Counteract provide entrepreneurs with financial and strategic support to remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere.
Counteract is a London-based venture capital firm dedicated to catalysing the carbon removal our world will need. Founded in 2021 by experienced entrepreneurs, Counteract invests in early-stage companies developing innovative, permanent carbon removal technologies, aiming to collectively enable the removal of 5 gigatons of CO₂e by 2050. The firm operates globally, supporting a diverse portfolio of solutions and prioritising scientific rigor, responsibility, and measurable environmental impact.
Mission: ‘Catalysing the carbon removal our world will need’.
Goals:
Values:
Counteract VC was founded in 2021 by three serial entrepreneurs who had previously collaborated to build and successfully exit a major global media agency. Andrew Shebbeare, Matt Isaacs, and Andy Bonsall came together to launch Counteract after achieving significant success with their previous venture, Essence.
Their shared entrepreneurial journey began with Essence, the global media agency they co-founded in 2005. Over a decade, they successfully scaled Essence from a startup to a 500-person global operation managing over $700 million in media spend, ultimately selling the company to WPP in 2015 for an undisclosed sum. This exit provided both the financial foundation and proven track record that would enable their pivot into climate investing.
Counteract officially launched in February 2021 with an aim to combat the climate crisis through research, development and investment in carbon removal technology.
Andrew Shebbeare Managing Partner
Matt Isaacs Managing Partner
Andy Bonsall Managing Partner
Counteract specialises in early-stage carbon removal technology investments. The firm backs pre-seed and seed stage founders who are developing innovative solutions for carbon removal, with their flagship fund "Counteract One" targeting investments in companies that can collectively catalyse 5Gt of CO2e removal by 2050. Their investment strategy focuses on solutions that are additive to the carbon removal ecosystem, spanning diverse approaches including direct air capture, ocean carbon removal, enhanced weathering, biomass burial, and carbon-negative materials.
Counteract Ventures operates globally from its London headquarters, actively sourcing early-stage carbon removal startups across Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and Malaysia. This broad geographic coverage allows the firm to identify and back innovative CO₂ removal solutions ensuring a diverse, resilient portfolio of catalytic technologies worldwide.
Counteract the VC invests in initiatives that remove CO₂ from the atmosphere, guided by four primary investment criteria. Initially, the fund seeks projects with catalytic potential for planetary-scale impact, specifically, those capable of driving systems change and, with Counteract’s support, demonstrating a clear path to delivering or enabling at least 0.5 gigatons of CO₂e removal by 2050. Secondly Counteract prioritises diverse and impactful solutions that contribute new and meaningful approaches to the carbon removal sector. Thirdly, the fund targets self-sustaining ideas that can scale rapidly to meet accelerating demand and are supported by robust, long-term business models. Finally, Counteract emphasises responsible, regenerative pathways, ensuring that investments do not justify avoidable emissions and that projects deliver additional environmental and social benefits beyond carbon removal.
Counteract evaluates early-stage carbon removal ventures against four key criteria: catalytic potential for planetary scale with a clear line of sight to delivering or enabling 0.5 Gt CO₂e removal by 2050; diverse solutions that meaningfully add to the ecosystem; self-sustaining business models able to scale with demand; and responsible, regenerative pathways that deliver co-benefits without excusing avoidable emissions.
Adaptavate: Founded in Bristol (UK) makes Breathaboard, a low-carbon, drop-in alternative to plasterboard that absorbs 2-3 kg CO₂ per m². With potential for even greater carbon removal, it offers a scalable way to store carbon in building materials, a sector responsible for 40% of global emissions. Breathaboard’s easy integration into existing construction makes it a promising solution as the industry faces stricter carbon regulations and rising demand. Visit Adaptavate
Agricarbon: Founded in Dundee, Scotland, Agricarbon provides affordable, high-accuracy soil carbon measurement using patented deep soil core extraction and automated testing. By lowering the cost of lab-quality soil carbon data, Agricarbon is building the largest soil sample dataset, helping refine carbon models and verify the impact of climate-friendly land management. This makes it easier and cheaper to track soil’s role in climate change mitigation. Visit Agricarbon
Atlas Materials: Founded in the USA uses an electrochemical process to produce battery-grade nickel with almost zero CO₂ emissions, 130 times less than traditional methods. The process also creates valuable low-carbon byproducts and can support carbon removal, making nickel production cleaner and more sustainable for the energy transition. Visit Atlas Materials
Chloris Geospatial: based in the USA uses satellite and LiDAR data with machine learning to directly measure and track above-ground biomass and carbon changes in all woody vegetation globally, at 10–30m resolution and with pixel-level uncertainty. Their platform enables precise, cost-effective, and scalable monitoring of forest carbon stocks and changes over the past 20 years, improving the accuracy and trustworthiness of carbon credits and nature-based climate solutions. Visit Chloris Geospatial
CarbonRun: Founded in Halifax, Canada uses River Alkalinity Enhancement (RAE) to remove CO₂ by adding alkaline minerals to rivers, trapping carbon as stable bicarbonate while restoring river health and boosting fish populations. This approach offers measurable, cost-effective carbon removal (below $100/t), is globally scalable, and benefits from easier monitoring and strong community support compared to ocean-based methods. Visit CarbonRun
RepAir: Founded in Israel has developed a modular, electrochemical Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology inspired by fuel cells, using only electricity and operating at ambient conditions. It consumes 70% less energy than conventional DAC (under 600 kWh per ton CO₂), with costs projected as low as $70–80 per ton, far below industry averages. The system is scalable, uses no heat, water, or toxic materials, and enables continuous, efficient carbon removal for a wide range of customers and locations. Visit RepAir
Discover more successful investments: Counteract Portfolio.
