Prelude Ventures invests in and supports early-stage startups with the greatest potential to mitigate climate change. Our goal is to help build the next generation of category-defining businesses.

Prelude Ventures

Carbon Direct Capital provides selective investment in growth-stage carbon management companies to drive climate impact and financial returns. It specializes in investing with a science-focused approach that maximizes climate impact and financial returns.

Carbon Direct Capital

Breakthrough Energy Ventures is an investor-led fund made up of members of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, guided by scientific and technological expertise and committed to investing patiently in developing new ways to live, eat, travel, and build. Breakthrough Energy Ventures provides reliable and affordable power without contributing to climate change. Breakthrough Energy invests in new technologies that make power reliable and affordable for everyone while not warming the planet.

Breakthrough Energy Ventures

Overture VC provides investment capital and actionable government strategies for its startups. It invests in the visionaries working toward our sustainable future. It specializes in helping early-stage climate-tech startups navigate government and regulatory complexity. The firm was founded in 2021 and is based in Los Angeles, California.

Overture VC

Graphyte

Graphyte offers carbon removal services by utilizing a carbon casting technology.

Graphyte is a carbon removal startup that was incubated by Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures. The company utilizes a ‘Carbon Casting’ process for carbon removal which starts from photosynthesis. Its technology leverages biomass from farm and forest waste to capture CO2 for permanent sequestration. Graphyte aims to hinder the microbes and water that cause biomass decomposition, by drying microbes and building impermeable barriers that prevent water and gas from restarting the decomposition. The company will pack the waste into carbon blocks, encase them in a polymer barrier, and bury them underground. In addition, Graphyte will maintain underground storage facilities equipped with sensors and tracers to monitor carbon sequestration.

Clear the air on carbon capture, reuse, and storage

Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage (CCUS)

Graphyte is a carbon removal startup that was incubated by Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures. The company utilizes a ‘Carbon Casting’ process for carbon removal which starts from photosynthesis. Its technology leverages biomass from farm and forest waste to capture CO2 for permanent sequestration. Graphyte aims to hinder the microbes and water that cause biomass decomposition, by drying microbes and building impermeable barriers that prevent water and gas from restarting the decomposition. The company will pack the waste into carbon blocks, encase them in a polymer barrier, and bury them underground. In addition, Graphyte will maintain underground storage facilities equipped with sensors and tracers to monitor carbon sequestration.The company expects to manufacture the bio-bricks at its Loblolly facility in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, from February 2024. Graphyte expects to capture carbon for USD 100 per ton by 2025. It also <a href="https://www.eenews.net/articles/exclusive-worlds-largest-carbon-removal-plant-is-about-to-open/">plans</a> to remove 15,000 tons of CO2 by 2024 and remove an additional 50,000 tons in 2025.Key customers and partnershipsIn November 2023, Graphyte partnered with <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/24418">American Airlines</a> for a carbon removal agreement of 10,000 tons to be delivered in early 2025 to reach the latter’s net-zero emissions goal by 2050.

Prometheus follows a next-gen electro-chemical-based approach to convert CO2 into carbon-neutral fuel using renewable energy and carbon nanotubes. Industrial fans suck ambient air and blow it across a waterfall that absorbs CO2 and additional water. The electricity “charges” and “energizes” captured carbon with hydrogen molecules from water to create long-chain alcohols. Alcohols are then harvested using a special type of membrane called the Maxwell Core. Its pores are carbon nanotubes, which allow alcohol through while rejecting water. A final catalyst step combines the alcohols and recovers water. The company claims that it is the only one in the world that can separate alcohol from water economically. This step can be customized to produce gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel.In <a href="https://prometheusfuels.com/news/our-finished-commercial-scale-stack-design-unlocks-lowest-cost-fuel">October 2022</a>, Prometheus completed the design of the commercial-scale cell and stack Titan Fuel Forge.Key customers and partnershipsIn June 2019, Prometheus partnered with Boom Supersonic (a company building the world’s fastest supersonic airliner) to supply carbon-neutral fuel for the flight test program of one of its demonstrator aircraft scheduled for 2021. In July 2021, the company entered into a purchase agreement with American Airlines to supply 10 million gallons of carbon-neutral jet fuel.Funding and financialsIn September 2021, Prometheus raised an undisclosed amount in a Series B funding round led by Maersk, Metaplanet, and BMW i Ventures. In June 2020, BMW i Ventures also announced an investment of USD 12.5 million into Prometheus.

