty have become strategic priorities. “Intermittent renewables and fossil fuels alone will not be enough,” says Telura Co-Founder and CEO Philipp Engelkamp, adding that to become resilient, “Europe needs more local and reliable energy.”

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Geothermal energy has the potential to provide this constant beat of emission-free, low cost, and always-on power. Yet, it meets less than 1% of the world’s energy demand. Accessing resources to power cities, utilities, and industries remains difficult and expensive. “Drilling accounts for up to 70% of the project costs,” says Engelkamp. Conventional drill bits wear out quickly when faced with hard rock and hot temperatures. Instead of grinding, Telura applies high-voltage electrical pulses to break the rock from within. Engelkamp describes it as “destroying rock with lightning”. This fundamentally improves the physics of drilling, enabling 10x faster and cheaper access.  

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The impact goes beyond efficiency and cost. Telura’s technology enables Next-Generation Geothermal Systems that unlock heat from deep underground without relying on conventional natural hot water reservoirs. Just one percent of the global potential of Superhot Rock resources could generate eight times the world’s electricity demand. “The real breakthrough is scale,” says Engelkamp. “Our technology makes geothermal energy safe, affordable, and deployable everywhere - unlocking a multi-billion-dollar market.”

Telura’s Co-Founder and CTO, Andrew Welling, comments: “The physics is proven,” pointing to more than two decades of research conducted at leading universities, including Telura’s partners, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, the Technical University of Dresden and ETH Zurich. “Now is the moment to turn that scientific foundation into systems that operate reliably and cost-effectively several kilometers underground.”

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Telura’s founders are uniquely equipped to grow the company. Philipp Engelkamp founded and scaled Ineratec, while Andrew Welling brings two decades of engineering leadership from Rolls-Royce and electric aircraft company Lilium.

“Philipp and Andrew bring the rare combination of relentless execution and technical depth needed to solve deep geothermal's core engineering challenge at unprecedented speed. Their approach to drilling without mechanical wear will unlock unlimited baseload green energy almost anywhere on Earth, finally taking geothermal from a niche resource to a scalable solution,” says Dr. Maximilian Ochs, Investment Manager, First Momentum.  

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Telura's $5M pre-seed round, raised in Autumn 2025 from Nucleus Capital, Possible Ventures, First Momentum and business angels. Engelkamp adds, “Our technology integrates with existing systems, which sets us up to move fast, with the first market entry planned in 2026. With close access to world-class technical talent and partners, we’re in a strong position to drive this collaborative innovation forward.”

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