remove's Accelerator Program

What remove's Accelerator Program does

remove's Accelerator Program is a non-profit Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) accelerator operated by Stichting Carbon Removal Foundation, founded in 2021 and headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The organization runs a two-stage accelerator consisting of Foundations, a 10-week regional program covering CDR markets, policy, MRV, buyer perspectives, and value proposition refinement, and Leap, a 20-week global cohort program. remove does not take equity from participating startups; instead, it offers a €15,000 purchase agreement to Leap-stage startups to demonstrate commercial traction, with recoverable grants available for ecosystem enablers. The program is delivered regionally across Europe, India, Africa (via the ACRA partnership), and Latin America (launching 2026), supported by an 800+ member CDR community on Slack and a content library called the CDR Hub.

The core product is program-based accelerator services combined with ecosystem convening, not proprietary technology. remove does not develop its own CDR technology; instead, it supports startups working across biochar, direct air capture (DAC), enhanced rock weathering (ERW), ocean-based CDR, mineral carbonation, and biomass-based removal pathways. Its underlying technology stack consists of operational SaaS tools (HubSpot for CRM, Airtable/Notion/Dropbox/Google Drive for data management, Slack for community, Google Analytics for web traffic), with no proprietary AI or ML systems. Research outputs are co-created with academic partners, notably three CDR reports with ETH Zurich sus.lab covering startup challenges, business models, and fundraising.

The business model is philanthropic rather than commercial. remove is funded by founding partners Grantham Foundation, Carbon Removal Partners, and DOEN Foundation, with additional support from VP Capital, Carbonfix, and Catalyst for Impact. Strategic partners include Milkywire (which pre-purchased 12,500+ tonnes from 14 alumni), ETH Zurich sus.lab, Carbon Gap, BMW Foundation, IIT Bombay, CEEW, CRIA, Spectrum Impact, and Deep Sky. The organization has supported 120+ startups and operates with a small core team of 1-10 employees led by co-founders Marian Krüger and Hans Westerhof.

Name

remove's Accelerator Program

Legal name

Stichting Carbon Removal Foundation

Website

https://remove.global

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

remove is a non-profit Carbon Dioxide Removal accelerator running two-stage Foundations and Leap programs across Europe, India, Africa, and Latin America, supporting 120+ CDR startups with coaching, a €15,000 purchase agreement, and an 800+ member community without taking equity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Tech Accelerator

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

Keywords

• Carbon removal accelerator
• CDR startup support
• Climate tech accelerator
• Carbon dioxide removal
• Non-profit accelerator

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Non-profit Accelerator Operations: remove is a non-profit run by the Carbon Removal Foundation. They do not take equity from startups. They offer a €15,000 purchase agreement to startups selected for the Leap stage to help demonstrate commercial traction. For enablers, they offer a recoverable grant instead.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

remove's Accelerator Program is a non-profit accelerator exclusively focused on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) startups. It runs a two-stage 8-month program — a 10-week regional Foundations stage and a 20-week global Leap cohort — providing coaching, expert sessions, connections to CDR buyers, funders, and verification bodies. Leap-stage startups receive a €15,000 purchase agreement to demonstrate commercial traction. The program takes no equity from participating startups.

Product overview

remove is a non-profit Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Accelerator that operates regional accelerator programs across Europe, India, Africa, and Latin America. The organization runs a two-stage accelerator program consisting of Foundations (a 10-week regional program focused on CDR markets, policy, buyer's perspective, MRV, and value proposition) and Leap (a 20-week global cohort program with €15,000 purchase agreement for startups). The offering includes coaching, expert sessions, connections to CDR buyers, funders, and verification bodies, access to an 800+ member CDR community on Slack, and a CDR Hub providing reports, resources, and community news. remove does not take equity from startups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CDR Accelerator Program A two-staged 8-month accelerator program focused solely on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) startups, comprising a 10-week regional Foundations stage and a 20-week global Leap cohort. Includes coaching, expert sessions, connections to CDR buyers, funders, and verification bodies, and a €15,000 purchase agreement for Leap-stage startups.
• Europe Accelerator Program The premier European accelerator program focused solely on CDR, helping European startups address CDR-specific issues and deliver maximum climate impact. Startups apply and are selected for the Foundations regional stage, with top performers advancing to the global Leap cohort.
• India Accelerator Program A regional accelerator program supporting India's Carbon Dioxide Removal start-ups with local needs in mind, expanding remove's European track record of impact to India. Includes Foundations and Leap stages tailored to the Indian CDR ecosystem.
• Africa Accelerator Program A regional accelerator program supporting Carbon Dioxide Removal start-ups in Africa, run in partnership with ACRA (Africa Carbon Removal Accelerator). Delivers Foundations and Leap stages tailored to the African CDR ecosystem.
• LatAm Accelerator Program A regional accelerator program supporting Carbon Dioxide Removal start-ups in Latin America, launching in 2026 with Foundations and Leap stages tailored to the LatAm CDR ecosystem.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported 120+ CDR startups
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core, ecosystem and minor.

• MilkywirestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner that has completed pre-purchases of 12,500+ tonnes of carbon removal from 14 remove alumni including InPlanet, Kairos Carbon, Norma, Takachar, Ucaneo, and others. They also support 5+ remove alumni annually.
• ETH Zurich sus.labcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner that co-created multiple CDR reports with remove covering startup challenges, business models, and fundraising. Produced CDR Startup Challenges Report, Business Models Report, and Fundraising Report.
• IIT BombayecosystemStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcosystem partner providing connections to Indian CDR ecosystem and startup pipeline.
• CEEW (Council on Energy, Environment and Water)ecosystemStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcosystem partner in India providing expertise in energy, environment, and water sectors related to CDR.
• CRIA (Climate Resilient Innovation Alliance)ecosystemStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcosystem partner supporting climate innovation initiatives.
• Spectrum ImpactecosystemStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcosystem partner focused on impact measurement and climate solutions.
• Carbon GapcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for quarterly EU Policy Updates covering the latest CDR-focused EU Policy developments. Also developed the Carbon Removal Policy Tracker.
• BMW FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-created the CDR Report 'From Awareness to Action: The Six Building Blocks for Purchasing Carbon Removal' with remove and sus.lab.
• Deep SkyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with three remove alumni Direct Air Capture (DAC) startups to validate their technologies for commercial deployment as part of Deep Sky's mission to develop Canada into a world-leading hub for carbon removal.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Climate-KIC: European climate innovation accelerator and community supported by EIT, running regional programs and accelerators for climate-focused startups — closely mirrors remove's Europe-based, cohort-driven model for climate ventures.
• Greentown Labs: North America's largest climatetech incubator providing lab space, programming, and connections to cleantech startups, comparable to remove as a sector-specific accelerator/incubator serving early-stage climate ventures.
• Antler: Global early-stage VC and accelerator running regional cohorts worldwide, including climate-focused tracks; comparable in cohort structure and global footprint, though broader in sector focus than remove.
• Creative Destruction Lab: Seed-stage program for science- and technology-based startups with objective-based mentorship cohorts; comparable in structure and scale of ambition, though focused on a much broader technology base than CDR.
• Elemental Excelerator: Climate-focused accelerator based in Hawaii that invests in and supports startups across climate solutions, with comparable cohort-based program structure and mission alignment to remove, though broader than CDR-only.
• ACRA (Africa Carbon Removal Accelerator): Regional CDR accelerator for African startups operated in partnership with remove; comparable cohort-based accelerator model and CDR focus, but focused exclusively on the African market.

Broad incumbents

• Y Combinator: The dominant global tech accelerator running twice-yearly cohorts with a large alumni network; comparable accelerator/venture-support model but covers all sectors and does not specialize in CDR.
• Techstars: Large global accelerator network running numerous industry-specific programs including sustainability/cleantech cohorts; comparable accelerator format but operates at much larger scale and across many verticals.
• SOSV (HAX / IndieBio): Global accelerator network operating vertical-specific programs including HAX (hardware) and IndieBio (biology/climate biotech), providing cohort-based support and seed funding to climate-relevant startups at a larger scale than remove.

Emerging players

• Carbon180: CDR-focused non-profit building the policy, community, and narrative infrastructure for carbon removal in the US; complementary rather than directly competitive, but operates in the same CDR niche remove serves globally.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/remove-accelerator

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments10 records

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

Frequently asked questions about remove's Accelerator Program