Cleanhill Partners Announces Partnership with CleanJoule to Drive Growth of Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Cleanhill Partners, a private equity firm pursuing investments in the energy transition sector that contribute to decarbonization, announced a partnership with CleanJoule LLC, the world’s leading producer of full-performance sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). The deal provides CleanJoule with the financial, strategic and operational resources to accelerate the commercialization of its technology – advancing meaningful efforts to slow climate change and addressing energy shortages predicted to disrupt the aviation industry within the next 30 years. The investment comes on the heels of Cleanhill’s partnership with KORE Power, Inc., the leading U.S.-based developer of battery cell technology for the electric transportation and energy storage industries.
“As decarbonization of the aviation sector continues to present a daunting technological challenge and mounting environmental imperative, we are thrilled to be able to partner with Cleanhill and advance our shared vision of creating cost-effective clean energy solutions that can be deployed today,” said Dr. Mukund Karanjikar, CEO of CleanJoule. “Having led the way in developing the industry’s most eco-friendly and commercially viable sustainable aviation fuel, CleanJoule is now very well-positioned to significantly expand its adoption and shorten the timeframes to achieving a greener global aviation industry.”
Dr. Karanjikar, who previously held innovation-focused roles at Technology Holding LLC and Chevron, has spent more than a decade developing the CleanJoule SAF technology, along with Dr. Ashok Joshi, a globally recognized, high-technology entrepreneur. Validated by the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Energy, CleanJoule’s proprietary production process converts biomass into a superior SAF molecule along with a bio-derived rubber co-product, yielding the only carbon negative, zero-petroleum, full performance and 100 percent drop-in SAF that can be used in a variety of commercial aviation engines without modification.
Cleanhill co-founders and Managing Partners Ash Upadhyaya and Rakesh Wilson will join CleanJoule’s board of directors. Having previously served in leadership positions at KKR and Apollo, respectively, they bring decades of experience investing across the energy value chain.
“Cleanhill is laser-focused on partnering with companies such as CleanJoule that are solving large-scale decarbonization challenges with timely, commercially viable approaches,” said Upadhyaya and Wilson. “By rapidly scaling CleanJoule in collaboration with our industry partners, we’ll be advancing efforts of vital importance to the climate and global economy.”
Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to Cleanhill Partners.
About CleanJoule
CleanJoule is the world’s leading innovator of full-performance SAF, founded by a passionate and creative group of engineers, scientists and visionaries focused on aviation fuels, with the purpose of creating a sustainable planet, reducing global carbon emissions and ultimately combatting climate change. CleanJoule’s highly innovative technology allows it to harness existing energy from biomass and convert it to superior performance aviation fuel as well as bio-rubber that can be used in various consumer and commercial products. For more information, visit www.cleanjoule.com .
About Cleanhill Partners
Cleanhill Partners is a private equity firm pursuing investments in the energy transition sector that contribute to decarbonization. The firm invests in scalable businesses with visibility into revenues, earnings and cash flow growth, leveraging its thesis-driven approach and operational expertise to enhance value in each of our investments. The firm has offices in New York and Houston. To learn more, please visit www.cleanhillpartners.com .
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005195/en/
Contact information
Media Relations
Hannah Arnold, The LAKPR Group
harnold@lakpr.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
OPPO Joins VVC Advance Patent Pool as a Licensee and Extends HEVC Advance License9.1.2026 04:00:00 EET | Press release
Access Advance LLC and Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corp., Ltd. (OPPO) today announced that OPPO has joined the VVC Advance Patent Pool as a Licensee and renewed its HEVC Advance License. OPPO, one of the world's largest smartphone manufacturers with operations in more than 70 countries, has been a valued participant in Access Advance's HEVC patent pool since 2020, and more recently joined the Advance Video Distribution Patent (VDP) Pool as a Licensor. These latest agreements mark a new milestone in a broad and deepening relationship between the two companies, with OPPO now participating across all three of Access Advance's video codec licensing programs. The VVC Advance Patent Pool licenses patents essential to the VVC/H.266 standard, which delivers remarkable improvement of video compression performance over HEVC, enabling higher-quality video experiences including 4K, 8K, and HDR content with faster downloads and lower latency. The pool currently includes over 4,500 worl
Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen2 Enters Into Service, Delivering the Most Significant Gen2 Updates to Date8.1.2026 23:30:00 EET | Press release
The Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen2 has entered into service, setting a new standard for the Citation Gen2 family. Launch customers and longtime Citation owners Dave Mecartney and Shannon Day took delivery of their new aircraft this week. Mecartney—an experienced aviator with nearly two decades flying Citation light jets and a member of Textron Aviation’s Customer Advisory Board—helped shape the enhancements that elevate the CJ3 Gen2 experience. Key upgrades include Garmin autothrottle technology, added pilot legroom and a fully customizable cabin environment, all driven by customer feedback. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108455097/en/ Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen2 enters into service, delivering the most significant Gen2 updates to date (Photo credit: Textron Aviation). The Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen2 is designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company. “The Citation CJ3 Gen2 deliv
SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics, Announces Its 2026 Society Awards8.1.2026 19:26:00 EET | Press release
Today, the Awards Committee of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, announced the recipients of its prestigious annual awards. Honoring transformative advancements across a range of professional areas — including medicine, astronomy, lithography, optical metrology, optical design, and community leadership — the Society's awards recognize technical accomplishments as well as committed service to SPIE and support of its organizational mission. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108227351/en/ SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, awarded their Gold Medal to Maryellen Giger (pictured here with her team) for pioneering work in computer-aided diagnosis and image analysis/AI, significant impact on clinical translation, and supporting the next generation of medical-imaging scientists and the SPIE community. SPIE Gold Medal: Maryellen Giger For pioneering work in computer-aided
PUMA Appoints Nadia Kokni as Vice President Global Brand Marketing8.1.2026 17:30:00 EET | Press release
Sports company PUMA has appointed Nadia Kokni as Vice President, Global Brand Marketing, effective January 1, 2026. Nadia joins PUMA’s global leadership team and reports directly to Chief Brand Officer Maria Valdes. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108099913/en/ Sports company PUMA has appointed Nadia Kokni as Vice President, Global Brand Marketing, effective January 1, 2026. Nadia joins PUMA’s global leadership team and reports directly to Chief Brand Officer Maria Valdes. In her new role as PUMA’s most senior global marketing leader, Nadia will oversee brand marketing strategy, brand marketing creative direction, integrated marketing and communication globally. Her appointment comes as PUMA accelerates its global brand ambition and sharpens storytelling around its product icons and innovation pipeline. Nadia brings deep international experience shaping and transforming leading global brands across the spor
Xsolla Kicks Off Two Weeks of Industry Programming, Community Events, and Expanding Support for Global Developers Across the UK at the Industry’s Biggest Winter Event8.1.2026 17:00:00 EET | Press release
Xsolla, a global video game commerce company that helps developers launch, grow, and monetize their games, today announces a comprehensive program of events and activations across the United Kingdom taking place from January 10 to 22, 2026. This coordinated programming schedule reflects Xsolla’s continued investment in the UK and European games ecosystem. Capitalizing on a pivotal moment in the global games calendar, Xsolla is bringing developers, partners, and creators together through partnerships, live events, thought leadership, and community building. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108943976/en/ (Graphic: Xsolla) “Pocket Gamer Connects London brings together one of the most diverse and forward-thinking communities in the mobile global games industry,” said Berkley Egenes, Chief Marketing and Growth Officer. “We’re here to build all the things for the video game industry by helping developers turn grea
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom