Chosen by an external jury from over a hundred submissions, these startups will embark on the 10-week Foundations phase of the programme, receiving a €5,000 grant upon successful completion. remove, alongside its partners, will offer intensive support to these early-stage founders, including personalised coaching from remove's co-founders, and expert-led sessions on crucial topics like CDR policy, life cycle assessment, and fundraising.

To date, remove has facilitated the acceleration of over 120 CDR startups, which have collectively attracted over €200m in funding and generated more than 1,300 jobs in the CDR sector, maintaining a startup survival rate of over 93%.

The new cohort includes 16 startups introducing innovative CDR technologies and methods, four developing projects with existing technologies, and one dedicated to CDR enablement. The cohort features a range of CDR methods, with biochar carbon removal and direct air carbon capture and storage being the most common.

Notably, 20% of the founders in this cohort are women, raising the proportion of female-led startups accelerated by remove to nearly a third (30%), almost triple the industry norm.

Commenting on the new cohort, Marian Krueger Co-Founder & Managing Director at remove, said: “The CDR startups founded now will be the group of companies supplying the volumes of CO2 removal pivotal in helping businesses and governments to realise their net zero goals, and to meet global climate targets.

This is a huge challenge, and the sheer scale of the carbon removals we will need cannot be underestimated. In order to realise the required growth curves, this sector needs more investment and stronger policy support to help fund the start-ups and founders with solutions which can scale quickly. At remove, we’re seeking to drive this sector forward, channelling investment and expertise to founders to help them to go from launch to growth as fast as possible.”

The full list of 20 startups to enter foundations are:

• Calcin8 Technologies Limited (UK): Soil Carbon Sequestration
• Blusink (UK): Blue Carbon Management
• HyveGeo (UK): Biochar Carbon Removal
• CO2CO (UK): Biochar Carbon Removal
• ExoCarbon (UK): Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage
• Rement (DE): Enhanced Weathering
• PyroCCS GmbH (DE): MRV
• EcoLocked GmbH (DE): Biochar Carbon Removal
• RubisCO2 (DE): Biochar Carbon Removal
• RECOAL (CH): Terrestrial Biomass Storage
• Qaptis (CH): Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage
• Arrhenius (CH): Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage
• Underground Forest (NL): Terrestrial Biomass Storage
• Brineworks B.V. (NL): Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement
• Octavia Carbon (KEN): Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage
• Limenet (IT): Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement
• Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering (IE): Blue Carbon Management
• Olivine Tech Group Ltd (IE): Enhanced Weathering
• Captur Tower (ES): Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage
• Yama (FR): Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage