Make Sunsets

What Make Sunsets does

Make Sunsets is a privately-held American geoengineering startup founded in October 2022 by Luke Iseman and Andrew Song, operating from Northern California with a mailing address in Box Elder, South Dakota. The company deploys stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) via high-altitude weather balloons (600g-1500g payload) that release sulfur dioxide (SO2) at 20km+ altitude to create reflective sulfate aerosols that mimic volcanic cooling effects such as those observed after the Mount Pinatubo eruption. Each "Cooling Credit" represents 1 gram of SO2 confirmed delivered to the stratosphere via Globalstar SPOT satellite tracking, claimed to offset the warming effect of 1 ton of CO2 for one year. The company explicitly pivoted out of Mexico in 2023 after the Mexican government banned solar geoengineering experimentation within its territory.

The company's product portfolio is centered on the $1 Cooling Credit subscription product, with extension into DIY hardware (Big Bertha balloon launch kit at $490, Tiny Party Pack at $20, Cloud Chamber particle research device at $1,900), and branded apparel (Climate Dad Hat, Climate Mom Hat, T-shirt) bundled with Cooling Credits. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront, supplemented by a reseller partnership with Verdn that integrates Cooling Credits into AI-company emissions offsetting (Token Offset tool for OpenAI users) and direct enterprise sales outreach to corporate sustainability teams.

Revenue is generated primarily from individual consumer purchases, with monthly revenue in the $9,000-$14,500 range as of 2026 and MRR of $1,400-$1,500. The company has raised approximately $720K total in seed funding from Boost VC, Pioneer Fund, Draper Associates, and one angel investor via SAFEs, with a cash position that peaked at $1.03M in mid-2023 and a monthly burn rate of $14,000-$55,000. The company is currently navigating material regulatory risk: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has directed the company to provide documentation of its launches, and the EPA has demanded answers regarding its activities. Andrew Song transitioned to an Advisor role in January 2026, leaving Luke Iseman as the sole active operator of the two-person startup, which is supported by an undisclosed broader set of contributors.

Name

Make Sunsets

Legal name

Make Sunsets, Inc.

Website

https://makesunsets.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Make Sunsets is a private American geoengineering startup that deploys high-altitude weather balloons releasing sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere to cool the planet, selling $1 "Cooling Credits" to individual consumers, AI companies, and sustainability buyers via direct-to-consumer e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Solar Geoengineering Services

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Stratospheric aerosol injection
• Solar geoengineering
• Climate cooling credits
• Weather balloon launches
• Reflective aerosol deployment

Headquarters

HQ city

Box Elder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cooling Credits: Core product: individual gram units of SO2 deployed to stratosphere. Sold at $1.00 per credit. One-time purchases and monthly subscription options. Cost to deliver ~$0.28 per credit. As of April 2026, over 1,070 individuals have purchased. Monthly recurring revenue approximately $1,400-$1,500.
2. DIY Hardware Kits: Sale of balloon launch kits (Big Bertha $490, Tiny Party Pack $20) and cloud chambers ($1,900) for educational and experimental purposes. Products include biodegradable latex balloons, calcium carbonate, satellite trackers, and launch equipment.
3. Climate Merchandise: Branded apparel including t-shirts ($29.99) and hats ($34.99) bundled with Cooling Credits. Revenue from apparel sales.
4. Enterprise/Government Contracts: Attempted enterprise sales of Cooling Credits to corporations seeking sustainability offsets. First enterprise deal ($1K) mentioned for early 2025. No major corporate customers yet as of 2026.
5. Cloud Seeding Research: $1,000 initial prototype revenue from cloud chamber to test nucleation of novel particles for research purposes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Make Sunsets launches high-altitude weather balloons carrying sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere (20km+) to create reflective sulfate aerosol clouds that cool the planet, and sells "Cooling Credits" — each credit represents 1 gram of SO2 verified delivered to the stratosphere, offsetting the warming effect of 1 ton of CO2 for one year, priced at $1 per credit with subscription options. The company also sells DIY balloon launch kits (Big Bertha, Tiny Party Pack), a Cloud Chamber for nucleation research, and branded merchandise bundled with Cooling Credits.