Prometheus Fuels

UK-based Storegga Geotechnologies (Storegga) provides carbon capture and storage (CCS) solutions for energy-intensive sectors such as petrochemicals, agriculture, and airlines. In July 2020, Storegga acquired Pale Blue Dot Energy (PBDE), through which the company became the lead developer of the Acorn CCS Project (the UK’s first large-scale carbon capture project). In August 2022, Storegga launched a new entity <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/11990">“Storegga Americas” </a>to explore clean fuel opportunities and to scale up its operations across the US, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean.Key customers and partnershipsIn June 2021, Storegga partnered with Carbon Engineering, a Canadian direct air capture (DAC) startup, to initiate engineering and designing a new facility in North East Scotland, which could remove between 500,000 and one million metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually. The project was backed by a UK government grant of GBP 249,000 received in May 2021. In July 2021, Acorn CCS signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with SEGAL and FUKA gas terminals to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from its operations. The two gas terminals will become the first customers for Acorn CCS. In August 2021, Storegga signed an MoU with Virgin Atlantic to secure the airline as an early customer.&nbsp;In March 2022, Storegga <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/9378">partnered</a> with Mitsui to commercialize its proprietary DAC technology. In June 2022, the company signed an MoU with <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/11230">Aker Carbon Capture</a> to deploy CCS projects in the UK. Other partners include Sval Energi, Talos Energy, Freeport LNG and <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10230">ScottishPower</a>.In August 2023, Storegga together with Sval Energi, a Norwegian energy provider, and Neptune Energy, a UK-based oil and gas explorer, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/21191">secured</a> their <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16698">previously applied</a> CO2 storage license to develop the Trudvang CCS project in the Norwegian North Sea. In October 2023, the company signed an MOU with <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/22815">Svante</a> to develop CCUS projects by combining Svante's carbon capture and removal filter technology and Storegga's CO2 transportation and storage expertise. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/32814">August 2024</a>, the company partnered with PETRONAS and ADNOC to evaluate offshore CO2 storage capabilities in Malaysia.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Funding and financialsStoregga’s <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10468">most recent </a>funding round was in May 2022, when it raised GBP 51.3 million (USD 63.9 million) in its third funding round, led by Snam. In March 2021, Storegga raised an undisclosed amount from a funding round led by GIC, Mitsui &amp; Co, and Macquarie Group to deploy a DAC facility in the UK.

Storegga Geotechnologies

Carbfix is an Icelandic carbon sequestration company that stores captured carbon dioxide (CO2) permanently underground. During the pilot phase of Carbfix, findings revealed that over 95% of the injected carbon dioxide mineralized within two years, in contrast to the previous understanding that it would take several hundred or thousands of years. Carbfix began as an academic-industrial research project in 2007 and was established as a subsidiary of Reykjavik Energy (OR), an Icelandic geothermal company, in 2019. Carbfix was spun out of OR in January 2020.As the technology requires vast amounts of water to dissolve carbon dioxide, in June 2021, Carbfix’s technology was validated to be used with seawater—applicable in regions where fresh water is scarce. The use of seawater with Carbfix’s technology is experimental, with a field pilot project scheduled in Iceland for 2022.Key customers and partnershipsIn August 2020, Climeworks, a Swiss company specializing in direct air capture (DAC) technology, along with ON Power, a Swiss geothermal energy provider, signed an agreement with Carbfix to scale up CO2 removal and storage. From September 2021, the new facility, located in Iceland, is expected to remove 4,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere per year. In 2017, Climeworks and Carbfix also partnered to operate a small-scale DAC and storage facility of 900 metric tons per year, also in Iceland.In July 2021, Aker Carbon Capture, a Norwegian carbon capture company, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Carbfix to collaborate on cost-efficient carbon capture and storage solutions. Elkem, a Norwegian environmentally responsible manufacturer of materials, has also partnered with Carbfix to reduce emissions of its alloys plant in Grundartangi, Iceland.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/21311">August 2023</a>, the company partnered with the University of Edinburgh (UoE) and the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre to evaluate CO2 mineralization in Iceland. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/23535">November 2023</a>, Carbfix injected dissolved CO2 in seawater underground in partnership with the universities of Geneva and Switzerland, Iceland GeoSurvey (ISOR), and University College London.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/28975">April 2024</a>, Carbfix partnered with Deep Sky, a Canadian carbon removal project developer to explore potential CO2 mineral storage options in Canada.Funding and financialsIn July 2022, Carbfix was awarded a grant of ISK 16 billion (USD 117 million) from the EU Innovation Fund for the deployment of its Code Terminal project (a CO2 transport and storage hub) to capture 3,000,000 tons of CO2 per annum by 2031.

