Vycarb

Vycarb is a Brooklyn-based climate technology company founded in 2022 by Garrett Boudinot, a climate scientist and carbon chemist. Boudinot's background includes a PhD focused on quantifying carbon cycle changes, running a carbon removal research program at Cornell University, and serving on the NY State Climate Impacts Assessment, all of which informed the company's core mission. Frustrated by the lack of verifiable data and prevalent greenwashing in the carbon management sector, Vycarb was established to create a transparent and effective solution.

The company has developed a full-stack technology that integrates carbon dioxide (CO2) capture, permanent storage, and real-time measurement. Vycarb's proprietary process accelerates a natural reaction, using alkaline minerals to convert CO2 dissolved in water into stable bicarbonate and carbonate ions. This method, known as Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE), permanently sequesters carbon in water for over 10,000 years and carries the co-benefit of de-acidifying the local aquatic environment. A key differentiator for Vycarb is its advanced, autonomous sensing technology, which measures the complete dissolved inorganic carbon system (CO2, bicarbonate, and carbonate) in real-time. This direct measurement approach replaces estimations and models, providing verifiable data to validate the precise amount of CO2 removed and ensure the process is safe for the ecosystem.

Vycarb operates as a technology provider rather than a project developer, creating modular, drop-in systems for deployment in various settings with high-CO2 waters. The business model is centered on the sale of high-quality, fully measured carbon removal offsets. The company has already attracted notable customers like Stripe and Milkywire, selling $500,000 in carbon offsets and securing pre-seed funding led by investors including Twynam, URBAN-X, and Brinc. Since 2023, Vycarb has successfully launched multiple pilot projects in New York waterways, including the East River, progressively scaling its removal capacity from milligrams to a target of 100 tonnes per year, with a long-term goal of achieving costs below $100 per tonne.

Keywords: carbon dioxide removal, ocean alkalinity enhancement, carbon capture and storage, marine CDR, water-based carbon removal, direct measurement, carbon sensing technology, Garrett Boudinot, climate technology, carbon offsets, carbon neutralization, bicarbonate storage, ocean de-acidification, Brooklyn startups, climate finance, verifiable carbon credits, modular CDR, environmental technology, aqueous geochemistry, carbon cycle