Product overview

Make Sunsets offers a portfolio of products centered on stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) for climate cooling. The core offering is Cooling Credits—verified 1-gram sulfur dioxide deployments to the stratosphere via weather balloons, each offsetting 1 ton of CO2 warming for $1. Hardware products include Big Bertha (professional balloon launch kit at $490) and Tiny Party Pack ($20 DIY kit), plus Cloud Chamber ($1,900) for particle research. The product line extends to apparel with Climate Dad Hat and Climate Mom Hat bundles that include bundled Cooling Credits, and branded t-shirts. The company operates primarily in Northern California and formerly Mexico, with operations governed under the U.S. Weather Modification Act requiring yearly reporting to NOAA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cooling Credit A verified credit representing 1 gram of sulfur dioxide confirmed delivered to the stratosphere by Make Sunsets via weather balloon, offsetting the warming effect of 1 ton of CO2 for a year. Sold at $1 per credit with one-time purchase and monthly subscription options. Targeted at individual consumers and corporate sustainability teams seeking tangible, immediate climate cooling.
• Big Bertha (Weather Balloon Launch Kit) Professional stratospheric weather balloon launch kit priced at $490, including a 600g latex weather balloon, parachute, satellite tracker, 200g calcium carbonate, 200g sulfur, and launch accessories. Customer adds lift gas and a Spot subscription. Designed for high-altitude atmospheric deployments by individuals conducting their own experiments.
• DIY Cloud Chamber Temperature-controlled chamber priced at $1,900 for testing particle nucleation properties of potential aerosol materials, including humidity control chambers and pumps. Designed for educational and research purposes on atmospheric particle behavior.
• Tiny Party Pack Biodegradable balloon party pack priced at $20, including 20 biodegradable latex balloons and 20g food-grade calcium carbonate. Customer adds helium. Educational entry-level kit for learning about atmospheric science and conducting small demonstrations.
• Climate Dad Hat + 1 Cooling Credit Bundle Organic cotton baseball cap featuring the Make Sunsets logo, priced at $34.99, bundled with 1 Cooling Credit ($10 value) that neutralizes the warming effect of 1 metric ton of CO2 for a year.
• Climate Mom Hat + 1 Cooling Credit Bundle Organic cotton baseball cap featuring the Make Sunsets logo, bundled with 1 Cooling Credit worth $5 value, neutralizing the warming effect of 1 metric ton of CO2 for a year.
• Make Sunsets Short Sleeve T-shirt 100% combed ring-spun cotton t-shirt with the Make Sunsets logo on the front and a satellite image of Earth on the back. Made on demand to reduce overproduction.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 gram SO2 offsets warming effect of 1 ton CO2 for 1 year
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Integration3 records

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• VerdnminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 March 2025Reseller partnership enabling Token Offset tool for AI companies. Verdn integrates Make Sunsets Cooling Credits into sustainability offerings for OpenAI API users. First enterprise revenue ($1k initial).
• Y CombinatorminorOthersFounder Luke Iseman is Y Combinator alumnus. References YC mantra 'Make Something People Want.' Andrew Song went through YC with prior hardware company.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Verdn: Verdn is Make Sunsets' direct reseller partner and operates in the same emissions offsetting space for AI companies. Verdn's Token Offset tool integrates Make Sunsets Cooling Credits into OpenAI API workflows, making it a directly comparable peer in the AI-emissions offsetting category with shared go-to-market and customer base.

Emerging players

• Pachama: Pachama is a carbon credit marketplace connecting companies to verified nature-based carbon removal projects. Both companies sell climate offsetting credits to corporate and individual buyers, though Pachama focuses on forestry/REDD+ while Make Sunsets sells solar geoengineering credits. Comparable business model of originating and marketing climate credits via direct sales.
• Heirloom Carbon: Heirloom Carbon is a DAC technology company using limestone to capture CO2 from the atmosphere. Both Heirloom and Make Sunsets are active atmospheric intervention companies selling climate outcomes as credits to corporate buyers. Comparable as climate tech companies deploying physical atmospheric processes to address climate change.
• Watershed: Watershed is a carbon accounting and reduction platform for enterprises. Both Make Sunsets and Watershed target corporate sustainability teams seeking to address emissions, though Watershed focuses on measurement/reduction while Make Sunsets offers offsetting via geoengineering. Comparable enterprise GTM motion targeting sustainability leaders.
• Patch: Patch is a carbon credit API platform enabling developers to embed offsetting into applications. Both Make Sunsets and Patch serve developers and tech-forward customers seeking easy climate action integration. Comparable in serving the AI/tech customer segment with API-based carbon credit purchasing.
• Cloverly: Cloverly provides APIs for carbon offsetting integration, similar to Verdn's partnership with Make Sunsets. Both serve e-commerce and tech platforms seeking to embed climate action. Comparable in targeting developer/integration use cases for automatic emissions offsetting.
• Charm Industrial: Charm Industrial is a carbon removal company converting biomass into stable carbon for underground storage. Both companies sell carbon removal/offset credits to corporate and individual buyers at premium price points. Comparable business model of selling originated climate intervention credits.

Broad incumbents

• South Pole Group: South Pole is one of the world's largest climate solutions providers, originating and selling carbon credits to enterprise customers. Both Make Sunsets and South Pole operate in the voluntary carbon market selling offsetting credits, though South Pole focuses on nature-based and technology-based removals at vastly larger scale.
• Stripe Climate: Stripe Climate is a Stripe-powered platform allocating a portion of revenue to carbon removal technologies. Comparable in democratizing access to climate intervention purchasing via e-commerce integration, though Stripe Climate is embedded in Stripe's payment platform rather than operating its own geoengineering deployments.
• Climeworks: Climeworks is a leading direct air capture (DAC) company removing CO2 from the atmosphere at industrial scale. Both Make Sunsets and Climeworks are climate intervention companies actively deploying atmospheric technology to address climate change, though Climeworks focuses on carbon removal while Make Sunsets focuses on solar reflection. Comparable as direct climate tech players with infrastructure deployment.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/makesunsets

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 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 Make Sunsets