- Climeworks has been selected as one of CNBC’s Disruptor 50 companies of 2023 for its pioneering and transformative role in the carbon removal industry through its direct air capture (DAC) technology.
- This prestigious annual list, published by CNBC, the global leader in business news, highlights some of the most innovative venture-backed companies disrupting their respective industries and driving change across the business world.
The recognition reflects the fast and accelerating growth Climeworks demonstrated over the last year, after raising $650M in equity funding in April 2022, enriching its workforce to reach over 300 Climeworkers determined to contribute to a net zero future. In the same year, Climeworks delivered the world’s first high-quality, third-party verified carbon dioxide removal (CDR) services via direct air capture and storage (DAC+S) to its first corporate customers.
Climeworks also made progress on its ambitious scale-up roadmap, commencing works on its second and largest DAC+S plant Mammoth, which is expected to start operations in 2024, and announcing its expansion in the U.S. with projects planned in several locations. This positions Climeworks as a CDR leader spearheading DAC+S on the journey to gigaton-scale capacity by 2050, as climate science requires.
“Carbon dioxide removal via direct air capture and storage is one of the defining solutions of our time. We are thrilled to be named among the CNBC Disruptor 50, an honor that confirms that we are on the right track as we continue to work on a difficult but essential challenge. Our mission remains to provide a solution for a net zero future. A solution that is measurable, additional, and permanent to address historical and residual emissions, complementary to a drastic reduction in emissions,” said Jan Wurzbacher, co-CEO of Climeworks.
The CNBC Disruptor 50 recognition follows several other accolades for Climeworks’ accomplishments. The direct air capture leader was selected as one of TIME100 Most Influential Companies of 2022. Additionally, Climeworks’ CEOs were included in the same year in the TIME100 Next list, which recognizes 100 emerging leaders across industries worldwide. Climeworks was also featured on the 2022 Global Cleantech 100 list of companies committed to combating the climate crisis.
The CNBC Disruptor 50 List has been published annually since 2013 and has included notable companies such as Airbnb, SpaceX, and Uber in the past. The companies on this list are considered trailblazers and innovators in their respective industries. Nominees are subject to a rigorous and comprehensive selection process, which evaluates a wide range of quantitative and qualitative criteria, including scalability, revenue and user growth, and workforce diversity.
For the complete list of CNBC Disruptor 50 companies, please visit CNBC.com/Disruptors.