Breakthrough Energy Ventures Backs C16 Biosciences to Replace Deforestation-Linked Palm Oil
Breakthrough Energy Ventures led a $20 million investment in C16 Biosciences, a New York startup producing synthetic palm oil through precision fermentation of food waste. Conventional palm oil production is one of the leading drivers of tropical deforestation — responsible for an estimated 8 percent of global forest loss between 1990 and 2008 — and is used in roughly half of all packaged consumer products. C16's fermentation process requires no agricultural land and produces an oil with an equivalent fatty acid profile to conventional palm, targeting a $60 billion global market.
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March 2025
Breakthrough Energy Ventures Invests in Savor — Butter Made Directly from Carbon
Breakthrough Energy Ventures backed Savor, a startup that produces butter using carbon dioxide and hydrogen — derived from atmospheric carbon and water — without any conventional agriculture, animals, or farmland. Savor's thermochemical process generates saturated fat with an identical molecular profile to dairy butter while using an estimated 99.9 percent less water and zero agricultural land. The product launched at Michelin-starred restaurants in 2025, with supermarket availability targeted for 2027, as part of Gates's broader bet on food-system decarbonisation.
2024
Breakthrough Energy Catalyst Invests $40 Million in Deep Sky Carbon Removal
Breakthrough Energy Catalyst — Gates's industrial decarbonisation investment vehicle — committed $40 million to Deep Sky, a Quebec-based company developing commercial direct air capture facilities across Canada. The investment marked Catalyst's first in the DAC sector. Deep Sky's Alpha facility in Alberta is designed as a testing ground for multiple next-generation carbon removal technologies, with the goal of proving the cost trajectory needed to make DAC viable at planetary scale.
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