Carbfix

Global Thermostat specializes in Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. The company employs a proprietary process using amine-based adsorbents to capture CO2, which is then concentrated for various applications, including storage and conversion into fuels, chemicals, and other products. This technology aims to transform CO2 from a climate liability into a valuable resource, contributing to a circular carbon economy​In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/29707">May 2024</a>, the company was acquired by Zero Carbon Systems, a developer of CO2 removal technologies, for an undisclosed sum.Key customers and partnershipsAs of August 2021, Global Thermostat had two pilot facilities in California and Alabama, each with the capacity to remove 3,000–4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. Since 2019, Global Thermostat has been in a partnership with ExxonMobil to scale commercially.In April 2023, Global Thermostat unveiled one of the world’s largest DAC units that permanently captures CO2 from the atmosphere. The unit had been under trial since the end of 2022, capturing 1,000 tons of CO2 per annum at the company’s US headquarters in Commerce City, Colorado. The DAC unit launched was a commercial-scale demonstration, with the company taking on pre-orders for DAC systems.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/26251">February 2024</a>, the company commissioned its first containerized T-Series system for the multi-ton scale DAC, with two microalgae producers, MicroBio Engineering Inc and Cyanotech Corporation, using this system to improve the production of microalgae biomass for renewable fuels in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.Funding and financialsMost recently in May 2023, the company received an undisclosed investment from Sumitomo Corporation, via its US-based venture arm Presidio Ventures. The two companies had also signed a letter of intent (LoI) to identify and develop CCS projects globally.

Global Thermostat

Remora’s devices capture carbon emissions directly from truck tailpipes. They can be fitted onto tailpipes of existing trucks to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) for 600–1,200 miles before an offload. Remora’s solution was initially funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and tested at the agency’s National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Lab.The company’s technology has a capture efficiency of 80% and can offload the captured CO2 while refueling—to be sold to concrete producers and other end users. The proceeds from the sale of CO2 are expected to be shared across fleet owners and customers once commercialized. Funding and financialsIn February 2024, the company raised an undisclosed amount in a Series A funding round led by Voyager Ventures.&nbsp; Key competitors: None comparable (Remora is the only startup that captures carbon from truck tailpipes)

Remora

Solutions that capture CO2 from flue-gas stacks including both industrial stacks and vehicle tailpipes.

Solutions that capture CO2 from ambient air, including from indoor spaces.

Solutions that “recycle” captured CO2 to produce commercial products other than sustainable fuel, such as proteins, plastics, building materials, etc.

Solutions that permanently store captured CO2 underground.

Solutions that “recycle” captured CO2 to produce sustainable fuels

Recycles captured CO2 emissions to produce sustainable fuels and other products

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

<div>
 Breakthrough Energy Ventures-incubated startup Graphyte has secured USD 30 million in a Series A funding round. The round was co-led by Prelude Ventures and Carbon Direct Capital, along with participation from existing investors Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) and Overture.
 Graphyte will utilise the funds to accelerate its CO2 capture technology and boost its carbon removal operations. It also plans to employ part of the funds in establishing four carbon removal facilities by 2026. These facilities are intended to eliminate over 5 million tons of CO2 annually by 2030.
 Graphyte has started operations in Arkansas with an aim to hit a capacity of 50,000 tons of CO2 removal per year by early 2025.
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 Previously, in <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/24418"> November 2023 </a> , Graphyte and American Airlines entered into a 10,000-ton carbon removal agreement to be delivered in early 2025. These carbon removal credits will originate from Graphyte’s first commercial facility in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, which is now operational.

Graphyte

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