What Climate Foundation does

Climate Foundation is a US-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2007 by Dr. Brian Von Herzen and headquartered in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, with operational presences in Beaverton, Oregon and Carson City, Nevada. The organization develops nature-based climate solutions spanning three programs: food security, ecosystem regeneration, and carbon balance. Its core technology is Marine Permaculture, a patent-pending open-ocean seaweed cultivation system that uses wave, solar, and thermal energy to lift nutrient-rich deep water for offshore kelp forest growth, with claimed sequestration rates of 2,500-6,000 tons of CO2 per 100-hectare array per year. Complementary products include Biochar Reactors for waste-to-soil conversion, Coral Reef Cooling Systems for thermal management, the Charvester for rice straw processing, and Azolla cultivation for terrestrial carbon sequestration. Revenue is generated through direct sales of Marine Permaculture arrays starting at $250,000, downstream sales of seaweed products, fish products, and carbon credits, Kelp Coin digital tokens, and a diversified grant and donation base that supports an annual operating budget of approximately $2 million.

The organization targets a mix of institutional and commercial customers, including small island nations and ocean states, coastal seaweed farming and fishing communities, hotels and resorts with high cooling loads, government agencies and NGOs, and agricultural communities in India and East Africa. Its go-to-market combines enterprise direct sales for hardware, grant-funded pilot deployments (e.g., Philippines since 2019, Zanzibar via Australian DFAT backing), and a franchise model in development. Climate Foundation has secured competitive backing from the Gates Foundation (biochar sanitation, $6M across two phases), the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ($3M Blue Economy Challenge), the University of Chicago Urban Labs ($2M Delhi Challenge), Schmidt Futures, and the Musk Foundation ($1M XPRIZE Carbon Removal Milestone Prize, 2022). Operational sites span the Philippines, USA, Australia, India, Kenya, Indonesia, and Tanzania, with the SeaForestation spin-off established to accelerate commercial deployment of Marine Permaculture.

Name

Climate Foundation

Legal name

The Climate Foundation

Website

https://climatefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Climate Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops Marine Permaculture and biochar technologies to restore ocean ecosystems, sequester carbon, and deliver food security for coastal communities, governments, and NGOs globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Permaculture & Carbon Sequestration Technology

NAICS

Aquaculture (11251), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

akta.pro primary industry

Seaweed & Algae Aquaculture (incl. microalgae) (AFAEAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ocean-Based Carbon Removal (Alkalinity Enhancement, Seaweed, Ocean Biomass Sinking) (EUABAFAF), Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF), Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPAIAMAD), Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

Keywords

• Marine permaculture
• Blue carbon capture
• Ocean kelp cultivation
• Biochar production
• Coral reef cooling

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marine Permaculture Array Sales: Sale of pilot-scale Marine Permaculture arrays to organizations. Prices start at $250,000 with delivery terms starting at six months from receipt of purchase order.
2. Seaweed Products: Revenue from food products, bulk commodity dried seaweed sales, seaweed feed supplements, liquid seaweed fertilizer, biostimulants, and high-value extracts (pigments valued at $3B market).
3. Fish Products: Revenue from forage fisheries created by Marine Permaculture. Expected to generate $1-2K per ton as fishmeal.
4. Carbon Credits: Revenue from carbon sequestration credits. Each 100-hectare MP array can sequester 2,500-6,000 tons of CO2 per year. Carbon credits alone unlikely to be cash flow positive in near term.
5. Kelp Coin Security Tokens: Digital tokens backed by kelp for Marine Permaculture investment. Each $250 contribution provides a token representing a tonne of seaweed grown and carbon sequestered.
6. Grants and Donations: Foundation and private donations, government grants, and industry contracts. Annual operating budget of $2 million.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Climate Foundation designs, develops, and sells Marine Permaculture arrays — open-ocean seaweed cultivation systems that use renewable-energy-powered deepwater irrigation to grow kelp forests for carbon sequestration, ecosystem regeneration, and food security. The foundation also deploys Biochar Reactors, Coral Reef Cooling Systems, the Charvester, and Azolla cultivation as integrated nature-based climate solutions, primarily to governments, NGOs, and commercial organizations.

