Carbonfuture raises Series A led by SIX, existing investors

Freiburg, Germany – 19 September, 2024 

4impact capital’s portfolio company Carbonfuture raised an oversubscribed Series A round led by SIX Swiss Exchange with participation of existing investors, including 4impact capital. The Freiburg/Zurich/San Francisco-based company founded by Hannes Junginger and Matthias Ansorge in 2020 has since become a global leader in developing critical digital infrastructure for the carbon dioxide removal (CDR) market.

Lead investor SIX is a premier operator of stable and efficient infrastructure for financial markets. This funding and partnership with SIX highlights the critical need for a carbon removal market that is both trustworthy and scalable—one that turns the ambitious carbon removal goals needed to reach net zero into real, verifiable outcomes with the highest standards of integrity.

Carbonfuture was created to fill this gap by providing essential infrastructure needed to build a trustworthy and transparent carbon removal market thereby allowing it to scale globally. According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), six to ten gigatonnes of carbon removal will be required annually by 2050 to reach a net zero state. In order to scale to this level, the market must be built on data-driven transparency, independent verification, and accountability at every step of the carbon removal process.

“We saw that the carbon removal credit market lacked the robust infrastructure necessary to ensure integrity across the entire carbon removal lifecycle,” says Hannes Junginger-Gestrich, CEO of Carbonfuture. “That is why we built Carbonfuture to provide comprehensive and rigorous management of carbon removal from carbon capture to credit issuance. With the backing of our lead investor, SIX, in this Series A funding, we’re accelerating the development of our Carbonfuture MRV+ solution to ensure high-quality carbon removal credits that corporations can trust to meet their climate goals. Our mission is to facilitate the removal of gigatonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere with a focus on integrity, efficiency, and scale, ensuring these efforts have a real impact on the planet.”

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What Sets Carbonfuture Apart: Carbonfuture MRV+

The Series A investment will be strategically allocated to expand the Carbonfuture MRV+ (Monitoring, Reporting, Verification) solution, incorporating additional durable CDR technologies and enhancing efficiency and accuracy in the carbon removal market through digital innovation. Additionally, the funding will support Carbonfuture’s go-to-market strategies and global expansion efforts, including leveraging SIX’s extensive global network of clients to drive market maturity and accelerate revenue growth.

Carbonfuture’s MRV+ is market-leading due to its unparalleled value chain granularity, data-driven approach, and adaptability to both voluntary and compliance carbon markets. The system goes beyond standard MRV requirements by integrating Life Cycle Assessment data, enabling detailed tracking and analysis of carbon removal activities, which provides a deeper level of scrutiny and accuracy. Each carbon removal credit is independently verified by a third-party verifier. The system supports multiple independent standards and CDR technologies, making it a future-proof solution that can evolve with the industry.

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Building Trust and Credibility in the CDR Market

“Our investment in Carbonfuture represents a significant step into an emerging new asset class, reflecting our confidence in their ability to build the essential digital infrastructure for the carbon removal market with the highest standards of integrity and scalability. Carbonfuture is the ideal partner, thanks to their unique business model that spans the entire value chain and has earned the trust of both the suppliers and buyers,” states Bjørn Sibbern, Global Head Exchanges and SIX Executive Board Member. This investment in Carbonfuture is a clear signal of the growing importance of independent, digital MRV in the carbon removal market and marks a key milestone in Carbonfuture’s ambition to lead the next phase of market evolution.

Ali Najafbagy, Managing Partner of 4impact capital says “The unparalleled competence and innovation of Hannes, Matthias, and their team in CDR and financial markets put them in the best position to validate and scale this asset class of carbon removal credits globally. 4impact capital invested in the company in 2022 with the ambition of backing the future architects of an efficient, transparent, and impactful carbon market. The partnership with SIX as a leading global powerhouse of digital financial infrastructure brings us closer to that vision. We are thankful for SIX’s trust in the company and its group of shareholders and applaud SIX for continuing its culture of backing and building innovative digital financial infrastructure. We believe Carbonfuture makes the world a better place and are happy to continue supporting the company by participating in this financing round and supporting the business going forward.”

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About Carbonfuture 

Carbonfuture is the Trust Infrastructure for durable carbon removal. At its core is Carbonfuture MRV+, which provides a fully integrated, end-to-end solution for monitoring, reporting, and verification of carbon removal projects. Carbonfuture MRV+ supports the entire carbon removal lifecycle—from initial project support and due diligence to third-party verification and certification—ensuring the highest standards of integrity and transparency. Carbonfuture is the preferred partner for suppliers seeking an efficient path to certification and market access, as well as for buyers looking for de-risked portfolios of high-quality carbon removal credits. Carbonfuture are proud partners with leading climate pioneers such as Microsoft, Swiss Re, and the World Economic Forum’s First Movers Coalition.

For more information, please visit www.carbonfuture.earth.

Contact: Leila Toplic, Chief Communications and Trust Officer, Carbonfuture, leila@carbonfuture.earth

About 4impact capital

4impact capital is a prominent early-stage impact investor in European digital startups. 4impact capital supports passionate founders dedicated to advancing sustainability and creating measurable change, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the areas of Planet and People. Currently, 4impact capital is investing from its second fund with the goal to invest in around 25 companies that capitalize on the massive opportunity at the intersection of digitization and sustainability in Europe, focusing on the Benelux, DACH, and Nordics regions. 

Contact: connect@4impact.vc

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