holy grail raises $2.7m seed fund to create modular carbon capture devices

A Novel Approach to Carbon Capture by Holy Grail

The company Holy Grail, a startup established two years ago and headquartered in Mountain View, California, is pursuing a unique, small-scale strategy to address the significant challenge of carbon capture.

Modular Direct Air Capture Technology

Unlike the majority of carbon capture initiatives currently underway in the U.S. and internationally, which concentrate on large, centralized emission sources like industrial plants and power stations, Holy Grail is developing a modular and compact direct air carbon capture system. Nuno Pereira, a co-founder of Holy Grail, communicated to TechCrunch that this methodology is anticipated to lower expenses and circumvent the necessity for permits or extensive project funding.

Seed Funding and Investor Confidence

Despite being in the early stages of development and testing, Holy Grail’s concept has attracted substantial investment from prominent investors and founders within Silicon Valley. Recently, the startup secured $2.7 million in seed funding.

• Investors included LowerCarbon Capital and Goat Capital.
• Patrick Collison, the founder of Stripe, also participated.
• Other contributors were Charlie Songhurst, Kyle Vogt of Cruise, Ian Hogarth of Songkick, Starlight Ventures, and 35 Ventures.

Deep Science Ventures, Y Combinator, and Oliver Cameron, previously a co-founder at Voyage (later acquired by Cruise), who were existing investors, also contributed to this funding round.

Prototype Development and Technological Differentiation

Pereira indicated that the carbon capture device remains in the prototype phase, with key details – such as the final dimensions and operational lifespan – still under refinement. Successfully and affordably isolating CO2 from the atmosphere presents a considerable technical hurdle.

The company is currently in the process of patenting its technology and, therefore, refrained from disclosing specific details regarding the device’s composition and characteristics. However, Pereira emphasized that Holy Grail is adopting a fundamentally distinct technical approach to carbon capture.

A New Chemical Reaction for Carbon Capture

“Existing technologies are often quite intricate, typically relying on either temperature or pressure to capture carbon,” Pereira explained. “They involve numerous components, including compressors, calciners, and other elements like mechanical pumps, cryogenic air separators, and substantial energy and water consumption.”

Holy Grail intends to utilize electricity to initiate and regulate a chemical reaction that effectively binds to CO2. Furthermore, the company’s devices are designed to achieve cost reductions without relying on large-scale production and will be modular, allowing for flexible configurations based on customer needs.

Focus on CO2 Capture, Not Conversion

Pereira refers to these devices as “scrubbers,” emphasizing their primary function of capturing CO2, rather than converting it into other substances like fuels. He clarified, with the acknowledgment that many aspects of the final product are still being determined, that once a Holy Grail unit is saturated, the company could potentially collect it, though the ultimate destination of the captured carbon remains undecided.

Business Model and Future Vision

Initially, the company plans to generate revenue through the sale of carbon credits, utilizing its devices as the basis for carbon reduction projects. The long-term objective is to market the scrubbers directly to commercial clients and, ultimately, even individual consumers.

Holy Grail envisions a future where individuals can possess their own carbon capture devices, potentially even for residential use. However, the company acknowledges that significant development work remains.

Scaling Through Manufacturing

“We are essentially shifting the focus from constructing a massive, multi-ton plant – with all the associated project management complexities – to manufacturing scrubbers on an assembly line, much like a typical consumer product,” Pereira stated.

The Need for Diverse Solutions

Pereira underscored that a multitude of approaches will be necessary to effectively address the immense challenge of reducing atmospheric CO2 levels. “The scale of the problem is simply too large for a single solution,” he concluded.

This article has been updated to accurately reflect Holy Grail’s location as Mountain View, California.