Alt Carbon Raises $12M Seed to Scale Carbon Removal in India, Global South

Alt Carbon, a Bengaluru-based deeptech startup co-founded by siblings Shrey and Sparsh Agarwal, has raised $12 million in a seed funding round led by Lachy Groom, co-founder of Physical Intelligence, marking the largest climate tech seed round in India. The company focuses on carbon dioxide removal (CDR) in South Asia through Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW), a process that spreads waste basalt rock dust on farmland to capture CO2 and convert it into stable bicarbonates stored in soil and oceans for millennia, while also improving soil health and crop yields. Originating from the founders' effort to revive their family’s struggling tea estate in Darjeeling, Alt Carbon has piloted projects on tea, rice, and bamboo farms and plans to scale to 500,000 hectares, aiming to remove 5 million tons of carbon by 2030. The startup emphasizes scientific rigor, advanced R&D, and machine learning to accelerate operations and build a new class of durable climate solutions rooted in the Global South. The investment will support expansion of earth sciences research, hardware innovation, and operational scaling to make South Asia a hub for climate action and quality carbon removal credits. Alt Carbon’s flagship Darjeeling Revival Project integrates large-scale carbon removal with ecological restoration and community livelihoods, positioning it as a pioneering model for sustainable climate impact.