Directa Plus PLC (AIM:DCTA, OTC:DTPKF) CEO Giulio Cesareo talked with Proactive about the company’s strong start to 2025 and the strategic impact of its environmental operations.
Directa Plus CEO Giulio Cesareo shared that the company saw a 40% rise in first quarter revenue to approximately €2 million, driven by new contracts in Romania and a recovering textile market in Italy. “We have a significant contract with Midia International,” Cesareo explained, adding that work on oil recovery from drilling platforms resumed after a slowdown in 2024 due to the war in the Black Sea.
The full acquisition of Setcar, a Romanian environmental service company, plays a central role in the company’s strategy. Cesareo highlighted that Setcar not only holds a full suite of environmental certifications but also occupies a “geopolitical significant position” as a potential gateway to Ukraine’s reconstruction.
Environmental applications remain a key focus for Directa Plus, especially the use of its graphene materials to decontaminate water and soil. In collaboration with OMV Petrom, the company successfully decontaminated 44,000 cubic meters of water, recovering 10,000 barrels of crude oil.
Research and development are also advancing. Directa Plus is working with Nant G Power on battery materials and refocusing on opportunities in sectors like tyres and PFAS filtration. Cesareo stated, “There are significant opportunities, despite the actual crisis, that can be captured by our innovative material.”
With €4 million in cash and a burn rate that extends funding through to August 2026, Cesareo believes the company is well-positioned for the year ahead.
Proactive: Giulio, very good to speak with you. You're out with a trading and operational update this week. Before we get into that, for viewers not familiar with the company, tell us a bit about Directa Plus and what you do.
Giulio Cesareo: Let me remind viewers that Directa Plus PLC is one of the largest graphene producers in the world. We started our production facility in 2014, and we develop the product generated by a work procedure that is nature amplified, but produced without any chemistry. This is our difference compared to any other producer.
We concentrate on two main verticals. We started with textile and then moved into environmental. We initially acquired 51% of Setcar, and we completed the full acquisition a few months ago. Setcar is a Romanian company, mainly devoted to decontamination of water and ground for oil and gas companies.
Proactive: Who are your main customers Giulio, and what sectors do they operate in?
Giulio Cesareo: The main customers in the environmental area are oil and gas companies. I can mention one name — OMV Petrom in Romania. We work with them regularly, and they are our most successful case, having decontaminated 44,000 cubic meters of water and recovered 10,000 barrels of crude oil that went back to the refinery.
In the environmental space, we are also developing a new filter for PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which opens up new customer opportunities, including textile and semiconductor industries.
Proactive: Let's get into that trading update for Q1 2025. It looks like it was an incredibly strong quarter for the company. Revenue up 40% to about €2 million. What were the main drivers of that growth?
Giulio Cesareo: The main driver was a new contract we secured in Romania with Midia International. This is for recovering oil from water in drilling platforms. We suffered in 2024 due to the war in the Black Sea, which slowed activity. The situation is not completely resolved, but it's better, so we're resuming work significantly.
We also received important orders from textile customers in Italy. The entire textile industry was struggling last year but is now recovering — not as much as we hoped, but it's better than in 2024.
Proactive: You also reported an order book of €7 million for the full year 2025 and a pipeline of opportunities. Where are you seeing those opportunities?
Giulio Cesareo: The most important strategic decision we made was the full acquisition of Setcar for two reasons. First, Setcar holds a full set of environmental certificates — it’s the only company in Romania with this level of certification. Second, it holds a geopolitical position between Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Balkans. It is the gateway to the reconstruction of Ukraine. Setcar is a very significant opportunity for us. On top of this, it’s a service company that can adopt and use our graphene to decontaminate water and ground.
Proactive: You also mentioned research and development projects with Nant G Power, looking at battery materials. Another opportunity moving forward?
Giulio Cesareo: Yes. We made two key decisions in development: enhancing the production team working on the new design of the line, and enhancing R&D to refocus on high-potential areas. We had to slow down work in sectors like tyres and batteries, but we’re resuming those, particularly with Nant G Power, our major investor.
So despite the current crisis, there are still significant opportunities for our innovative material.
Proactive: You ended March with about €4 million in cash. How does that position you for the year ahead? And what should investors look out for?
Giulio Cesareo: We are well-positioned. Our burn rate is between €200,000 and €270,000 per month. That gives us more than 16 months — so up to August 2026. By then, we expect the redesigned production plant and restructuring of Setcar to start generating the turnover we expect. The goal is to reduce the burn rate and avoid needing new capital for at least two years.
Proactive: Giulio, I hope you'll keep us posted with any progress. Thank you very much for speaking with us today.