About us
DACMA GmbH is headquartered in Hamburg and a global leading Direct Air Capture provider from Germany.
Headquartered in the Port of Hamburg, DACMA is a pioneer in Direct Air Capture development — a team of 40 experts across mechanical engineering, process engineering, business and science.
Engineering and building DAC machines
Our dynamic team of 40 professionals comprises experienced and young engineers specializing in mechanical and process engineering, alongside business economists and experts from diverse scientific fields.
Across Industries: From Aerospace to Wind Power to DAC Manufacturing
With a wealth of knowledge spanning decades in aerospace – innovation, we are at the forefront of pioneering direct air capture technology.
Team
Management Board
Benjamin Scharrer
M. Sc. — Co-CEO
With more than ten years of professional experience, Ben combines deep technical expertise with strategic leadership. He began his career in wind energy and aircraft design, holds a Master’s degree in Aircraft Engineering with a focus on aerodynamics, and has successfully delivered projects across Europe, South America, and Asia. Having shaped DACMA’s technology since its inception in 2017, Ben has played a crucial role in ensuring innovation and maintaining high-quality standards.
Alexander Backs
Dipl.-Ing. — Co-CEO
Alexander holds a Diploma in Automotive Engineering and brings over 15 years of expertise to the table. With a proven track record in leading development teams, he has successfully executed international projects across Europe, Asia, North and South America. His extensive knowledge spans lightweight design, composites, wind energy, and additive manufacturing.
Viasta Vardjavand
Dipl.-Kfm. — Chief Financial Officer
Viasta holds a degree in Business Administration and brings extensive experience in building, scaling, and transforming organizations. In senior leadership roles, he has co-managed fundraising for startups, led companies through growth and transformation, and worked for many years in the software and hardware sectors, with a particular focus on e-mobility.
Advisory Board
Strong minds by our side.
Prof. Roland Dittmeyer
Director IMVT, KIT
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Roland Dittmeyer, Full Professor and Head of IMVT at KIT since 2009, specializes in micro process engineering, catalytic reaction technologies and Power-to-X. With 200+ publications and 13 patents, he co-founded KIT Spin-Off ICODOS. His team won the 2023 Paul Pietsch Award for electrofuels.
Dr. Lorenz Kiene
CEO Luehmann Group
Dr. Lorenz Kiene, CEO and owner of the Luehmann Group, runs the family business in 6th generation, established in 1882. A commercial law expert, he founded eFuel GmbH in 2021 and manages several eFuel companies driving the ramp-up of green molecules in Germany.
Marc Grünewald
Former Vice President, MAN Energy Solutions
Marc Grünewald, former Vice President at MAN Energy Solutions until July 2024, led global Hydrogen Solutions and Power-to-X projects. With 30+ years in the resources industry, he specializes in international project development and decarbonized energy.
Founder
Jörg Spitzner
Jörg, the founder of DACMA GmbH, brings with him a distinguished career as a management director with 40 years of experience in the development of aerospace components at Airbus Deutschland GmbH. Prior to establishing DACMA, he served as the managing director of an engineering office specializing in the aerospace and wind energy industries. For the past 5 years, Jörg has served as a board member of the Renewable Energy cluster in Hamburg and is a member of Hamburg Aviation.
Join our DACMA
team – help us to achieve net zero and fight climate change!
“In just one year, DACMA GmbH has achieved an exponential progress in the atmospheric carbon capture journey. The strategic alliance with Repsol (both in Venturing Capital and projects) will boost the pace of this highly focused group of outstanding engineers that are persistently looking for every angle of the technology improvement. Take the time to celebrate, acknowledge your success and keep going!!!”
“One of the most relevant projects related to the development of technologies with a negative CO2 effect, the ONLY project in Brazil on Direct Air Capture multi-country Spain, Brazil Germany in Open Innovation. Repsol Sinopec Brazil Corporation, Start Up DACMA and PUC Rio Grande do Sul University. A disruptive commitment to a more decarbonized world. Being part of this project is a privilege and a unique opportunity to add value to society.”
“In collaboration with Phoenix Contact, DACMA has developed an application that contributes to CO2 decarbonization. This technology makes a significant contribution to sector coupling in the All Electric Society and to the sustainable use of energy. I am delighted that two technology-driven companies are working together so efficiently.”
“The DACMA GmbH with Jörg Spitzner and his team are not only valuable partners in our network, but also key initiators and innovators who, with DACMA, are driving forward DAC system engineering in the Hamburg metropolitan region – an essential future climate change mitigation technology.”
“Together with our partner DACMA GmbH, we are delighted to be building the first DAC machine on the HAMBURG BLUE HUB site in the Port of Hamburg. The 30-60 tons output of CO2 annually of the DACMA machine can later be used to produce e-methanol for the Port of Hamburg, for example. This is a joint milestone, as it fits in with the plan to purchase large volumes of synthetic fuels from Power-to-X plants in Africa and South America for Germany through the HAMBURG BLUE HUB”.
Backed by strong partners.
Investors
Associations & Partners
