We’re excited to announce our newest member of our portfolio and the latest First Bite investment, Carbonaught.
Turning rocks into carbon removing fertiliser
Enhanced rock weathering isn't a new concept.
As rock such as basalt breaks down and reacts with water and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it releases nutrients like calcium, magnesium and potassium that help plants grow, and reduces acidity which increases soil health.
Indeed for centuries, farmers have observed the benefits of volcanic ash for soil health and reduced need for fertilisers.
And importantly - the entire process absorbs carbon dioxide permanently from the atmosphere by ultimately forming stable carbonate minerals - a real boon to the climate.
Untapped potential
There have been major challenges holding enhanced rock weathering back from wide scale adoption though:
1. The complexity of coordinating mines and quarries, farmers, growers and end buyers to make the whole process viable
2. Trustworthy measurement and verification, to ensure the the benefits are realised in practice, not just on paper
3. Proving that effects are fast and large enough to justify farmers adding it to their operations
That’s where our new investment Carbonaught comes into play.
A platform for a sustainable food system
The team, led by Andrew Pedley (CEO) and James Lyons, PhD (CTO) hail from a mining technology and machine learning background, with expertise in geology and soil science.
With this unique experience and hard-won learnings, they have built a compelling platform that:
- facilitates efficient sourcing and distribution of crushed basalt
- provides modelling and application guidance for farmers on their sites
- brings deep measurement and verification to validate emissions and soil benefits
- adds a marketplace connecting growers together with buyers of the low-emission crops
In short, rock providers gain additional revenue, growers get better yields, soil health and savings on costly fertilisers, buyers get verified lower emission products - all in timeframes that make sense financially.
Collaboration not confrontation
At Better Bite, we believe in solutions that work with growers, not against them.
Carbonaught's approach does exactly this. By providing farmers with practical and profitable ways to improve their margins and participate in the carbon market, they're enabling a system where all parties win.
First Bite into a Global Opportunity
This investment also marks another entrant to our early-stage First Bite initiative, where Better Bite supports small innovative teams anywhere from idea to early prototyping and validation stage.
With some exciting early trials both in Australia (starting with the sugarcane industry) and the US, we’re excited about Carbonaught’s global potential.
We're looking forward to seeing the team helping make enhanced rock weathering a core part of the global agricultural system, and in the process taking a real bite out of fertiliser emissions and atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Rock on, Carbonaught!
Learn more: https://www.carbonaught.io