The strategic principles behind our latest purchases
A deep dive into the eleven companies we just funded, and why we chose to fund them.
When we launched in 2022, most high-integrity projects relied on a narrow set of methods that offered proven durability and strong measurement. These methods played a vital role in establishing early trust and credibility in the market, and we saw value in backing them as an early buyer.
But the ecosystem has quickly evolved. New companies, novel pathways, and more inclusive models are emerging with real potential not just to remove carbon at scale, but to deliver tangible environmental and social impacts.
Our latest round of purchases reflects that evolution. With eleven new additions, our portfolio is now more methodologically diverse, more globally distributed, and more responsive to the innovation and momentum building across the field.
By broadening who and what we fund, we’re helping shape a carbon removal ecosystem that’s not only scientifically rigorous, but also more resilient, equitable, and capable of long-term climate impact.
How we select who we fund
Carbon removal startups can’t afford to wait for future offtake agreements. They need capital now. That's why we focus on pre-purchases—so companies get the capital immediately to build and scale. By expanding our portfolio, we’re giving funders a clear, credible way to help the best innovators scale faster and build the foundation for a durable market.
Three core priorities shaped the projects we selected in this latest round of purchases:
Unlocking catalytic opportunities.
We prioritize companies where early capital can change their trajectory—so they can build facilities, validate science, and attract investment.
Building diverse pathways.
We fund emerging methods like enhanced rock weathering, ocean alkalinity, and biochar that need early backing to prove durability and impact. Philanthropy can help these methods mature into durable, science-backed solutions where other forms of funding see them as risky.
Creating markets in new geographies.
New projects are emerging globally, especially in the Global South. We believe that early investment can build local capacity and generate climate and community benefits.
Meet the new additions
These eleven companies reflect our commitment to catalytic, equitable, and scalable carbon removal. They’re not only removing greenhouse gases, they’re delivering real-world environmental and social impacts. Together, they reflect how philanthropic capital can unlock scale, signal credibility, and accelerate climate progress.
Carba – Eden Prairie, MN, USA | Biomass carbon removal and storage
Carba converts waste biomass—like diseased trees and storm debris—into biochar using high-yield, proprietary pyrolysis, burying it beneath landfill cover, and locking away carbon for 1,000+ years. Their first commercial-scale reactor will be operating this fall and burying the biochar in Burnsville, MN. The project also unlocks environmental justice benefits for the local community by acting as a filter for toxins and leachates in the landfill.
We backed Carba to scale a high-durability carbon removal method that turns overlooked waste into climate value—expanding our biochar portfolio while accelerating commercially viable infrastructure in the U.S.
CarbonRun – Nova Scotia, Canada | River alkalinity enhancement
CarbonRun is pioneering a nature-inspired approach that restores river chemistry to boost carbon drawdown and ocean storage. Their method builds on decades of proven practice in Scandinavia, adapted for carbon removal with long-term durability.
We backed CarbonRun to accelerate a promising new carbon removal pathway, while expanding our portfolio’s geographic reach and supporting an innovative approach with strong community ties and global potential.
Deep Sky – Montreal, Canada | Direct air capture
Deep Sky is Canada’s first carbon removal project developer building large-scale direct air capture (DAC) infrastructure to accelerate scale and lower costs. Their model is technology-agnostic, providing a platform for testing, optimizing, and deploying a range of DAC technologies alongside secure underground storage.
We backed Deep Sky to support a scalable hub model in Canada, helping to unlock national climate investment while diversifying our portfolio’s geographic footprint and accelerating industrial DAC readiness.
Eion – Berkeley, California, USA | Enhanced rock weathering
Eion partners with farmers to spread finely ground silicate minerals on croplands, accelerating a natural process that captures carbon while delivering agricultural benefits like improved soil health and reduced nitrate runoff. Their field-proven approach is independently verifiable and backed by patented measurement technology.
We backed Eion to support a scalable solution with strong rural and agricultural ties, expanding the diversity of carbon removal methods in our portfolio while helping drive durable, verifiable carbon removal at meaningful scale.
NY Carbon – Hudson Valley, New York, USA | Biochar
This is our first grant-funded carbon removal project: a community-led effort piloting biochar across 15 farms in New York’s Hudson Valley. NY Carbon is supplying the biochar, while a coalition of local organizations and Cornell Cooperative Extension will lead soil testing, farmer training, and public reporting—coordinated by Four Corners Carbon Coalition.
We backed this pilot to explore how regional carbon removal can scale from the ground up, while expanding our portfolio into biochar and supporting a model designed to replicate in communities nationwide.
Pyrogen – Nairobi, Kenya | Biochar
Pyrogen is pioneering a circular model that combines biochar production with sustainable building materials. By transforming invasive biomass into biochar and embedding it in concrete blocks, they’re creating durable carbon storage while addressing environmental and economic challenges in Kenya.
We backed Pyrogen to support an innovative solution with local benefits and global potential—turning waste into infrastructure and expanding carbon removal pathways in underrepresented regions.
Recoolit – Jakarta, Indonesia | Refrigerant recovery
Recoolit prevents potent refrigerants from leaking into the atmosphere by collecting, transporting, and permanently destroying them before they escape from appliances and air conditioners. Focused on Southeast Asia, where emissions from refrigerants are growing rapidly, Recoolit combines climate impact with job creation through a tech-enabled, local-first collection network.
We backed Recoolit to support a high-impact, measurable removal pathway in a critical emerging market, advancing both environmental and global diversification in our portfolio.
Sinkco Labs – New York, New York, USA | Ocean-based biomass burial
Sinkco Labs is developing a novel ocean-based carbon removal solution that injects biomass deep below the seafloor, where it becomes locked away for millennia. By combining nature’s scalability with high-integrity monitoring, their approach offers durable, cost-effective carbon storage and co-benefits for coastal ecosystems.
We backed SinkCo Labs to help accelerate their first commercial deployments and validate a promising new method that expands both the pathways and geographic diversity of our portfolio.
Terraton – San Francisco, California, USA | Biochar
Terraton helps local operators in emerging markets launch carbon removal facilities quickly and cost-effectively by combining existing pyrolysis technology with an easy-to-use software platform. Their early projects will partner with agricultural businesses in Africa and Latin America to convert crop waste into biochar, improving soil health while removing carbon from the atmosphere.
We backed Terraton to support scalable, locally driven projects that create rural economic benefits and unlock a fast, replicable model for biochar-based carbon removal around the world.
Tradewater – Chicago, Illinois, USA | Methane abatement & refrigerant destruction
Tradewater targets superpollutants like methane and legacy refrigerants—greenhouse gases many times more potent than CO₂—and permanently prevents their release into the atmosphere. By collecting, controlling, and destroying legacy Halocarbons, and plugging actively leaking orphaned oil and gas wells, their work delivers immediate climate impact, environmental remediation, and public health benefits.
This pilot purchase allows us to explore how high-integrity mitigation of non-CO₂ gases could complement our carbon removal strategy, supporting critical near-term reductions while maintaining our focus on rigor and credibility.
UNDO – London, United Kingdom | Enhanced rock weathering
UNDO accelerates a natural process by spreading crushed silicate rocks on farmland to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere and store it for millennia. Their model focuses on local operations, rigorous measurement, and strong farmer partnerships, with an emphasis on scaling efficiently.
We backed UNDO to expand our portfolio’s coverage of land-based carbon removal, supporting a leading team with scientific rigor and potential for gigaton-scale impact through agricultural adoption.
We're here to help carbon removal scale smarter, faster, and more equitably—and this latest round is just the beginning.
Advisors and foundation teams: we’re happy to provide additional briefing materials upon request.
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