LanzaTech : riding the cleantech wave

Abstract

LanzaTech,is a New Zealand based company co founded in 2005 by scientists Dr Sean Simpson and Dr Richard Forster, who developed a microbe which fermented the waste gases generated from steel manufacturing to produce ethanol and other chemicals. Written for a tertiary classroom, the case is structured chronologically and outlines the early phases of the company, focusing particularly on how LanzaTech developed, refined, patented and began to commercialise their research. The case describes some of the challenges around capital raising, developing a business model and forming partnerships. LanzaTech also describes a company committed to retaining its research base in New Zealand and some of the opportunities and drawbacks of operating in a small economy at a distance from key market players