Varaha’s Ambitious Drive to Scale Carbon Removal Across the Global South

India-based climate tech innovator Varaha has recently secured $20 million in fresh capital to fast-track its carbon removal projects throughout Asia and africa. This investment forms part of a larger $45 million Series B funding round aimed at positioning Varaha as a cost-effective provider of verified emissions reductions on the global stage.

Investor Backing and financial Growth

The latest funding round is led by WestBridge Capital,marking their debut investment in climate technology. Existing investors including RTP Global and Omnivore have also participated. Since launching in 2022,Varaha has raised around $33 million through equity financing,complemented by an additional $35 million allocated for project-specific funding along with half a million dollars in grants.

Capitalizing on India’s Strategic Advantages for Carbon Solutions

India is emerging as a critical center for carbon removal due to its low operational costs, vast agricultural infrastructure, and skilled workforce. As demand surges globally-especially from data centers powering AI technologies-the need for credible carbon offsets intensifies. Varaha leverages these regional strengths to deliver affordable carbon removal services that meet stringent international verification standards comparable to those upheld by providers across Europe and North America.

Operational Excellence Over Proprietary Innovation

Madhur Jain, co-founder and CEO of Varaha, highlights that the company’s main competitive advantage lies in superior execution rather than owning exclusive technology patents. He cautions that high costs prevalent in wealthier markets could limit many developers’ ability to scale amid increasing pricing pressures worldwide.

“for companies purchasing carbon credits, these are balance sheet expenses-not just corporate social responsibility initiatives,” Jain explains. “When credit production costs differ significantly between regions-sometimes by 1.5 to 3 times-it becomes tough for businesses operating under tight budgets.”

Diverse Carbon Removal Techniques Engaging Smallholder Farmers

Varaha employs four primary approaches: regenerative agriculture practices; integrating agroforestry systems; producing biochar from biomass; and accelerating enhanced rock weathering processes. The startup works closely with smallholder farmers alongside industrial collaborators across emerging economies.

• Regenerative Agriculture: Implementing enduring farming methods that restore soil vitality while capturing atmospheric CO₂.
• Agroforestry: Combining tree cultivation with crops or livestock farming enhances biodiversity while sequestering notable amounts of carbon.
• Biochar Production: Transforming organic waste into charcoal-like material wich locks away CO₂ when incorporated into soils over long periods.
• Enhanced Rock Weathering: Speeding up natural mineral breakdown processes that absorb CO₂ sustainably over decades or centuries.

The company issues internationally recognized verified carbon credits through registries such as Puro.earth, Isometric Registry, Verra Standards Association (VSA), Gold Standard Foundation certifications, and Switzerland-based Carbon Standards International-ensuring clarity sought after by multinational buyers worldwide.

Tangible Achievements: Millions of tons captured & Industry Firsts set

The startup has successfully removed over two million metric tons of CO₂ emissions through fourteen active projects so far-resulting in approximately 150 thousand certified removal credits issued globally. Notably, it became India’s first organization authorized internationally to generate biochar-based credits-and Asia’s pioneer issuer utilizing enhanced rock weathering protocols recognized abroad.^*Updated*

Sustainable Expansion Fueled By strong Revenues And Strategic Partnerships

This past fiscal year saw Varaha generate revenues nearing ₹430 million (around $4.76M USD) solely from delivered verified credits; forecasts suggest this figure will approach ₹2 billion (~$22M USD) within the current year while maintaining profitability after taxes.

This financial strength supports plans targeting new South Asian markets like Vietnam and Indonesia alongside deepening presence across existing regions including nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Ivory Coast where it currently collaborates with roughly 170-175 thousand farmers managing nearly 1.7 million acres collectively.

• A growing list of long-term buyers includes global leaders such as Google, Microsoft, Lufthansa Group & Swiss Re-all seeking durable offset solutions aligned with ambitious sustainability targets.
  
  
• An Industrial Partners Program enables manufacturers possessing sustainable biomass resources or gasification capabilities-including agribusinesses & steel producers-to independently produce validated biochar-derived removals using proprietary MRV (Measurement Reporting Verification) frameworks developed internally.
  
  This initiative operates successfully within West African countries plus Indian industrial sectors emphasizing collaborative scaling beyond mere asset ownership.

A Globally Distributed Team Driving Innovation From India And Beyond

Employing approximately 225 professionals worldwide-with more than four-fifths based domestically-the team spans technology advancement,data science,research,and product management disciplines.Various remote staff members operate out of Nepal,germany,the United States,and Australia reflecting an expanding international client base despite no physical offices outside India currently maintained.

“The scale required means open-source technologies will eventually dominate,” Jain notes.”Execution quality remains paramount.”