Hardware Podcasts

The challenges of building a carbon removal portfolio

Catalyst · 29 Feb 2024 · 43m

What this episode covers

Stacy Kauk, Head of Sustainability at Shopify, details the company's $55 million investment in 85,000 tons of durable carbon removal, explaining how they manage a venture-capital-style portfolio of early-stage technologies. She highlights the significant delays in credit delivery caused by permitting hurdles, technological pivots, and the infancy of Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) methodologies. Kauk argues that while the market aims for a standardized commodity, current buyers must support a diverse mix of engineered systems like Direct Air Capture (DAC) and natural system enhancements like ocean alkalinity to discover viable cost curves and scalability.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Shopify, Stripe, Microsoft, Frontier, Climeworks, Running Tide, Charm Industrial, Crew Carbon, Graphite, Arca
Also
Direct Air Capture, Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement, Enhanced Rock Weathering, Biochar, Biomass Burial

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