What NCX does

NCX (Natural Capital Exchange, Inc.) is a Delaware-incorporated, San Francisco-headquartered digital marketplace that connects family forest owners with professional-grade analytics, expert forestry services, and emerging natural capital markets including timber, carbon credits, and conservation programs. The platform serves private landowners with forested properties ranging from 10 acres to multi-thousand-acre holdings, with detailed implementation services currently concentrated in six Southeast U.S. states (Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas) and general AI assistance available across the continental U.S. The company reports having analyzed over 30 million acres, served more than 40,000 landowners, and facilitated more than $20 million in payments to landowners through its marketplace.

The core technology stack combines machine learning models trained on satellite imagery, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data, and ecological datasets to power property valuation, 30-year timber value projections, and program eligibility scoring. The platform includes several proprietary tools: Sylvia (an AI-powered conversational forest guide), Forest Forecast, the Natural Capital Scorecard, Eligibility Maps, Loss Detection, and the Southern Pine Beetle Checkup. A Model-Assisted Remote Sensing Inventory approach combines plot-based cruising with satellite, aerial, and LiDAR data to reduce field sampling requirements at scale.

NCX operates a freemium-to-paid hybrid revenue model. Free tools (Sylvia, Forest Forecast, Scorecard, Eligibility Maps) drive top-of-funnel landowner acquisition. Paid monetization comes from three streams: (1) timber sale brokerage commissions facilitated by licensed NCX Foresters with payment processing through Dwolla, (2) à la carte Platform Services (drone imagery, advanced assessments, tax advisory connections) processed via Stripe, and (3) the NCX Membership subscription launched in September 2024. The company also partners with corporate buyers and the American Forest Foundation to channel landowners into carbon and conservation programs, and in 2026 signed an MOU with Nigeria's Rural Electrification Agency marking a first international government engagement.

Name

NCX

Legal name

Natural Capital Exchange, Inc.

Website

https://ncx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NCX operates a digital natural capital marketplace that gives family forest owners free AI-powered analytics (Sylvia, Forest Forecast) and connects them to paid timber, carbon, and conservation services across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forest Carbon Marketplace

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Timber Tract Operations (113110), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Forest Inventory, Mapping & Monitoring (GIS/Remote Sensing/MRV) (IMAMAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Carbon Market Data, Indexing & Price Reporting (Benchmarks, indices, market data feeds) (EUABAAAD), Carbon Accounting, Verification & Registry Services (MRV, Audits, Certification) (IMAMAJAE), Soil & Biomass Carbon Measurement (Soil Sampling, Forest Inventory, Blue Carbon) (EUABACAH), Carbon Market & Policy Advisory (Compliance Schemes, ETS Design, Article 6) (EUABADAA)

Keywords

• Forest carbon marketplace
• Natural capital exchange
• Timber sale brokerage
• Forest analytics platform
• Landowner advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Free Services - Platform Tools: NCX provides free tools including property value forecasts, market insights, analytics tools, and consultation with Sylvia the AI forest guide. These free services are designed to attract landowners and build trust before converting them to paid services.
2. Timber Sales Services: NCX provides timber sale planning, consulting, and brokerage services through licensed NCX Foresters. When landowners sell timber through NCX Timber, the company earns commissions as outlined in separate Consulting Agreements. The company connects landowners with Timber Buyers, facilitates competitive bidding, manages contracts, and processes payments through Dwolla.
3. Platform Services: A la carte paid services including drone imagery, advanced property assessments, tax advisory connections, and other services contracted through third-party Service Providers. Payments processed through Stripe.
4. NCX Membership: A subscription membership program launched in 2024 providing landowners with clarity, confidence, and peace of mind about their land through ongoing guidance and support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NCX operates a forest carbon marketplace platform that gives family forest landowners free AI-powered analytics (Sylvia chatbot, Forest Forecast) and connects them with paid implementation services, including timber sale brokerage by NCX Foresters, a la carte Platform Services (drone imagery, property assessments), and a subscription membership. The platform links landowners with corporate buyers in the timber, carbon credit, and conservation markets, facilitating transactions and payments.

