TL;DR
Varaha, an Indian climate-tech pioneer, has raised $20 million in fresh funding led by WestBridge Capital to scale carbon removal projects across Asia and Africa. The startup specializes in generating high-quality carbon credits through biochar and enhanced rock weathering, positioning the Global South as a critical supplier in the voluntary carbon market.
What Makes Varaha's Carbon Removal Strategy Different?
Unlike traditional carbon offset projects that rely on "avoidance" (like protecting a forest that might have been cut), Varaha focuses on "removal"—physically pulling CO2 out of the atmosphere and sequestering it for centuries. Their "Industrial Partners Program" is a masterclass in circular economy: they take agricultural waste (which would otherwise be burned, releasing methane and CO2) and convert it into biochar. This biochar is then returned to the soil, improving fertility while locking away carbon.
Why did WestBridge Capital make this its first Climate-Tech bet?
WestBridge is known for its pragmatic, growth-oriented investment style. Their entry into climate-tech with Varaha signals that "Negative Emissions" have moved from scientific curiosity to a bankable industrial sector. Varaha has already removed over 2 million tons of CO2 across 14 projects. In a market hungry for "verified" and "durable" credits, Varaha’s technology-driven MRV (Measurement, Reporting, and Verification) system provides the transparency that global corporations demand.
Is the Global South finally leading the Climate Conversation?
For too long, climate tech was seen as a luxury for the West. Varaha flips the script. By working with smallholder farmers in India and West Africa, they are not just solving a global cooling problem but also creating a secondary income stream for the most vulnerable. This isn't just "sustainability"; it's "equitable industrialization."
Vichaarak Perspective
"Most startups try to sell you a future; Varaha is busy cleaning up the past. While Silicon Valley builds another 'AI for meeting notes,' these guys are turning burnt straw into soil gold. It's almost poetic—the same land that feeds us is now being used to save the air above us. Snark aside, if you want to see where the real money in 2026 is, follow the carbon. It's the only commodity that gets more valuable the less of it we have."
First-Person Analysis: The Harkirat Perspective
Having spent time analyzing the Google-scale infrastructure required for global data centers, I’ve seen how "sustainability" often becomes a line item on a balance sheet. What excites me about Varaha is the interoperability of their tech. They aren't just a project developer; they are building a data stack for carbon. This reminds me of how we approached distributed systems at scale—modular, verifiable, and deeply integrated with local nodes (in this case, farms).
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