Refrigerators today run on the same basic technology as they did more than 100 years ago. You’d think we could have come up with something better by now.

And we have, but nothing has been able to dethrone cheap, reliable vapor compression — the process that’s keeping your milk cold today. One startup hopes to change that.

Barocal has developed an entirely new way of heating and cooling using nothing but an inexpensive solid material. Early prototypes are already as effective as existing refrigerator compressors, and the technology promises to use significantly less energy. Oh, and there’s no risk of leaking climate-warming gases, something that has plagued vapor compression.

To prepare the technology for market, Barocal has raised a $10 million seed round, the startup exclusively told TechCrunch. Investors in the round included World Fund, Breakthrough Energy Discovery, Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, and IP Group.

Barocal’s core technology stems from research performed by Xavier Moya, the startup’s founder. “I’ve always been very interested in technologies for heating and cooling,” he told TechCrunch. He traces it back to his youth in Spain, where he would spend hours studying in a small, hot room. “I really remember when air conditioning came to the house — it was like wow!” he recalled.

As a professor of materials physics at the University of Cambridge, he focused on refrigerants of all kinds, though he became particularly fascinated by solid materials that could capture and release heat simply by squeezing and stretching them. In one of his favorite demonstrations, he asks people to take a deflated balloon, hold it to their lips, and repeatedly stretch and relax it.

“If you stretch it, it gets hot. And then if you wait, when you let it go, it feels cold,” he said.

Techcrunch event

Meet your next investor or portfolio startup at Disrupt

Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register now to save up to $410.

Meet your next investor or portfolio startup at Disrupt

San Francisco, CA

October 13-15, 2026

That same principle applies to the class of materials Barocal has developed, which is related to an organic material widely used in a range of industries, from plastics to paints. Normally, the molecules inside the material rotate freely. But when they’re compressed, the molecules stop rotating. Since heat, at its most basic level, is the movement of atoms and molecules, reducing that movement causes the material to give off heat. Removing the pressure allows the materials to absorb heat.

Barocal uses these materials to transfer heat. In a refrigerator, for example, the material will pump heat from inside the fridge to outside, lowering the temperature for the food within. To transfer heat, the company flows water past the materials and then out to a radiator.

Because the materials are solids, gas leaks don’t pose a problem. In conventional refrigerators, the gaseous refrigerants either degrade the ozone later or warm the climate, depending on the type. Greenhouse gas-based refrigerants have become a particular concern since they can warm the climate over 1,000 times more than an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide.

Though Barocal’s technology can work at any scale, the company is studying large HVAC and refrigerators first, systems where the startup’s efficiency gains will make a noticeable dent in a customer’s bottom line. “We are looking at bigger commercial systems where I think we can make a bigger impact faster,” Moya said.

Topics

Barocal, Breakthrough Energy, Climate, Exclusive

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

Tim De Chant

Senior Reporter, Climate

Tim De Chant is a senior climate reporter at TechCrunch. He has written for a wide range of publications, including Wired magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Ars Technica, The Wire China, and NOVA Next, where he was founding editor.

De Chant is also a lecturer in MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing, and he was awarded a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT in 2018, during which time he studied climate technologies and explored new business models for journalism. He received his PhD in environmental science, policy, and management from the University of California, Berkeley, and his BA degree in environmental studies, English, and biology from St. Olaf College.

You can contact or verify outreach from Tim by emailing t

Barocal can cool your food and drink by squeezing a hunk of plastic crystals