How Climeworks sets new standards for reversing climate change and raising funds

Jan, in an article in 2019, The New York Times called Climeworks “The tiny Swiss company that thinks it can help stop climate change.” Does this summarize who Climeworks is? How would you describe your company? 
We are grateful to The New York Times for featuring us so prominently, and we strongly believe that the field we are working in deserves such prominence. We would describe ourselves as a company that is pioneering in the field of direct air capture and are pushed forward by a team of over 100 highly motivated Climeworkers. We empower people to reverse climate change by permanently removing carbon dioxide from the air. 

You founded Climeworks in 2009. What have been your biggest achievements and milestones in these 10 years? What have been your biggest learnings? What are you most proud of? 
First and foremost, we are proud of the team of Climeworkers that has made incredible achievements over the past years! We learned that focusing on our team and our first core value, “Climeworkers,” is a vital ingredient for achieving our goals. We are further proud of the scale-up we have achieved (capturing just milligrams of CO₂ in a lab a decade ago, now capturing thousands of tons) and of the investors and partners we have on board. 

Since you founded Climeworks, you have raised CHF 120 million; CHF 73 million alone during a pandemic. What is your secret? 
We are in the lucky situation that what we are doing, our vision and our purpose are very easy to grasp for almost everyone, and the latest developments in science, society, and politics point to the fact that what we are doing will be an essential part of tackling the climate challenge. We focus on pure communication with our investors, customers, and partners.

How was this financing round different than others? How was it the same? 
Obviously, it is a new level in terms of volume that we are reaching now—something which also comes with more expectations and more requirements on the execution side. The funding we now have available requires a solid and scaled-up company structure. Growth comes with the requirement of making teams, processes, and structures scalable. This is what is on our agenda now. On the other hand, continuity lies in the group of our shareholders. We are proud to be backed by a group of very strong private investors who share our vision. 

Do you have any advice for startups that are raising funds right now? 
Be true and be transparent in your communication. Do not see the current situation as a crisis—there are many opportunities as well. Focus on these —and convince your investors of these. 

You were a Venture Kick winner, a Venture Leader China, and one of the TOP 100 Swiss startups for four consecutive years. How have these programs, events, and activities influenced Climeworks’s success? 
Venture Kick was really the initial entrepreneur’s school that Christoph and I went through. Being kicked through the Kicker’s Camps by Beat and Jordi was an experience that the two of us will never want to miss, will never forget, and will never stop being grateful for! And those experiences definitely made their way into our founders’ DNA! 

The challenges of climate change will likely not be solved any time soon. Where do you see Climeworks in 10 years? 
Our vision is to inspire 1 billion people to remove carbon dioxide from the air—in 10 years from now, we hope to be well on our way to achieving that.