Catalytic Capital for Climate and Health ( C3H ), a catalytic vehicle of Temasek Trust, and Kibo Invest, a Singapore-based private investment office with a focus on climate technology, are leading a US$11.6 million Series A round financing in California-based climate tech start-up Equatic, whose patented seawater electrolysis process accelerates the ocean’s ability to absorb and permanently store carbon at scale and simultaneously produce carbon-negative hydrogen.

Other participants include Stacey Nicholas, the Aga Khan Foundation, Adam McKay and Lee Cooper. Equatic has also been catalytically supported, since its inception, by Grantham Neglected Climate Opportunities.

The Series A financing will support the ongoing engineering of Equatic’s first 100-kilotonne carbon dioxide removal commercial ( CDR ) facility, alongside further commercialization, manufacturing and technological development. 

Equatic’s Series A financing, the company notes, reflects rising momentum for scalable climate mitigation solutions, fuelled by converging factors like science-driven innovation and public-private philanthropic partnerships.

C3H, it points out, is dedicated to backing early-stage innovators like Equatic – in the areas of climate, health and their intersection – to fast-track the transition to a low-carbon future.

Equatic’s proprietary technology removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and produces green hydrogen in a single, scalable process. The technology has been validated through pilots in Los Angeles and Singapore, with strong offtake interest. 

Equatic has also adopted an ISO-14064 standard for monitoring, reporting and verification, validated by two leading carbon removal registries – Isometric and Puro.earth – making it one of the only marine companies able to issue high-quality CDR credits under both registries, with full transparency and auditability.

“Equatic’s technology and approach exemplify the type of bold and scalable innovation that aligns with C3H’s mandate,” says Ryan Tan, the fund’s head.  

James Marshall, Kibo Invest’s CEO, adds: “Equatic represents an exciting opportunity to scale deep-tech innovation that addresses two critical needs – decarbonization and clean energy.”