Climate Insider Brief:
- Captura has secured an additional $21.5 million in Series A funding to further develop and commercialize its Direct Ocean Capture (DOC) technology.
- The expanded funding round includes new investors such as Maersk Growth, Eni Next, and EDP Ventures, bringing expertise in shipping and logistics, energy, and utilities.
- Existing backers, including Future Planet Capital, Equinor Ventures, and others, also reinvested. The strategic partnerships aim to leverage the diverse knowledge base to propel Captura’s technology pilot program and design work for commercial plants.
PRESS RELEASE – January 22, 2024 – Today, Captura announced it expanded its Series A funding round to raise an additional US$21.5 million to commercialize its Direct Ocean Capture (DOC) technology that harnesses the power of the ocean to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.
Maersk Growth, Eni Next, and EDP Ventures came aboard as new investors in the round, bringing expertise across shipping and logistics, energy, and utilities to Captura’s team. Many of Captura’s existing backers also re-invested, including Future Planet Capital who led the expanded round, Equinor Ventures, Freeflow Ventures, Hitachi Ventures, Aramco Ventures, mTerra Ventures, and EIC Rose Rock Venture Fund.
Captura raised an initial US$12M in January 2023 and increased its Series A financing to reflect growing momentum as the company progresses its technology pilot program and begins design work for commercial plants. Captura has two operational pilot plants in California and is developing its third in partnership with Equinor. This plant has a capture capacity of 1000 tons of CO2 annually and is planned to be installed in Norway in Fall, 2024. Following this pilot, Captura plans to move into large-scale commercial deployments with early plants capturing tens of thousands of tons of CO2 or more annually.
These plants will use Captura’s unique DOC technology that captures CO2 from the ocean so it can be permanently stored or turned into lower GHG emission fuel or other products. Removing CO2 from the ocean using DOC amplifies the ocean’s natural capability as a carbon sink, creating capacity for an additional drawdown of CO2 from the atmosphere.
The result of the process is removal of atmospheric CO2 via the ocean, without adding anything to the ocean. With CO2 roughly 150 times more concentrated volumetrically in the ocean compared to air, this provides an inherently scalable and efficient way to remove excess atmospheric CO2.
Maersk has a 2040 target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions and aims to transport a minimum of 25% of ocean cargo using green fuels by 2030. As part of these ambitious targets, Maersk Growth has committed to invest in and partner with a variety of green fuel and greenhouse gas reduction solutions.
“Maersk Growth is actively looking for promising startups in the Energy Transition space who can enable and accelerate the journey towards net-zero shipping and logistics,” says Ida Christine Brun, Head of External Innovation and Ecosystem Engagement at Maersk Growth. “Captura has developed a promising technology, and we are looking forward to joining forces with them.”
Eni Next, the corporate venture capital arm of Eni, invests in high-growth start-ups with the most innovative, disruptive and scalable technologies to accelerate the energy transition toward a zero-carbon future.
“Eni Next is looking for new technological solutions leading towards energy transition and Captura represents an example of an innovative company we aim to support. We believe that the Direct Ocean Capture (DOC) technology has the potential to provide a meaningful contribution to reach net zero,” said Clara Andreoletti, President and CEO of Eni Next.
EDP have stated a commitment to have 100% renewables generation by 2030 and Net Zero emissions by 2040. With a goal to support and stimulate the open innovation process in the energy sector, EDP Ventures – as the strategic venture arm of EDP Group – invests in early-stage tech startups with the potential to impact the lives of millions of people.
“A greener, safer, and more sustainable world begins with unwavering commitments from those dedicated to leading the energy transition. EDP has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040 and we are thrilled to collaborate with Captura in their mission to scale carbon removal. It’s becoming increasingly important to include carbon removal technologies as a part of a net-zero strategy, and Captura stands out as the leading player in this promising field. At EDP Ventures, we are delighted to contribute to this transformative journey,” said Luís Manuel, Executive Board Member of EDP Innovation and Managing Partner at EDP Ventures.
“This past year, Captura has made remarkable strides on our path to commercialization,” said Steve Oldham, CEO of Captura. “As we work to advance both our technology and business, we’re thrilled to welcome investment from industry-leading companies like Maersk, Eni Next, and EDP, and to have the continued support of our existing investors. With our growing network of deployment partners and investors, and the success of our technology pilot program, Captura is now well-positioned to bring our technology to market and deliver climate solutions at meaningful scale.”
About Maersk Growth:
Maersk Growth is the global partner for external innovation at A.P. Moller – Maersk on a mission to digitise, democratise, and decarbonise supply chains, investing in and partnering with promising startups to support new business models and technologies.
About Eni Next:
Eni Next is Eni’s Corporate Venture Capital company, created to integrate corporate research, carried out by internal and external researchers and in joint projects with other partners, with open innovation, enhancing the value of dynamic and innovative start-ups through early-stage financing and successive capital increases.
In particular, Eni Next evaluates and invests in companies developing technologies with a lower carbon footprint for energy production, improved efficiency for industrial operations and digital solutions.
About EDP:
EDP is one of the largest renewable energy producers in the world, with a global and distinctive portfolio of assets across hydro, onshore wind and solar, as well as offshore wind. It started this journey 3 decades ago in Europe and has since then scaled up across 30 countries in North America, South America and APAC. The company is reimagining the energy sector and driving a massive acceleration to meet the urgent need for cleaner, more reliable, and affordable energy for all, leaving no one behind. That is why EDP has the ambitious commitment of investing more than €25 billion in the energy transition by 2026, as well as deploying 4.5GW/year of renewables between 2023-2026 and doubling its wind and solar installed capacity by 2026. Being the strategic venture capital arm of the group, EDP Ventures actively supports this green energy revolution.
About Captura:
Captura is a Direct Ocean Capture company headquartered in Pasadena, California. Captura combines innovative technology with the natural carbon removal powers of the ocean to remove CO2 from the atmosphere at large scale and low-cost, providing a critical capability in the fight against climate change. Captura was founded at Caltech and its solution has been validated and supported by the Musk Foundation’s Carbon Removal XPRIZE, the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E, and Frontier Climate. For more information, visit www.capturacorp.com.
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SOURCE: GlobeNewswire
Featured Image: Credit: Captura
