What Cool Effect does

Cool Effect is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit carbon offset marketplace founded in 2015 at the COP21 Paris climate conference by co-founders Dee and Richard Lawrence. Headquartered in Greenbrae with a San Francisco Bay Area office, the organization operates a web-based marketplace that connects individual consumers and enterprise buyers with approximately 15 scientifically verified carbon projects spanning nature-based removals (forestry, grasslands, blue carbon, soil carbon), technology-based reductions (cookstoves, renewable energy, methane capture, ODS destruction), and engineered removals (biochar, direct air capture). Since founding, the platform has reportedly facilitated the retirement of over 10 million tonnes of CO2e and directed approximately $85.4 million to carbon projects between 2020-2024 across 13+ countries. The core platform is a self-serve e-commerce site supplemented by specialized carbon footprint calculators for individual, business (under 500 employees), travel, and event use cases, with a small advisory board anchored by Yale and Stanford climate policy faculty.

Name

Cool Effect

Legal name

Cool Effect, Inc.

Website

https://cooleffect.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cool Effect is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit carbon offset marketplace that connects individuals, enterprises, and channel partners with scientifically verified carbon reduction and removal projects globally, operating since 2015 from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenbrae

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Carbon Credit Sales: Cool Effect acts as a nonprofit intermediary, purchasing carbon credits from project developers and selling them to individuals and businesses. The organization adds a transparent 9.87% fee to the cost per tonne negotiated with projects. Over 90% of every dollar goes directly to carbon projects. Carbon credits range from $8.24 to $261.49 per tonne, with most between $8.24-$38.27.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible donations to Cool Effect as a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit (Tax ID: 47-5068496). Donations are used to purchase carbon offsets on behalf of donors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Cool Effect is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that curates, vets, and sells carbon offsets from approximately 15 verified carbon reduction and removal projects worldwide to individuals, businesses, and enterprise clients. The organization acts as a transparent intermediary, purchasing credits from project developers and reselling them with a fixed 9.87% administrative fee, while providing individual, business, travel, and event carbon footprint calculators to estimate and offset emissions.

