World shaper of tomorrow: Climeworks subscribes to the fight against climate change

Climeworks, a Zurich-based cleantech company, helps reverse climate change by removing CO2 out of the air and permanently storing it underground. What even in 2021 sounds like science fiction is one of the few realistic approaches to helping achieve climate targets. Climeworks co-founders Dr. Christoph Gebald and Dr. Jan Wurzbacher told us why their entrepreneurial journey went from feeling like a nightmare to celebrating all the possibilities enabled by the largest-ever investment into direct air capture.

“When we started in 2009, renowned scientists suggested not to capture CO₂ from the air with machines because it was just too expensive. Fundraising at that time was a nightmare,” explained Climeworks co-founder and co-CEO Christoph Gebald during his TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award 2020 keynote. Eleven years later, Christoph and co-founder Jan achieved the previously unthinkable: They raised CHF 100 million, breaking the record for the largest ever investment into direct air capture. The funding will be used to further scale and optimize Climeworks’ direct air capture technology. 
Scaling and optimizing have been critical in Climeworks’ journey: Their first prototype was smaller than the computer mouse that operated it. Now, 10 years later, the cleantech startup is building Orca, the world’s largest direct air capture and storage plant that can remove 4,000,000 kg of CO₂ per year from the air and put it underground. “We brought direct air capture from lab-scale to industrial-scale. With the construction of Orca in Iceland, we are making carbon dioxide removal even more attainable to the public,” explained Christoph. “Climeworks’ vision is to inspire 1 billion people to remove carbon dioxide from the air. And we are extremely happy to see the many pioneers joining our journey to climate positivity. They help us prove that there is a market for carbon dioxide removal, which will, in turn, unlock future investments and eventually, carbon dioxide removal capacity build-up,” he continued.

“What motivated us to keep going was the fight against the biggest challenge humanity has ever faced: climate change.” – Dr. Christoph Gebald 

Finding your purpose and support  
Over the years, change was a constant in Climeworks’ growth: Few other fields went through such massive developments than cleantech—from merciless rejection to absolute support—within a decade. Consequently, Climeworks also adapted its strategy, business model, technology, and application. The only element that remained the same was Climeworks’ purpose. “That would be my one advice to entrepreneurs: Stick to your purpose. Eventually, you will achieve your vision,” said Christoph. 
And that purpose is more important than ever: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) wrote a report that the cleantech industry is critical to helping achieve climate targets. A recent cover page of The Economist illustrated that the growing size of the cleantech industry is set to become the largest industry on this planet. The opportunities are suddenly endless. “It gives me hope in the fight against climate change. I am fascinated by the thus-far unseen dynamics in commitments to achieve climate targets, including the need to actively remove historic CO₂ from the air,” said Christoph. 
 

“It feels exciting to be a vital part in kick-starting the carbon dioxide removal industry.” – Dr. Christoph Gebald
 

Empowering people to remove CO₂
In 2019, Climeworks launched an innovative subscription model that provides direct, measurable, and permanent climate action— one kg of CO₂ at a time. Subscribers choose an amount of CO₂ they want Climeworks to remove from the atmosphere with their direct air capture machines. Climeworks’ partner Carbfix then mixes the CO₂ with water and pumps it deep underground. Through natural mineralization, the carbon dioxide reacts with basalt rock and turns into stone within a few years. “We believe in the power of small steps and that every climate-positive action counts, which is why we provide accessible climate action and strive to empower as many people as possible,” said Jan. The challenges of climate change will not be solved any time soon: Leading studies indicate that by mid-century, around 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide will need to be removed from the atmosphere every year. The Climeworks team has their work cut out for them--and their innovative spirit, perseverance, and enthusiasm help us create a better world for future generations. 


 

About "World shapers of tomorrow: Startups building our future"

The TOP 100 book "World shapers of tomorrow: Startups building our future" shows the impact of the TOP 100 Swiss Startups over the last 10 years. On 100 pages, the publication features the facts and figures about the startup ecosystem in Switzerland, shows the sectors and geographic distribution, and lists the investors behind Swiss deeptech startups. The book also highlights disruptive companies that changed their industry: Beekeeper, Bestmile, Climeworks, Covagen, DeinDeal, Doodle, GetYourGuide, MindMaze, Scandit, and Piavita. The founders of these startups share anecdotes and discuss their successes, lessons learned, and visions for the future. A selection of 10 verticals illustrates how Swiss deeptech startups transform our lives and help us build a better and more sustainable future in relation to health, longevity, digitalization, and decentralization. Learn more and download your copy at www.top100startups.swiss/10years.

 

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