Tech Giants Back Carbon Removal Merger to Scale Climate Fix

A climate solution inspired by nature just got a major boost as two carbon removal companies combine forces to fight global warming.

Terradot, backed by tech giants Google and Microsoft, is acquiring competitor Eion in a merger announced today. Both companies use the same elegant approach: spreading pulverized rocks on farmland to absorb carbon dioxide directly from the air.

The technique, called enhanced rock weathering, speeds up a process that happens naturally when rocks break down over thousands of years. By grinding rocks into dust and spreading them across fields, the companies can capture carbon while improving soil health for farmers.

The merger solves a critical challenge facing the young carbon removal industry. Large investors like sovereign wealth funds want to work with companies big enough to handle massive contracts. Eion CEO Anastasia Pavlovic Hans told The Wall Street Journal that her company was simply too small to meet that demand alone.

Together, the companies bring complementary strengths. California-based Terradot operates primarily in Brazil, working with volcanic basalt rock. Eion focuses on U.S. operations using olivine, a green mineral rich in magnesium.

The combined company will have the scale to negotiate larger deals and expand operations across multiple continents. This matters because enhanced rock weathering requires distributed networks spanning thousands of farms to make a real dent in atmospheric carbon.

The Ripple Effect

This merger represents more than two startups joining forces. It signals that major investors see enhanced rock weathering as a viable path to removing billions of tons of carbon from the atmosphere.

The technology offers something rare in climate solutions: a low-cost approach that helps farmers while fighting warming. Rock dust adds beneficial minerals to soil, potentially reducing the need for traditional fertilizers.

Sovereign wealth funds managing trillions in assets are now looking for partners who can deliver carbon removal at the scale needed to meet global climate goals. By combining operations, Terradot and Eion can pursue contracts that were previously out of reach.

The merger also brings together two investor networks that include Gigascale Capital, Kleiner Perkins, AgFunder, and Mercator Partners. This financial backing provides runway to refine operations and prove the approach works economically.

As the world searches for ways to remove the carbon already warming our planet, solutions that work with nature instead of against it are gaining momentum.