Regenerative agriculture and carbon removal-focused startup CarbonZero.Eco, founded by 16-year old Harper Moss, announced that it has raised $3.5 million, with proceeds aimed at supporting its biochar-based projects to remove CO2 from the atmosphere while improving crop yields for farmers.

Based in Silicon Valley, CarbonZero.Eco was launched by Moss, reportedly driven by a “passion to make a positive impact on the planet,” and following engagement with experts in carbon capture and carbon offset. The company is focused on addressing an impending biochar shortage, in order to engage farmers in tackling regenerative farming and climate change, by allowing enhanced soil quality, increased crop yields, and revenue generation for farmers while mitigating CO2 emissions. Moss, CEO of CarbonZero.Eco, co-founded the company with tech entrepreneur Gregory Ray as CTO

Biochar, or biological charcoal, is produced by heating biomass, such as forest residue, wood or crop waste, in the absence of oxygen, creating a stable form of carbon, which when buried in soil enables centuries-long carbon sequestration, in addition to leading to improved soil fertility.

CarbonZero.Eco is currently developing its first biochar production site in Colusa County, California, and has signed deals worth $7 million with more than 300 almond farms in the area to convert up to 1.5 million tons of almond shells – which would normally decompose and release their carbon in to the atmosphere – into biochar. According to the company, the new facility will mitigate 1.5 million tons of CO2 emissions from waste breakdown.

The new facility is anticipated to open in April 2025, and to begin generating carbon removal certificates in the summer. The facility has passed a preliminary assessment by carbon crediting platform Puro.Earth, registering CarbonZero.eco as a biochar CO2 Removal Certificate supplier.

Moss said:

“Farmers are the beating heart of our country, yet haven’t been a big enough part of the carbon conversation before. Regenerative farming and carbon sequestration go hand in hand thanks to Biochar, and I am humbled that hundreds of farms trust us enough to partner with us on this journey.”

The seed funding round included investments from managers and executives at Google, Meta, Amazon and the CEOs of several late stage start-ups. Angel investor Rich Miner, co-founder of Android and former founding partner at Google Ventures, said:

“Harper’s passion, persistence and drive led her to start an amazing company tackling regenerative farming and carbon emissions at a critical time for both, and I am so excited to see how far she takes it along with Greg and the impressive team they have put together.”