Why we founded Sylvera
When we started Sylvera and first went to talk to investors, we wrote a brief note.
At its core, we set out a simple idea. While the world’s carbon in natural systems was not effectively valued, it would continue to be destroyed.
Without effective measures of value, the Market, potentially the world’s most powerful tool against climate change, is actually counterproductive.
The cause of this market failure is a critical missing link, an independent and accurate source of data. Data free of conflict of interest that could bring trust to the (sometimes fairly) maligned, and long-dormant market for carbon.
We needed to distil accurate data on natural carbon sinks using machine learning and satellite data. Then, rather than profit by trading on the basis of asymmetry of information, we would commit to distributing our data as widely as possible, supercharging the existing standards, and not seeking to displace them.
Project developers could radically improve their project start times and cost. They could bring genuine, independently-tracked offsets to market, and be free to sell through the best channel for them.
Buyers could finally escape expensive middlemen and crazy markups. They could work with vendors that truly valued quality and transparency.
The exchanges and brokers that currently serve commodities and securities to corporates and institutions could trade frictionlessly, using our data as effective ratings.
Fraudulent, non additional, or non-performing carbon projects would attract a lower price for their offsets. The good projects would attract a premium — incentivising real, effective projects.
Coming full circle on our mission, our data can help the market grow and become efficient, delivering capital to projects that genuinely and effectively protects and enhance natural carbon sinks at gigatonne scale.
Today, a new set of allies has joined us in this mission.
We’re excited to announce our $5.8m Seed investment round led by leading international venture firm, Index Ventures, in addition to a $2m research contract to work with UCLA, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, and University College London.
All our existing institutional investors Seedcamp, Speedinvest, Revent and another undisclosed fund are participating, joined also by Communitas and Plug and Play.
The oversubscribed round is also joined by a stellar list of founders and senior leaders from the world of tech and finance. These include current or past CEOs of IHS Market, Thomson Reuters, NYSE and Citibank.
Early adopters of Sylvera’s data have benefitted from an unprecedented view on the underlying reality of carbon markets. 2021 will see Sylvera partner broadly, to fulfil our mission of delivering the data infrastructure and crucially, the trust that powers the 100x and the 1000x larger carbon markets of the future.
If you’re protecting or restoring natural carbon, wanting to participate in the market, or on your net zero journey, we should talk. Come join our conversation on Linkedin or visit us at Sylvera.com.
If your personal mission is to achieve the highest possible leverage to help solve climate change, we’re hiring to fill exciting new roles! For more information on the latest opportunities to join the Sylvera team, check out our careers page.
-Allister, CEO
