Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture

What Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture does

Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture (YCNCC) is a non-profit university research center at Yale University, established in 2021 with a transformative founding gift from FedEx and operating as part of Yale's Planetary Solutions Project. The center's mission is to advance natural climate solutions that reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations while delivering social and ecological co-benefits. Its work is organized around three research focus areas: Ecosystem Capture (forests, soils, and coastal blue carbon in mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass); Geological & Ocean Capture (enhanced weathering via alkaline materials spread on agricultural lands, and Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal including Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement); and Industrial Carbon Utilization (converting captured CO2 into fuels, plastics, building materials, and industrial inputs). YCNCC's technology stack includes novel ML-based MRV methods for marine CDR, soil carbon pool sensing approaches that distinguish particulate and mineral-associated organic carbon at landscape scale, multi-phase mass-balance methods for enhanced weathering quantification, and electrochemical carbon conversion research.

YCNCC does not sell commercial products or services. Its "revenue" is philanthropic and grant funding — principally the FedEx founding gift, the $1.9M Bezos Earth Fund Phase II Award (October 2025), and supporting grants from Builders Vision, CarbonFix, and the Fund for Science and Technology for the Blue Carbon OAE initiative. Programs funded include postdoctoral fellowships, visiting scholar residencies, workshop grants, and the Yale Applied Science Synthesis Program (YASSP). The center serves four primary audiences: policymakers (science-based guidance for climate policy), corporate sustainability leaders (research for high-integrity CDR procurement), practitioners and conservation organizations (training and technical guidance, particularly through the ELTI partnership that has trained 5,000+ individuals since 2006), and academic researchers (collaboration, fellowships, and convening).

The center's go-to-market is community-led rather than commercial. It distributes its outputs through publications (9 pages of output spanning 2020–2026), the Spring Symposium, Fall Research Showcase, BIOMES seminars, CDR Coffee Talks, an email newsletter, website content, LinkedIn and Bluesky, and Yale's institutional news channels plus external media including Mongabay, Inside Climate News, and Knowable Magazine. Strategic partnerships span funders (FedEx, Bezos Earth Fund, Builders Vision), conservation NGOs (Environmental Defense Fund, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy), and a broad coalition of CDR industry participants (Lithos Carbon, Oxylus Energy, Ebb Carbon, Captura, Terradot, InPlanet, Banyu Carbon, CREW Carbon, Vesta, Carbon to Sea Initiative) convened through MRV workshops. Operating from New Haven, CT with 17 staff including 7 postdoctoral associates and 5 graduate associates, the center maintains research footprint across North America, Brazil, and additional global field sites.

Name

Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture

Legal name

Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture

Website

https://naturalcarboncapture.yale.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture is a 2021 Yale University research center advancing natural climate solutions across ecosystem, geological/ocean, and industrial carbon capture pathways. It serves policymakers, corporate sustainability leaders, practitioners, and academic researchers through research, fellowships, workshops, and outreach programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Research / Carbon Capture Research

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Regenerative Agriculture & Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) (EUABABAE), Forestry & Ecosystem Carbon Removal (Afforestation/Reforestation, Improved Forest Management) (EUABAFAH), Blue Carbon Removal (Mangroves, Seagrass, Salt Marsh) (EUABAFAI), Wetlands, Peatlands & Mangrove Restoration (Blue Carbon Restoration) (EUABABAG)

Keywords

• Carbon dioxide removal
• Natural climate solutions
• Enhanced weathering research
• Marine carbon sequestration
• Soil carbon monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

New Haven

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Research Funding and Grants: YCNCC is funded through a transformative founding gift from FedEx (established 2021) and ongoing fundraising efforts. The center receives grants from organizations such as the Bezos Earth Fund ($1.9M AI for Climate Grand Challenge Phase II award). Funding supports research projects, workshops, fellowships, and the center's operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture is a nonprofit university research center that advances safe, effective, and scalable methods to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations by enhancing natural Earth systems. It organizes research across three focus areas — Ecosystem Capture (forests, soils, blue carbon), Geological & Ocean Capture (enhanced weathering, marine CDR), and Industrial Carbon Utilization — and runs named fellowship, visiting scholar, and workshop grant programs that train researchers and translate science into actionable climate policy and corporate sustainability outcomes.

Product overview

The Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture (YCNCC) is a research center at Yale University, not a product company. Its offerings consist of interconnected research programs and initiatives organized around three focus areas: Ecosystem Capture (encompassing Blue Carbon, Forests, and Soils), Geological & Ocean Capture (including Enhanced Weathering and Marine CDR), and Industrial Carbon Utilization. Major initiatives include the Yale Applied Science Synthesis Program (YASSP) for land management research, Blue Carbon OAE for coastal alkalinity quantification, and various fellowship and workshop programs. The center translates research into climate solutions through publications, events, and collaboration with academic and industry partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Yale Applied Science Synthesis Program (YASSP): A major YCNCC initiative connecting academic researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to answer questions about how land management decisions affect ecosystem services provided by forests, croplands, rangelands, and grasslands.
• Blue Carbon OAE Initiative

