Octavia Carbon is a technology company.
Octavia Carbon has raised $4.0M across 1 funding round.
Octavia Carbon has raised $4.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Octavia Carbon is a Nairobi-based climate technology company founded in 2022 that develops, manufactures, and deploys modular Direct Air Capture (DAC) systems to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere, targeting permanent geological storage or conversion into climate-neutral products.[1][2][5] It serves carbon credit buyers, industrial CO₂ users like floriculture, and sectors pursuing net-zero goals, solving the critical challenge of scalable, permanent carbon removal amid rising climate demands.[1][3][4] The company leverages Kenya's geothermal energy, basaltic geology, and renewable grid to drive down costs, with its pilot Project Hummingbird—the Global South's first DAC + Storage plant—set to remove 1,000 tons of CO₂ annually at full capacity, signaling strong early momentum through rapid iteration and partnerships.[2][4]
Octavia Carbon emerged from the vision of co-founders Kariuki and CEO Martin Freimüller, who independently explored carbon removal strategies to boost prosperity in Kenya.[4] Freimüller, who moved to Africa at age 16, partnered with Kariuki to capitalize on Kenya's geothermal resources, geology, and talent, leading to the company's 2022 founding in Nairobi.[1][4][5] A pivotal moment came with the decision to build proprietary DAC technology rather than rely on third parties, enabling a vertically integrated approach; they designed and commissioned their first pilot in just six months, followed by a second-generation unit twelve times more productive and 80% more efficient in manufacturing.[4] Early traction included prototype development, a minimum viable product with a paying customer, and backing from accelerators like Catalyst Fund and Third Derivative, accelerating deployment of Project Hummingbird in Kenya's Rift Valley.[3][4][6]
Octavia Carbon rides the explosive growth of Direct Air Capture, one of ~20 global players addressing the IPCC's call for gigaton-scale removals to meet net-zero by 2050, uniquely pioneering it in the Global South where low costs and endowments like Kenya's geology and renewables give it an edge over Northern competitors.[1][3][5] Timing aligns with surging carbon credit demand from corporates and policies like the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, plus Kenya's geothermal boom, positioning DAC as an enabler for energy sector expansion by utilizing waste heat.[3][5][7] Market forces favor it: cheap renewables (93% grid), fast-mineralizing basaltic rock, and a nascent circular carbon economy for CO₂-derived products, while influencing the ecosystem through job creation, green skills, and climate justice for climate-vulnerable regions.[3][4][5]
Octavia Carbon is poised to scale aggressively, with a second-generation plant featuring 4 DAC modules underway, targeting hundreds of thousands of tons removed by the early 2030s via replicated machines and industrial off-takers.[3][4] Trends like falling renewable costs, rising carbon pricing, and Global South manufacturing shifts will propel its low-cost model, potentially disrupting high-energy Northern DAC firms. Its influence may evolve from pioneer to ecosystem builder, exporting modular tech across Africa and fostering a green industrial hub in Kenya—turning climate liability into prosperity, much like its mission to restore the climate through local strengths.[2][5]
Octavia Carbon has raised $4.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Octavia Carbon's investors include Lateral Capital, Lateral Frontiers.
Octavia Carbon has raised $4.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $4.0M Seed in October 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2024 | $4.0M Seed | Lateral Capital, Lateral Frontiers |