Product overview

Climate Foundation offers a portfolio of nature-based climate solutions centered on Marine Permaculture arrays, its core offshore seaweed cultivation technology. These are complemented by Biochar Reactors for waste-to-soil conversion, Coral Reef Cooling Systems for thermal management, the Charvester for agricultural straw processing, and Azolla cultivation for additional carbon sequestration. The Kelp Coin provides a digital investment vehicle linked to Marine Permaculture carbon credits. These products work together to address food security, ecosystem regeneration, and carbon balance across ocean and land environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kelp Coin (R): A True Blue digital forward contract representing a ton of seaweed grown on marine permaculture platforms and a regenerative carbon credit for a tonne of carbon dioxide sunk to the seafloor.
• Marine Permaculture (R)

Products and services

• Marine Permaculture Arrays Open-ocean, wave- and solar-powered seaweed cultivation systems using deepwater irrigation to grow kelp forests at substrate depths below 25m. Each pilot-scale array starts at $250,000 with six-month delivery terms, designed to restore ocean upwelling, sequester 2,500–6,000 tons of CO2 per 100 hectares per year, and produce food, feed, and fertilizer value chains. Sold to governments, NGOs, hotels, and commercial aquaculture operators.
• Biochar Reactors Community-scale charcoal production plants that process human waste and agricultural biomass into biochar through pyrolysis at high temperatures without oxygen. Capable of processing solid waste of 2,000 people per day (up to 800 kg) and operating independently of the electrical grid. Built and demonstrated in Kenya, Connecticut, and India through Gates Foundation grants.

Quantifiable outcome

• Each 100-hectare MP array sequesters 2,500-6,000 tons of CO2 per year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Cornell UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Published research on biological and thermochemical conversion of human solid waste to soil amendments.
• University of Chicago / Delhi GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Urban Labs Innovation Challenge partnership to pilot rice straw to biochar conversion to eliminate rice-field burning in Haryana.
• Tide Technocrats Pvt. LtdmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partner in Urban Labs Delhi Challenge for rice straw to biochar conversion project in India.
• WWFmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Co-organized Blue Economy Challenge with Australian Government for aquaculture innovation.
• University of Hawaii, Hawaiian Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Partnership to explore reef cooling on bigger scale with solar arrays, generator, marine pump and thermo-electric cooling system in 2011-2012.
• Woka FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor partner acknowledged by Climate Foundation for supporting Marine Permaculture development and scaling efforts.
• HatchmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsulting engineering services firm providing support for Marine Permaculture development and commercial viability.
• Blue Economy CRC / Marine Bioproducts CRCmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative Research Centers supporting Marine Permaculture research and development.
• University of QueenslandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. CM Wang collaborating on Marine Permaculture development.
• University of TasmaniamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Craig Johnson collaborating on Marine Permaculture research.
• Center for Cellular Construction at UCSFmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for cellular and biological research supporting Marine Permaculture.
• Center for Climate Repair at CambridgemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration on climate repair technologies.
• Sustainable Ocean AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner supporting Marine Permaculture development and scaling.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kelp Forest Foundation: Nonprofit focused on kelp forest restoration and protection globally. Comparable as a similar nonprofit mission to restore kelp ecosystems, though more focused on nearshore restoration rather than open-ocean cultivation for CDR.
• Running Tide: Ocean carbon removal company using kelp cultivation and biomass sinking in the open ocean. Direct competitor in the marine macroalgae carbon removal space, though using free-drifting rather than anchored array systems.
• SeaForestation: Spin-off of Climate Foundation that focuses specifically on scaling Marine Permaculture for carbon removal. Won four of six investment awards at The Liveability Challenge 2023. Most directly comparable entity as it operates the same core technology under a separate commercial structure.

Broad incumbents

• The Ocean Cleanup: Large-scale nonprofit deploying ocean cleanup technology for plastic pollution. Comparable as a high-profile ocean-focused nonprofit employing novel engineering solutions, with similar PR-driven funding model and global deployments.
• CarbonCapture Inc. Calfiornia-based direct air capture company commercializing modular DAC technology. Comparable as a major commercial CDR player, though Climate Foundation competes in the broader carbon removal space rather than DAC specifically.
• Climeworks: Swiss leader in direct air capture (DAC) carbon removal. Comparable as a leading commercial CDR company, though using engineered technology rather than ocean-based nature solutions, and operates at much larger commercial scale.

Others

• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: Major oceanographic research institution located in Woods Hole, MA where Climate Foundation is headquartered. Bob Mollenhauer previously served as Chief Development Officer at Woods Hole Research Center. Functions as an enabling research partner in the marine permaculture ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Project Vesta: Ocean-based carbon removal nonprofit using enhanced olivine weathering on coastlines to capture CO2. Comparable as a nature-based ocean CDR competitor pursuing gigaton-scale impact through nonprofit and commercial hybrid model.
• Sea Forest: Australian company cultivating seaweed (Asparagopsis) to reduce livestock methane emissions. Comparable as a commercial seaweed venture with documented 50-70% methane reduction outcomes, similar to Climate Foundation's seaweed cultivation work.

Regional players

• Biochar Industry Associations: US biochar industry association promoting biochar as a soil amendment and carbon removal tool. Comparable for Climate Foundation's biochar reactor technology, though operates as an industry body rather than a direct competitor in deployment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ClimateFdn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/climate-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Climate Foundation