Products and services

• Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• CarbonFixmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025CarbonFix provided funding support for the YCNCC Blue Carbon OAE initiative and has featured YCNCC researchers in founder interviews to discuss the initiative.
• Yale Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative (ELTI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYCNCC collaborates with and provides funds to Yale's Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative to create educational resources and training on natural carbon capture and carbon markets. Since 2006, ELTI has provided training to over 5,000 individuals.
• Lithos CarboncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLithos Carbon is a startup commercializing enhanced weathering technology founded by Yale alumni. Co-Founder and CEO Mary Yap participated in the YCNCC Lab-to-Market Panel at the Yale Innovation Summit. The company represents the 'research through deployment' strategy linking Yale labs to commercial outcomes.
• Oxylus EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOxylus Energy is a Yale-founded company commercializing carbon conversion technology. Co-Founder and CTO Conor Rooney participated in the YCNCC Lab-to-Market Panel at the Yale Innovation Summit.
• Yale Planetary Solutions ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYCNCC is part of Yale's Planetary Solutions Project, an institutional initiative that catalyzes interdisciplinary climate research across the university.
• Environmental Defense FundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDF Chief Scientist Steven Hamburg delivered a keynote at YCNCC's 5th Anniversary Spring Symposium. EDF Senior Agricultural Scientist Emily Oldfield gave a talk on soil-based solutions. YCNCC collaborates with EDF on agricultural carbon research.
• Banyu CarbonminorOthersRepresented at the YCNCC-led workshop on Leveraging AI to Predict Responses to Open-System Geochemical Climate Intervention (May 2026).
• CapturaminorOthersOcean CDR company represented at the YCNCC MRV workshop for geochemical carbon dioxide removal.
• Carbon to Sea InitiativeminorOthersRepresented at the YCNCC MRV workshop on geochemical CDR monitoring and verification.
• CREW CarbonminorOthersEnhanced weathering company represented at the YCNCC MRV workshop.
• Ebb CarbonminorOthersOcean alkalinity enhancement company represented at the YCNCC MRV workshop.
• InPlanetminorOthersEnhanced weathering company represented at the YCNCC MRV workshop.
• IsometricminorOthersCarbon credit registry technical expert represented at the YCNCC MRV workshop.
• Lithos CarbonminorOthersEnhanced weathering company represented at the YCNCC MRV workshop.
• TerradotminorOthersEnhanced weathering company represented at the YCNCC MRV workshop.
• Vesta, PBCminorOthersOcean CDR company represented at the YCNCC MRV workshop.
• Conservation InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented at the Blue Carbon OAE MRV workshop led by YCNCC. Contributing to the development of best practices guide for Blue Carbon OAE monitoring.
• The Nature ConservancymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead Reforestation Scientist Susan Cook-Patton spoke at YCNCC's Spring Symposium on achieving natural climate solutions in forests. TNC is a partner in the SHIFT-CM initiative hosted by Yale and TNC.
• Carbon Business CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerManaging Director Toby Bryce serves as an Advisor to the Carbon Business Council, which focuses on high-integrity carbon dioxide removal.
• University of California BerkeleymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFall 2025 Visiting Scholar Dr. Matthew Potts is a Professor at UC Berkeley and Chief Science Officer at Carbon Direct, hosted by the Yale Applied Science Synthesis Program (YASSP).
• The Navigation FundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYCNCC mCDR Lead Gabriella Kitch supports coastal resilience CDR initiatives through The Navigation Fund in addition to her Yale role.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Ebb Carbon: Ocean alkalinity enhancement company removing CO2 from seawater via electrochemical processes. Overlaps directly with YCNCC's Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement research program and participated in YCNCC's May 2026 MRV workshop on geochemical CDR.
• Captura: Ocean CDR company developing electrochemical direct ocean CO2 removal technology. Directly comparable to YCNCC's Marine CDR and ocean alkalinity enhancement research, and an active workshop participant in YCNCC's MRV convening work.
• Carbon Business Council: Industry association focused on advancing responsible commercialization of high-integrity carbon dioxide removal. Directly comparable to YCNCC as a CDR convening and standards body, and the two organizations have a formal advisory linkage (YCNCC Managing Director Toby Bryce serves as an Advisor to the Council).
• Carbon Removal Coalition: Coalition of businesses, NGOs, and researchers advocating for U.S. federal investment in carbon removal R&D and deployment. Operates in the same CDR policy, advocacy, and convening space as YCNCC's outreach and policy engagement work.
• Lithos Carbon: Yale-alumni-founded enhanced weathering startup commercializing basalt spreading on agricultural lands. Direct overlap with YCNCC's Geological & Ocean Capture research focus area and an active YCNCC partner via the Lab-to-Market panel and the May 2026 MRV workshop.
• Carbon180: Nonprofit design and policy lab focused on accelerating equitable carbon removal solutions across natural and technological pathways. Comparable mission space to YCNCC in scaling CDR deployment, building policy frameworks, and convening the carbon removal ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Heirloom Carbon: Leading direct air capture (DAC) company using limestone-based carbon removal technology. Broader CDR industry player in the same ecosystem as YCNCC's convening work, though operating in the technological rather than natural pathway space that YCNCC primarily addresses.
• Puro.earth: One of the largest dedicated carbon removal credit registries globally, certifying biochar, enhanced weathering, BECCS, and other CDR pathways. Comparable to YCNCC as a carbon removal standard-setter, with overlapping interest in protocol development for novel natural CDR pathways.

Emerging players

• Carbonfuture: Carbon credit registry with a technology focus on durable removal pathways and rigorous MRV. Comparable to YCNCC's work on natural CDR methodology development and protocol design for high-integrity credits.
• Isometric: Carbon credit registry with proprietary MRV infrastructure serving CDR buyers and developers. Directly comparable to YCNCC's Blue Carbon OAE registry protocol and MRV methodology work, and Isometric participated in YCNCC's May 2026 MRV workshop as a registry technical expert.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/yalecncc.bsky.social
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ycncc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture