Brightly

What Brightly does

Brightly was an Oakland-based, for-profit sustainability venture founded in 2019 that developed the 'Brightly – Reducing Food Loss and Waste Project,' a seven-year carbon credit project registered under Verra's VM0046 food loss and waste methodology. The project was structured to redirect approximately 167 million pounds of edible surplus food from food industry generators to nonprofit food rescue organizations and to generate an estimated 115,118 tonnes of CO2e in emission reductions through avoided landfill methane. The company's primary customer segment was surplus food generators in the food industry, with nonprofit food rescue organizations acting as beneficiary partners receiving the redistributed food.

The business model was built around carbon credit generation: Brightly aggregated food rescue activity, registered it under Verra's novel VM0046 methodology, and would earn transaction-based revenue from the sale of verified carbon credits. Its core go-to-market leveraged a flagship partnership with Verra — making Brightly the first U.S. registrant under VM0046 — alongside relationships with nonprofit rescue operators who served as distribution channels for the rescued food. Funding history comprises roughly $1.4M across three rounds between February 2020 and January 2021, led by Yellow and a syndicate including Fab Co-Creation Studio Ventures, Female Founders Alliance, Keeler Investments Group, Meliorate Partners, Puget Sound Venture Club, and TVF. CEO and founder Laura Wittig led the company throughout its operating life.

Brightly has ceased operations. The company website displays a closing notice ('Our chapter has come to a close') and 'Archives Coming Soon,' confirming shutdown. No subsequent funding rounds, pivots, or restructurings are recorded in the available data.

Name

Brightly

Website

https://brightly.eco

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brightly was an Oakland-based carbon credit venture that ran the first U.S. project under Verra's VM0046 food loss and waste methodology, redirecting surplus food from industry generators to nonprofit rescuers while generating verified CO2e reductions through avoided landfill methane.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Carbon Credit Services

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEUAGAIAC

Project-Originated Carbon Credit Marketing & Offtake (Primary Market)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Energy Trading, Marketing & Retail Supply/Environmental Commodities Trading (Emissions Allowances, Offsets)

SECONDARYEUABAFAL

Carbon Removal Project Development, Financing & Offtake (Developers, Aggregators, Buyers Clubs)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Carbon & Climate Solutions (Carbon Markets, Offsets, CCS/CCUS)/Carbon Removal (DAC, BECCS, Biochar, Mineralization, Enhanced Weathering)

Keywords

• Carbon credit projects
• Food waste reduction
• Surplus food rescue
• Sustainability services
• Climate action

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Carbon Credits: Generation of carbon credits through food loss and waste reduction, specifically through avoided landfill methane emissions. The seven-year project aims to rescue approximately 167 million pounds of edible surplus food and generate an estimated 115,118 tonnes of CO2e in emission reductions.

Core offering

Brightly generated verified carbon credits by rescuing edible surplus food from food industry generators and redirecting it to nonprofit food rescue organizations. Its flagship project, the "Brightly – Reducing Food Loss and Waste Project" registered with Verra under methodology VM0046, aimed to rescue approximately 167 million pounds of edible surplus food over seven years and generate an estimated 115,118 tonnes of CO2e in emission reductions through avoided landfill methane.

Product overview

Brightly was a sustainability company focused on food waste reduction through carbon credit initiatives. The company's primary offering was the 'Brightly – Reducing Food Loss and Waste Project,' registered under Verra's food loss and waste methodology VM0046 in the United States. The company has since ceased operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brightly – Reducing Food Loss and Waste Project A seven-year carbon credit project registered with Verra under methodology VM0046, designed to rescue approximately 167 million pounds of edible surplus food and redirect it to nonprofit food rescue organizations, generating an estimated 115,118 tonnes of CO2e in emission reductions through avoided landfill methane. Targeted at food industry surplus generators seeking to monetize environmental impact and at nonprofits addressing food insecurity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rescue approximately 167 million pounds of edible surplus food
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• VerraflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2026Verra registered the first project under its food loss and waste methodology VM0046 in the United States, called the Brightly – Reducing Food Loss and Waste Project. This seven-year initiative demonstrates how carbon markets can fund food rescue operations, supporting both climate action and food security simultaneously.
• Nonprofit Food Rescue OrganizationscoreOthersThe project redirects approximately 167 million pounds of edible surplus food to nonprofit food rescue organizations as part of the carbon credit methodology.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Zero Foodprint: Channels consumer and corporate dollars into carbon credits and regenerative agriculture grants to reduce food-system emissions. Closest direct analogue to Brightly's food-system carbon credit origination model.
• Patch: API-driven marketplace for carbon credits across multiple categories. Comparable as a distribution and offtake channel for the kinds of credits Brightly was generating under Verra.
• Cloverly: Carbon-credit-as-a-service API enabling businesses to purchase offsets programmatically. Comparable commercial model for selling verified avoidance and removal credits to enterprise buyers.
• Pachama: Forestry and nature-based carbon credit marketplace using satellite monitoring. Comparable as a tech-enabled voluntary carbon credit platform pursuing integrity-led credit sourcing.

Broad incumbents

• South Pole Group: Large established carbon credit developer and consultancy. Comparable as a project developer across nature-based and avoidance methodologies, and a likely competitor for offtake of food-waste credits.
• 3Degrees: Established voluntary carbon and renewable energy credit supplier serving corporate buyers. Comparable buyer-facing motion for the same types of corporate ESG procurement budgets Brightly targeted.

Emerging players

• Too Good To Go: Marketplace connecting consumers to surplus food from restaurants and retailers to reduce waste. Comparable food-rescue thesis but operates consumer-direct rather than via carbon credit monetization.
• Misfits Market: Sells surplus and 'ugly' produce directly to consumers to reduce food waste. Adjacent model in monetizing surplus food, though not carbon-credit based.
• Imperfect Foods: Subscription service for surplus and cosmetically imperfect food. Comparable operating layer in the food-waste value chain, with overlapping supplier relationships.

Others

• ReFED: Nonprofit think tank and data provider on U.S. food waste solutions. Comparable as an ecosystem participant shaping policy, capital flows, and buyer interest in food-loss-and-waste carbon projects.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/brightlyeco
• Facebookfacebook.com/brightly.eco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors8 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 Brightly