Product overview

Cool Effect operates a unified carbon offset marketplace platform with multiple integrated tools. The core offering is the Carbon Offset Marketplace, supported by specialized calculators for individual, business, and travel use cases (Business Carbon Offset Calculator, Travel Carbon Offset Calculator, Event Carbon Offset Calculator). Additional modules include the Carbon 101 Video Series for education, the Cool Effect Catalyst award program, The Seller's Pledge transparency framework, and the Carbon Done Correctly methodology for project verification. The platform connects buyers with vetted carbon projects across nature-based removals (forestry, grasslands, blue carbon, soil carbon), technology-based reductions (cookstoves, renewable energy, methane capture, ODS destruction), and emerging engineered removals (biochar, direct air capture).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Carbon Offset Marketplace
• Individual Carbon Offset Purchases
• Business Carbon Offset Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10 million tonnes of CO2e eradicated since founding
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• GooglecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 May 2025Google partnered with Cool Effect to eliminate superpollutants, contracting for credits from projects that will eliminate 25,000 tons of methane and HFCs by 2030. The partnership aims to prevent warming equivalent to 1 million tons of CO2 over 100 years.
• SalesforcecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSalesforce became Net Neutral by supporting Cool Effect projects for multiple years. Also offers Cool Effect travel offsets to Dreamforce conference attendees and matches individual employee contributions.
• American AirlinescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAmerican Airlines partnered with Cool Effect to offer customers options for offsetting carbon emissions associated with flights, as part of the airline's long-term commitment to environmental responsibility.
• UnitycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUnity is committed to operating as a net zero company since 2020, leveraging high-quality carbon offsets from Cool Effect as part of their three-step climate strategy including SBTi Business Ambition for 1.5°C commitment.
• 3McoreGTM or Marketing Partner3M's Display Material and Systems Division offset a portion of their 2019 carbon emissions, choosing to support two Cool Effect projects in Colorado and Uganda.
• CrunchbasesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCrunchbase offset the carbon footprint of each of their 133 employees with plans to offset future hires as part of their commitment to supporting employees and sustainability.
• 1% for the PlanetcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCool Effect is a nonprofit partner of 1% for the Planet, an organization helping businesses donate 1% of annual sales to environmental nonprofits.
• AudubonsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerDuring a new member campaign, Audubon reduced 1 tonne of greenhouse gas with Cool Effect for every new member acquired, resulting in lower unsubscribe rates and doubled donations.
• MITsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerMIT offset their eleventh annual MIT Sustainability Summit using Cool Effect's Renewable Wind Project in Costa Rica, neutralizing emissions from lodging, dining, travel, and energy.
• Key TravelsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerKey Travel partnered with Cool Effect to offer highest quality verified carbon reduction projects to their humanitarian, academic, and faith-based travel customers.
• Space PerspectivesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerSpace Perspective partnered with Cool Effect to help achieve their goals of reducing considerable carbon output from space flight operations.
• Project DrawdownsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCool Effect partnered with Project Drawdown's EcoChallenge campaign, which had over 7,248 participants from 65 countries taking over 76,000 actions for Earth.
• Tech in AsiasecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerTech in Asia is accounting for and working to decrease their carbon footprint, partnering with Cool Effect to offset whatever they can't reduce to become a carbon-neutral company.
• NuunsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerNuun partnered with Cool Effect for the second straight year to offset corporate emissions as part of their Clean Product, Clean Sport, and Clean Planet brand pillars.
• BankPurelysecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerBankPurely donates to Cool Effect for every new account opened, taking meaningful steps to cut carbon emissions and support global carbon footprint reduction.
• Ensemble Travel GroupsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerEnsemble Travel Group offset the carbon footprint of their annual travel advisor conference through Cool Effect and educates their network on carbon offsetting.
• CorsosecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCorso partnered with Cool Effect to offer Green Shipping Protection to merchants, calculating customers' carbon footprint at checkout and offsetting through Cool Effect.
• The Redford CentersecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCool Effect helps The Redford Center implement carbon neutrality standards for their films, educating filmmakers on carbon pollution impact in filmmaking.
• RaresecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerRare, a global conservation organization, partnered with Cool Effect to offset their electricity and travel emissions and be a carbon-neutral organization.
• Conservation InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner supporting carbon reduction and removal projects globally.
• ClimeCocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner for carbon project development and management.
• Native EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner for carbon credit project development.
• NexuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner for carbon project development.
• Worldview International FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner for Sea of Change blue carbon project in Myanmar, driving real results and local livelihood support.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• South Pole Group: Large global carbon project developer and broker offering offsets, advisory, and climate strategy services. Comparable as a major carbon credit intermediary with both retail/enterprise offset sales and direct project development, but operating at significantly larger scale and with a broader climate consultancy portfolio.
• Stripe Climate: Stripe's carbon removal marketplace letting merchants and developers direct a portion of revenue to high-quality removal projects. Comparable as a checkout-integrated carbon credit platform, though focused exclusively on permanent removals rather than Cool Effect's broader reduction/removal mix.

Emerging players

• Native Energy: Carbon credit marketplace and project originator providing high-integrity offsets to businesses. Comparable as a curated offset marketplace with similar project portfolio focus; listed as a Cool Effect project partner.
• ClimeCo: Carbon credit developer and program manager focused on emission reduction and removal projects. Comparable as an upstream project partner in Cool Effect's portfolio and as an emerging offset marketplace competitor for enterprise buyers.

Direct peers

• Terrapass: Carbon offset retailer for individuals, businesses, and events with calculator tools and certified project portfolio. Closely comparable as a consumer-facing carbon offset marketplace targeting similar individual and SMB segments with educational content.
• Pachama: AI-enabled carbon credit marketplace connecting buyers with forestry and nature-based projects. Directly comparable as a digital-first offset platform serving both enterprise and individual buyers, with similar project curation focus but VC-backed technology stack.
• Cloverly: Carbon offset API and marketplace for businesses, with focus on shipping, travel, and e-commerce integrations. Directly comparable as a programmatic offset platform targeting the same enterprise and platform-channel use cases as Cool Effect.
• Patch (Lune): API-first carbon credit infrastructure platform embedding offsets into travel, e-commerce, and fintech checkout flows. Directly comparable as a carbon marketplace serving enterprise developers, competing with Cool Effect for embedded distribution partnerships.

Others

• Verra (VCS Program): Operator of the Verified Carbon Standard, the world's largest voluntary carbon credit registry. Comparable as the underlying standards body certifying many Cool Effect projects, and a key counterpart for credit issuance and retirement.
• Gold Standard: Leading carbon credit standard and registry body. Adjacent to Cool Effect as a verification framework provider whose certifications underpin much of Cool Effect's project portfolio, making it both a partner and a structural influence on quality positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Cool Effect