Hydrogen has for decades been talked about as the fuel of the future, the economics, among other things stand it’s way, producing cheap hydrogen isn’t easy, but what if nature has already done the hard work for us? In this episode of Leaders in Cleantech, I speak with Emmanuel Masini, founder and CEO of Mantle8, a pioneering natural hydrogen exploration company. We dive into Emmanuel’s journey from geologist to entrepreneur, why natural hydrogen could be a game-changing addition to the energy mix, and how Mantle8’s technology is accelerating the race to unlock this overlooked resource.

Episode Notes

In this conversation, Emmanuel and I explore the promise of natural hydrogen — also called geological or white hydrogen. Unlike green or blue hydrogen, natural hydrogen is formed by the Earth itself, waiting to be discovered and harnessed.

About Emmanuel (Manu) Masini

Emmanuel Masini is a geoscientist, entrepreneur and founder of Mantle8 – a pioneering energy company advancing the exploration and extraction of natural hydrogen as a low-cost, ultra-low-emissions energy source.

With more than a decade of experience in structural geology, subsurface modelling and energy systems, Emmanuel has led geoscience projects across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Before founding Mantle8, he co-founded the geology-focused research and consulting company M&U and worked with Total on applied geoscience projects. Of note, is Masini’s leadership of the "Orogen Research" program, whilst at M&U and at Total. This program is a collaborative effort between Total, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), and the French Geological Survey (BRGM) involving approximately one hundred researchers, which focuses on the study of orogens, which are mountain ranges formed by the collision of tectonic plates. He also contributed to major research initiatives with the Strasbourg, Grenoble, Toulouse and Austin Universities.

He holds a PhD in structural geology from the University of Strasbourg.

About Mantle8

Mantle8 is a natural hydrogen exploration company based in France. Founded by Emmanuel Masini in 2024, Mantle8 brings together a team of geoscientists with 20 years of experience in the field that has previously worked together as M&U, a geology research and consulting company. Mantle8 has developed geoscience-based technologies that detect the best natural hydrogen locations with world-first accuracy.

Mantle8’s validated technologies visualise the entire hydrogen-generating system, including the amount and quality of hydrogen present, at an unparalleled level of detail. The company already holds a number of exploration permits for some of the largest natural hydrogen reservoirs close to demand and works towards making €0.80/kg hydrogen a reality.

Social links

• Emmanuel Masini on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmanuel-masini-273251132/
• Mantle8 on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mantle8/
• Mantle8 website: https://mantle8.com/

Episode Links

• The precious 'white gold' fuel buried in the Earth-
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20250723-the-worlds-race-to-drill-for-natural-white-hydrogen

About Hyperion Search

At Hyperion Search, we specialize in building world-class teams for the cleantech and energy transition sectors. We focus on leadership roles but also recruit strategically critical individual contributors who drive business growth. Whether you’re a founder scaling a startup, a board member guiding a scaleup, a VC/PE investor, or a corporation committed to energy and mobility transitions, we find the talent that will deliver impactful, sustainable results.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hyperion-search-ltd
• Website: www.hyperionsearch.com

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