Funding Round attributes
SeaO₂, a Dutch startup specializing in carbon dioxide (CO₂) removal from seawater, has raised €2 million in its latest funding round. The investment was led by DOEN Participaties, with additional support from NEW-TTT fund, Future Tech Ventures, and angel investors Eduard Talman and Siddharth Kambe. This funding will facilitate SeaO₂’s transition from prototype development to a pilot plant, strengthening its mission to help combat climate change by extracting CO₂ from seawater through advanced electrochemical technology.
Founded in 2021 by Ruben Brands, Rose Sharifian, and David Vermaas, SeaO₂ employs an electrochemical process to remove CO₂ from seawater, converting it into a form that can be safely stored or reused. By returning carbon-free water to the ocean, SeaO₂ enhances the ocean’s ability to absorb additional CO₂ from the atmosphere, making the solution particularly valuable in efforts to mitigate global warming.
The recent investment will allow SeaO₂ to build a pilot plant expected to capture approximately 250 tons of CO₂ per year. Scheduled for launch in mid-2025, the pilot plant represents a significant step towards SeaO₂’s ambitious goals of removing one megaton of CO₂ by 2030 and a gigaton by 2045. Ruben Brands, CEO and co-founder of SeaO₂, emphasized the importance of this funding milestone. “This investment recognizes our team’s hard work and dedication. With this extra support, we can scale our operations and accelerate our impact on climate change even more rapidly,” he said.
SeaO₂ has established strategic partnerships with key organizations, including XPRIZE Carbon Removal, TU Delft, Wetsus, and Redstack, positioning itself within a network of innovation in carbon capture and removal. These collaborations will aid in the development of SeaO₂’s technology and support its efforts to reach a commercial scale. Notably, the company has also participated in several accelerator programs like CEEZER, AirMiners, and the PortXL program, gaining insights and resources critical to its growth trajectory.
DOEN Participaties, a Dutch impact investor focused on sustainable ventures, expressed confidence in SeaO₂’s mission. A representative stated, “We are investing in SeaO₂ because current carbon removal methods are not yet effective at the required scale. Therefore, innovations like SeaO₂ are urgently needed, and funding is essential to drive the sector forward and unlock its potential for global impact.”
The pilot project will also help SeaO₂ refine a comprehensive Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system, ensuring accuracy in the measurement of CO₂ removal and supporting the company’s commitments to transparency and accountability in its environmental impact.
