Direct Air Capture 'Octavia Carbon' Secures $3.9M for Carbon Removal Tech

Octavia Carbon founders (L-R): Duncan Kariuki and Martin Freimülle

As global pressure for climate action intensifies, innovative technologies are emerging to tackle greenhouse gas emissions. In Africa, Kenya-based startup Octavia Carbon is at the forefront, using Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The startup, founded two years ago, is working on scaling its carbon removal operations.

After starting carbon capture operations in February, Octavia now plans to expand its capacity beyond its current two machines, which capture 50 tonnes of carbon annually. The startup is poised for growth following a successful $3.9 million seed round and $1.1 million in advance sales of carbon credits. The funding round was co-led by Lateral Frontiers and E4E Africa, with participation from other investors including Catalyst Fund and Launch Africa.

Octavia's co-founder and CEO, Martin Freimüller, stated that the company aims to reach a carbon capture capacity of 1,500 tonnes annually by 2025. Partnering with Cella Mineral Storage, Octavia will store captured carbon underground, where it will be injected into volcanic rock to form stable minerals like limestone.

The startup expects its first batch of captured carbon to be injected underground before the year ends, marking one of the world’s first projects to convert captured carbon into rock.

Source: Annie Njanja / TechCrunch