Product overview

NCX (Natural Capital Exchange) operates a digital marketplace/platform connecting family forest landowners with professional-grade analytics and market opportunities. The core platform offers free tools (Sylvia AI chatbot, Forest Forecast, Eligibility Maps, Natural Capital Scorecard) for landowners to discover their land's potential, combined with paid implementation services (Timber Sales Services, Platform Services including drone imagery and property assessments). The platform expanded in 2024-2025 with NCX Membership subscription, Loss Detection, and Liability Insurance products. Sylvia serves as the AI-powered personal forest guide, while Forest Forecast provides 30-year timber projections. The company serves landowners from 40-acre family parcels to multi-thousand acre properties across the U.S., facilitating payments through timber sales, carbon programs, and conservation opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NCX Platform The NCX Platform is a digital marketplace connecting family forest landowners with professional-grade analytics, expert guidance, and market opportunities for timber, carbon, and conservation programs. It provides free tools to discover a property's potential and paid implementation services when landowners are ready to act.
• NCX Membership A monthly subscription program for landowners that delivers ongoing guidance, support, and personalized comparisons of natural capital programs matched to their goals.
• Timber Sales Services (NCX Timber) Timber sale planning, consulting, and brokerage services delivered by licensed NCX Foresters under a separate Consulting Agreement. Includes property assessment, timber valuation, competitive buyer outreach, sale facilitation, and payment processing through Dwolla.
• Platform Services A la carte paid services including drone imagery, advanced property assessments, tax advisory connections, and other services delivered through third-party Service Providers with payment processing via Stripe.
• Liability Insurance for Landowners Liability insurance product for landowners covering risks associated with their forested property, including visitors, trails, and tree-related exposures.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $20 million in payments facilitated to landowners through timber sales, carbon programs, and conservation opportunities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability9 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered emerging, core and minor.

• Rural Electrification Agency (REA) NigeriaemergingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 May 2026NCX signed an MOU with Nigeria's Rural Electrification Agency to promote Nigeria's clean energy transition, food security, and technological innovation. The agreement aims to integrate renewable energy into agriculture and support youth and innovation initiatives.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe, Inc. serves as the payment processor for Platform Services (drone imagery, property assessments, etc.). Landowners provide payment information directly to Stripe for these services. Stripe's Services Agreement governs payment processing.
• DwollacoreTechnology or IntegrationDwolla, Inc. handles payment processing for Timber Sales Services. Landowners must open a Dwolla Account to use payment functionality for timber transactions. Dwolla's financial institution partners hold and transfer all funds.
• American Forest FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCX partners with the American Forest Foundation (AFF) to help landowners access AFF's programs. In 2024, AFF reached the milestone of 100,000 acres enrolled through the NCX platform, demonstrating successful collaboration in reaching family forest owners.
• Society of American Foresters (SAF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCX sponsored and participated in SAF events. CEO Zack Parisa participated in a conversation with SAF CEO about forests and foresters, highlighting industry collaboration.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pachama: Pachama operates a forest carbon marketplace that connects landowners with corporate carbon credit buyers using satellite-based MRV and ML-based forest measurement. It is the closest direct competitor to NCX in the natural capital/forest carbon exchange category.
• Sylvera: Sylvera provides independent ratings, monitoring, and data on carbon credit projects using satellite imagery and ML, targeting corporate buyers and project developers. While Sylvera focuses on ratings/analytics rather than landowner onboarding, both companies serve the same forest carbon quality and verification market.

Emerging players

• EarthOptics: EarthOptics provides soil and biomass carbon measurement using ground-based sensors, satellite, and ML, enabling soil carbon MRV for agriculture and forestry. It competes with NCX in the underlying measurement/MRV layer of the natural capital stack.
• Indigo Ag: Indigo Ag's carbon program enrolls farmers and ranchers to generate agricultural carbon credits, using remote sensing and MRV. While focused on cropland rather than forests, it competes for the same corporate carbon credit demand that NCX serves through family forest owners.
• CIBO Technologies: CIBO Technologies offers a regenerative agriculture and carbon quantification platform using satellite imagery and crop modeling, helping enterprises and farmers participate in carbon markets. It overlaps with NCX's natural capital scoring and program eligibility capabilities.

Others

• Wren: Wren is a consumer-facing carbon offset subscription platform that purchases forest and other carbon credits. While Wren is primarily a demand-side buyer, it sits on the same voluntary carbon market value chain that NCX supplies through landowners.
• LandCAN: LandCAN is an online resource directory connecting landowners to conservation programs, land management tools, and natural capital opportunities. It is a referral partner for NCX and an adjacent landowner-services information platform.
• American Forest Foundation: AFF is a nonprofit that runs programs like the Family Forest Carbon Program with the US Forest Service and partners with NCX to enroll landowners. It is both a partner and a partial substitute, since AFF operates competing landowner-facing forest carbon programs.

Broad incumbents

• Granular (Corteva): Granular provides farm management software and agronomic analytics to larger agricultural operators. While broader in scope, its data-driven approach to ag decision support parallels NCX's analytics-for-landowners model.
• Planet Labs: Planet Labs operates a constellation of high-frequency Earth observation satellites that supply imagery to forestry, agriculture, and carbon market platforms. NCX relies on similar satellite data inputs, making Planet a key enabling infrastructure provider rather than a direct marketplace competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NCX
• Facebookfacebook.com/NCXcarbon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ncx-carbon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors18 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NCX