Hamed Panahiazar and his brother, Dr. Sadegh Panahiazar are the founders of Slaterete, who take undesirable slate waste and implement it to produce a sustainable, inexpensive alternative to concrete.
Hamed is a civil engineer with experience in the most important engineering projects of a decade. Sadegh is an architect with international experience and a special interest in sustainability. You set up Slaterete at the end of last year and are at the Nova Innovation Campus of UCD.
Subject to increasing a fixed preparation round of € 850,000, the product is offered for sale in 2026.
“The idea for Slaterete came up during my Master Master engineering at UCD, where the goal was to create an alternative to concrete with unconventional, waste-based materials that cost less as a concrete and without the environmental disadvantages of products on a cement basis,” says Hamed.
“I focused specifically on slate waste, as it is widespread and the disposal of it can be a headache for the manufacturers. From now on it is mainly used for roof tiles and street foundations.
“At the end of my master it was clear that a well-known slate drop mix was inexpensive and corresponded to the building industrial standards and could reduce the effects on the environment.”
The brothers knew from experience that the construction sector could slowly accept new materials. Basically, you know what works and do not want to take a chance by deviating. Hamed says: “From a technical point of view, the challenge was to develop a formula that achieves a quality result and at the same time corresponds to all existing structural benchmarks.
“First of all, we focus on a variety of non-structural applications, but the Slaterete product can also be used in structural, load-bearing applications. As we demonstrate the performance of the product, we intend to carry out the necessary tests and certifications in order to enable use in structural contexts.”
The brothers worked closely with schools for engineering and architecture on the UCD to develop their product, which not only formulated cost and sustainability problems, but also aesthetics.
We are very committed to the ecological and sustainability aspects of our product
– Hamed Panahiazar
“Our product offers a luxurious, stone -like finish and its naturally lively color palette without chemical additives. It is also durable, in contrast to standard concrete that fades over time,” says Hamed. “Its versatility means that it can be used in applications from facades and paving to floors, furniture and interior.
“At the moment, design teams only have very limited options when it comes to aesthetically appealing materials. Our product can be produced as a brick, a tile, a worktop – which is always necessary.”
Slaterete's Route to Market will be via license agreements with existing construction product manufacturers who pay an annual fee for the use of its technology.
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“What we don't want is that someone is bought in our technology and then does not use it,” says Hamed. “We are very committed to the environmental and sustainability aspects of our product and want them to be taken over by the industry worldwide. We will address construction companies and feature manufacturers and form strategic alliances with environmentally friendly consultants and follow B2B partnerships and state procurement.”
When Hamed took the product images during the completion of his master, the previous costs were minimal. However, the company now needs investments to complete tests, produce pilot supporters and build the team, which ultimately includes engineers, scientists and experts for manufacturing, sales and business developments.
“Basically, we are ready to go. The formulations are complete, but we want to complete some additional tests such as a long -term test in a hard environment,” says Hamed.
As soon as the original product has been introduced, the company will turn its attention to others. At the moment, the focus is on putting the product into the hands of those who are involved in large construction projects, not only in Europe, but also in the Middle East, where he says that the focus is on sustainable construction.