California-based company Terradot, with an impressive $58.2 million in funding, is setting a bold path to tackle one of humanity’s greatest challenges: climate change. Founded in 2022 at Stanford University, Terradot is uniting leading minds in science, technology, and climate to scale Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) as a cornerstone of global carbon removal efforts. By leveraging the natural process of rock weathering to remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere, the company is not only addressing climate change but also improving soil health for farmers worldwide.
Transforming Science into Solutions
Enhanced rock weathering is the heart of Terradot’s mission. By spreading finely crushed basalt rock over agricultural lands, ERW accelerates a natural chemical reaction that locks CO₂ into stable mineral forms. As this process unfolds, the basalt releases nutrients into the soil, enriching its quality and reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers. This dual benefit—climate impact and agricultural enhancement—places ERW at the intersection of global sustainability and food security.
Terradot is not just experimenting; it is scaling. The company has already signed agreements to remove nearly 300,000 tonnes of CO₂, the largest volume of carbon removal ever sold by an ERW company. These include a $27 million, 90,000-tonne purchase from Frontier buyers such as Google, Stripe, and Shopify for delivery between 2025 and 2029. Google has further committed to a separate 200,000-tonne deal, marking its largest-ever single investment in a carbon dioxide removal solution.
“To unlock enhanced rock weathering as a useful tool for CO2 removal, we need to deploy it at scale and learn how to measure the results rigorously using real-world data. Terradot is well-positioned to do that work in an especially promising geography, and we’re excited to support them to help deliver significant amounts of CO2 removal both for Google’s net zero goal and for the planet.” Randy Spock, Carbon Credits & Removals Lead for Google
A Vision Backed by Expertise and Investment
With $4.2 million in seed funding and a $54 million Series A round, Terradot is powered by an impressive lineup of investors. These include tech giants Microsoft and Google, prominent venture capitalists such as Kleiner Perkins and Floodgate, and industry leaders like John Doerr and Sheryl Sandberg. Notably, this marks the first direct investment in an ERW company by both Google and Microsoft, underscoring the transformative potential of Terradot’s approach.
Terradot’s founders bring a wealth of experience and vision. CEO James Kanoff previously co-founded The Farmlink Project, an innovative nonprofit tackling food insecurity. Sasankh Munukutla brings expertise in AI and climate solutions, while Scott Fendorf, a world-renowned soil scientist, contributes over 30 years of research experience. Joining them are Julia Marisa Sekula, a Brazilian climate author and former banker, and Connor Sendel, a climate-tech strategist. Together, they’ve built a team of leading scientists and operators, including experts with over 100,000 citations in earth and soil sciences.
“Terradot aims to deliver customers with cost-effective permanent carbon removal. With pioneers in the field, Terradot’s platform scales the ERW industry’s strongest scientific team to deliver gigatons (ie, billions of tons) of permanent CO₂ removal this decade. Terradot is tackling climate change at the speed and scale it demands. This is the kind of leadership and innovation we need in the fight for our planet’s future.” John Doerr
Piloting Change in Brazil
Brazil has become a proving ground for Terradot’s vision. Its tropical soils, agricultural strength, and clean electricity matrix make it an ideal location for ERW. In partnership with EMBRAPA, Brazil’s premier agricultural research institution, Terradot is developing scalable ERW projects. Over the past year, the company has spread more than 48,000 tons of basalt rock across 1,800 hectares of farmland. Early results indicate that tropical conditions—high temperatures and humidity—enhance the weathering process, accelerating carbon removal and boosting soil health.
To reduce costs and complexity, Terradot is integrating ERW with existing agricultural operations, leveraging farmland near quarries to streamline logistics. These efforts are setting the stage for a scalable model that could expand across Brazil and beyond.
"ERW has the potential to remove billions of tons of CO₂ this decade. Realizing that potential demands overcoming major scientific, engineering, and operational challenges within a tight timeline. We founded Terradot to do the improbable: to solve these challenges and transform Earth’s natural processes into a global carbon removal solution." James Kanoff, CEO of Terradot
Innovating Precision for Scale
One of the most significant challenges in carbon removal is verifying its effectiveness. To address this, Terradot is developing cutting-edge monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) tools. These include soil core analysis, reactive transport models, and watershed-level measurements, enabling high-quality carbon quantification at scale. By combining rigorous science with innovative technology, Terradot is laying the groundwork for global deployment.
A Global Mission
Terradot’s ambition extends far beyond Brazil. With a vision to remove billions of tons of CO₂ within the next decade, the company is working to transform ERW into a globally integrated solution. Its digital platform, designed to optimize carbon intake and ensure precise monitoring, is central to this effort. By making ERW cost-effective and accessible, Terradot aims to integrate this process into agricultural and industrial systems worldwide.
A Catalyst for Change
As the world grapples with the urgent need for climate action, Terradot is demonstrating how innovation, science, and collaboration can converge to create meaningful solutions. The company’s achievements to date—unprecedented funding, groundbreaking partnerships, and early operational success—are a testament to its potential to reshape the future of carbon removal and agriculture.
Terradot’s work is not just about removing carbon from the atmosphere; it is about planting the seeds of a sustainable, resilient future. With its team of world-class experts and unwavering commitment to scalability and impact, Terradot is poised to lead the charge in turning the earth’s natural processes into a global force for change.
Comentarios