16-Year-Old Founder's Company CarbonZero.Eco Emerges from Stealth, Raising $3.5M in Seed Funding to Mainstream Biochar Use to Help Farmers Increase Crop Yields While Removing CO2 from the Atmosphere

Founded by 16-year old CEO Harper Moss and successful tech entrepreneur Gregory Ray as CTO, CarbonZero.Eco has already pre-sold $7M of biochar and inked a deal with California farmers to locate its first Biochar production site.

LOS ALTOS, Calif., Feb. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CarbonZero.Eco, a Silicon Valley-based venture-backed startup tackling regenerative agriculture and CO2 removal through Biochar, today emerged from stealth and announced a $3.5M seed round that includes investments from managers and executives at Google, Meta, Amazon, and the CEOs of several late-stage start-ups. The company also announced it has inked deals worth $7M with more than 300 almond farms in Colusa County and Yolo County, California to mitigate up to 1.5M tons of CO2 emissions from waste breakdown. The new capital will fuel the company's mission to help American farmers enhance soil quality, increase crop yields, and generate additional revenues while also removing CO2 from the atmosphere by revolutionizing Biochar production at scale.

"Harper's passion, persistence and drive led her to start an amazing company tackling regenerative farming and carbon emissions at a critical time for both, and I am so excited to see how far she takes it along with Greg and the impressive team they have put together," said Rich Miner, co-founder of Android and former founding partner at Google Ventures.

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New Construction and Preliminary Assessment with Puro.earth

CarbonZero.eco's first Biochar production site–located in Colusa County, CA where almonds are processed–is slated to open in late April 2025. Puro.earth has vetted the planned facility, which has passed its preliminary assessment, registering CarbonZero.eco as a biochar CO2 Removal Certificate supplier. The company will begin generating certificates in summer 2025 for the CO2 removal.

"Harper pitched our ownership group and convinced us that she would build a business model that we would all benefit from," said Dan Pronsolino, General Manager, Cortina Hulling and Shelling LLC. "We look forward to working with her and Greg to increase crop yields, improve soil health and create additional revenue for the more than 300 local growers we serve. We are excited to be the first location for CarbonZero.Eco and hope that others learn from what we are doing here."

Biochar Production at Scale Benefits Both Farmers and the Environment

Every year, at least 1,300 million tons of agricultural waste is produced. The current approach to handling this waste through landfills and incineration contributes to approximately 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions and also creates various toxic pollutants.

Biochar stabilizes carbon within the biomass, locking it away for thousands of years, effectively preventing its release during decomposition and contributing to carbon removal. This generates valuable carbon removal certificates that are highly sought after in the market. Supported by over 6,000 studies, Biochar also significantly enhances soil quality and crop yields. CarbonZero.eco has teamed up with California almond farmers to convert up to 1.5M tons of almond shells into Biochar.

Founding Story: Harper Moss and Gregory Ray Team Up to Fuel Biochar Production in the U.S.

CarbonZero.Eco CEO Harper Moss and CTO Gregory Ray are on a mission to introduce Biochar to roughly 525M acres of U.S. farmland, requiring over 2.6 billion tons annually. CarbonZero.Eco is addressing farmer enablement and the substantial Biochar shortage in the US. Building their plant in a location where hundreds of farms already aggregate biomass ensures no additional transportation, making the carbon impact extremely net-positive.

Harper conceived the vision for CarbonZero.Eco at 15, driven by her passion to make a positive impact on the planet while benefiting farmers. Recognizing Biochar's potential in revitalizing farmlands and removing CO2 from the atmosphere, she embarked on a mission to introduce its transformative benefits to farmers.

"Farmers are the beating heart of our country, yet haven't been a big enough part of the carbon conversation before. Regenerative farming and carbon sequestration go hand in hand thanks to Biochar, and I am humbled that hundreds of farms trust us enough to partner with us on this journey," said CEO Harper Moss.

About CarbonZero

CarbonZero.eco, a Silicon Valley-based VC-backed startup, is tackling regenerative agriculture and climate change through Biochar, aiming to mainstream its use in farming and address the impending Biochar shortage. With kilns capable of producing 30,000 tons of Biochar per year, five times more than current technology, they are revolutionizing Biochar production at scale. CarbonZero.eco's process benefits farmlands and stabilizes carbon for up to a millennium. The company's first project in Colusa County, CA will mitigate 1.5 million tons of CO2 emissions from waste breakdown.

SOURCE CarbonZero.ECO, Inc.