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§ Private Profile · Paris, France
Climate-tech company decarbonizing rice farming using satellite AI for carbon credit MRV and sales on voluntary markets
Founded in 2022 by Vassily Carantino and James Hastwell, Paris-based CarbonFarm Technology is a climate-tech company utilizing satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to monitor, verify, and decarbonize global rice farming. The organization provides end-to-end measurement, reporting, and verification services to manage carbon certification and broker credit sales on voluntary carbon markets. This model enables participating agricultural producers to earn additional revenue through regenerative practices while supplying verified emissions offsets to large corporate buyers like Mars Food, Danone, and Ebro. Backed by investors including AgFunder and Climate Capital, the enterprise has raised €2.5 million ($2.6 million) in seed funding to scale operations across Vietnam, India, Spain, Portugal, and Ghana. Additionally, CarbonFarm serves as a verification provider for the UNDP's carbon project in Ghana and partners with prominent institutions like Cornell University and the European Space Agency.
CarbonFarm Technology has raised $2.7M across 2 funding rounds.
CarbonFarm Technology has raised $2.7M in total across 2 funding rounds.
CarbonFarm Technology has raised $2.7M in total across 2 funding rounds.
CarbonFarm Technology's investors include Makesense, Racine2, Serena Capital, AgFunder, Bpifrance, Climate Capital, Ponderosa Ventures, Techmind.
CarbonFarm Technology has raised $2.7M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $2.6M Seed in October 2023.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 26, 2023 | $2.6M Seed | Makesense, Racine2, Serena Capital | AgFunder, Bpifrance, Climate Capital, Ponderosa Ventures, Techmind | Announced |
| May 1, 2023 | $100K Seed | — | AgFunder | Announced |
CarbonFarm Technology is a Paris-based startup founded in 2021 that decarbonizes rice farming using satellite data and AI to monitor, verify, and certify emission reductions for carbon credits.[1][2][3] It serves smallholder rice farmers, agribusinesses, corporations like Danone and Mars, and organizations such as the UN Development Programme by providing end-to-end services: project design, Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV), certification with registries like Verra and Gold Standard, and credit sales.[2][3][4] This solves rice's high methane emissions (12% of global manmade methane) and water use (30% of freshwater withdrawals) through sustainable practices that cut emissions by 50%, save 38% water, and boost farmer profits by up to 20% annually.[1][3][4] With $2.71M raised in seed funding and wins like the 2024 Grow Asia Innovation Challenge, CarbonFarm shows strong early momentum, scaling projects like Vietnam's first rice decarbonization initiative for 2,000 Mekong Delta farmers.[1][5]
CarbonFarm was founded in 2021 by CEO Vassily Carantino and colleagues in Paris, France, targeting rice production—a sector few addressed for decarbonization despite its massive mitigation potential.[1][3] The idea emerged from recognizing rice's outsized climate impact and the need for trustworthy carbon credits, leveraging satellite tech for paddy-level monitoring when adoption was low.[3] Early traction came via partnerships with major players like the UNDP, Danone, and Mars; they've since handled Scope 3 emissions for rice buyers like Mars and Ebro, and supported the first Article 6.2 Paris Agreement rice methane project in Ghana.[3] A pivotal moment was winning the 2024 Grow Asia Innovation Challenge among 100 global entries, validating their AI-MRV approach for smallholders and accelerating Asia expansion.[5]
CarbonFarm rides the climate tech and carbon markets boom, targeting agriculture's 12% methane share from rice amid global net-zero pushes like Paris Agreement Article 6.[3][4] Timing aligns with rising demand for verifiable credits post-2021 scandals, plus smallholder focus (140M rice farmers) amid food security pressures from population growth and climate risks.[2][4][5] Market forces favor it: voluntary carbon market growth, corporate Scope 3 mandates, and Asia's rice dominance (e.g., Mekong Delta scaling).[3][5] It influences the ecosystem by pioneering rice decarbonization, boosting farmer incomes ($81M+ via partners like Grow Asia), enhancing trust in agtech MRV, and enabling nature-based solutions for water/emissions—potentially scaling to millions of smallholders.[1][5]
CarbonFarm is poised to dominate rice carbon credits, expanding from pilots (e.g., Vietnam's 2,000 farmers) to multi-country projects via Article 6.2 and wins like Grow Asia.[3][5] Trends like AI-satellite scaling, stricter MRV standards, and commodity-linked credits (e.g., rice buyers) will propel growth, with potential for 3.4M+ smallholder reach as seen in partners.[5] Influence may evolve into a full rice sustainability platform, blending profitability with climate impact—uniting the opening promise of transparent decarbonization for a greener ag future.[2][4]