Climate tech startup Vycarb has secured US$5 million in seed funding to advance its novel approach to carbon capture and storage (CCS) using natural waters. SGInnovate is among the investors joining the round.
Led by Australia’s Twynam, the funding also saw participation from MOL Switch, Hatch Blue, Clocktower Ventures, Idemitsu, and SGInnovate, underscoring growing confidence in new solutions that combine scalability, permanence, and measurable impact in the fight against climate change.
With this new capital, Vycarb aims to accelerate commercialisation and expand its deployments globally, positioning its water-based CCS system as a critical enabler of industrial decarbonisation and a meaningful step toward a low-carbon future.
Vycarb’s system enables distributed CO₂ storage at the source, offering an alternative to conventional CCS methods that often rely on energy-intensive compression and transport infrastructure. By using readily available minerals, the company converts CO₂ from industrial or natural sources into dissolved bicarbonate within natural waters, a stable and abundant carbon storage lasting from 10 to over 100,000 years.
“The world urgently needs scalable carbon storage that’s permanent, measurable, and practical,” said Dr Garrett Boudinot, Founder and CEO of Vycarb.
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“Our mission is to make carbon capture and storage permanent, fully measurable, and scalable to address the urgency of the climate crisis. This investment enables us to further build our expert team and expand deployments at more sites worldwide, particularly where traditional carbon storage solutions are too expensive or infrastructure-intensive to be practical.”
Vycarb’s tech leverages existing water and coastal infrastructure, transforming it into a platform for climate action. The process removes carbon dioxide and helps reduce acidification in surrounding waters. Its sensor-driven system provides real-time measurement and verification of CO₂ capture and storage — a key feature as global standards for carbon credit integrity continue to evolve.
The company has conducted field demonstrations, including a major deployment at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City, where Vycarb is capturing and storing CO₂ in the East River.
Collaborations with partners such as at depth, a marine monitoring and verification leader, and TOMCO, a CO₂ management specialist, have reinforced the system’s ability to store low-concentration emissions cost-effectively and on-site.
“Decarbonising industry at scale demands bold solutions, and that’s exactly what Vycarb delivers,” said Johnny Kahlbetzer, CEO and Chair of Twynam. “Their system is elegant, effective, and deeply aligned with our vision to remove and permanently store CO₂ at breakthrough unit economics.”
For SGInnovate, the investment reflects its strategy to support deep tech ventures that translate scientific research into practical solutions with global relevance.
“Vycarb’s approach aligns with SGInnovate’s mission to back innovative companies turning research into tangible solutions,” said Hsien-Hui Tong, Executive Director – Investments at SGInnovate.
“With global demand for deployable, measurable carbon capture and storage technologies and Singapore’s goal of reaching net zero emissions, we are proud to support the Vycarb team as they scale their impact worldwide.”
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Image Credit: Marcin Jozwiak on Unsplash
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