Counteract Ventures launched its inaugural £35 million Carbon Removal Fund, known as Counteract One, with a first close of £15 million in February 2023. The fund is backed by institutional impact investors including The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment and Anglo American, and is focused exclusively on scaling permanent carbon removal technologies. In August 2023, Equinor Ventures took a minority stake in Counteract Ventures, contributing both capital and strategic industry expertise.
Counteract VC’s £35 million Fund I, closed in February 2023, invests at the pre-seed and seed stages with check sizes ranging from $250,000 to $1 million. The fund targets startups developing high-potential carbon removal solutions, from engineered approaches like direct air capture to scalable nature-based systems. Counteract aims to back 35-40 companies, each with the potential to remove or enable the removal of around 0.5 gigatons of CO₂ by 2050, aligning financial returns with measurable climate impact.
Counteract VC has driven the removal of CO₂ across its portfolio, advancing toward its 5 gigaton goal by 2050. Its companies, like Chloris Geospatial, which provides global, satellite-based forest carbon monitoring and measurement reporting and verification for the voluntary carbon market, Seqana for soil carbon tracking, and Agricarbon’s robotic soil sampling, are building essential measurement infrastructure for credible carbon removal verification. Beyond monitoring, Adaptavate’s carbon-negative plasterboard absorbs over 0.5 kg CO₂ per m² and is nearing commercial production with its first pilot line and upcoming manufacturing facility. By tying management fees to CO₂ removal performance rather than traditional venture metrics, Counteract aligns financial returns directly with environmental impact.
Counteract provides comprehensive community benefits that extend well beyond traditional venture capital funding, creating a robust ecosystem for carbon removal innovation through strategic networking, collaborative workspace initiatives, and targeted business development support. The firm leverages its extensive network of experience across diverse verticals to connect portfolio companies with key stakeholders including corporate partners and fellow climate tech investors, while actively facilitating knowledge sharing through community meetups and collaborative resource sharing among portfolio companies. Counteract helps companies develop go-to-market strategies and navigate the unique challenges of the rapidly evolving carbon removal sector, ultimately supporting their ambitious goal of catalysing 5 gigatons of CO2e removal by 2050.
The team at Counteract is a diverse group of entrepreneurs, scientists, and engineers dedicated to scaling the carbon removal industry responsibly. With over 100 years of combined experience in building and growing companies across various sectors, the team brings a unique blend of patience, hands-on expertise, and stewardship to their mission. Led by three Managing Partners, the team includes specialists spanning legal counsel, fund operations, research, and investment roles. The team's collective passion centers on combating climate change while partnering with ambitious founders to navigate the evolving carbon removal landscape.
Learn more about the Counteract Team here.
Counteract was founded in 2021 by Andrew Shebbeare, Matt Isaacs, and Andy Bonsall, three serial entrepreneurs who previously built and exited the global media agency Essence. Their experience scaling Essence to a 500-person operation and selling it to WPP provided the foundation for their pivot into climate investing.
Counteract specialises in early-stage carbon removal technology investments, backing pre-seed and seed-stage founders. Their flagship fund, "Counteract One," targets companies that can collectively catalyse 5 gigatons of CO₂e removal by 2050, focusing on solutions that are additive to the carbon removal ecosystem.
Counteract operates globally from its London headquarters, sourcing early-stage carbon removal startups across Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and Malaysia to ensure a diverse and resilient portfolio.
Counteract’s mission is to catalyse the carbon removal our world will need, focusing on enabling the technologies and systems necessary to address the climate crisis at scale.
Counteract’s fund is backed by leading institutional impact investors such as The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, Anglo American, and Equinor Ventures, which provide both capital and strategic expertise to help scale carbon removal technologies.
Are you an innovative founder seeking funding? Discover how Counteract can support your journey by visiting: Counteract Website.
Stay updated with the latest news and opportunities by following Counteract on LinkedIn: Counteract LinkedIn.
Explore more UK opportunities for greentech investment at Adopter’s Greentech Investors Map.
