Nitricity

Can we produce sustainable organic fertilisers without the costly "green premium"? That’s the question World Fund’s very own Dr. Nadine Geiser tackles in our latest “Why We Invested” article. Conventional nitrogen-based fertilisers account for ~5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, largely due to the energy-hungry, fossil-dependent Haber-Bosch process. If we want to decarbonise agriculture at scale, we need an alternative that works for both the climate and farmers’ bottom line. In her latest blog, Nadine explores why we believe Nitricity is the answer, and why it’s the newest addition to our portfolio. 🔬 Nitricity produces sustainable, organic fertilisers using just air, water, renewable energy, and local plant-based materials. Its flagship fertiliser, Ash Tea, is pathogen-free, animal byproduct-free, and cost-competitive with conventional alternatives. Better yet, it helps deliver significantly higher yields for farmers without a “green premium.” 🌱 An independent LCA shows Nitricity’s solution cuts emissions by 92% on average, while increasing yields by up to 30%. Organic farmers in the US are already adopting it at pace. 🌍 With Europe highly dependent on imported natural gas for fertiliser production (and recent energy crises exposing the fragility of supply) Nitricity offers a path to resilience. By electrifying fertiliser production, the company can help Europe strengthen its food security while slashing emissions. 🚀 Nitricity world-class leadership team of is backed by a world-class founding team of Stanford scientists turned entrepreneurs: Nico Pinkowski, Dr Joshua McEnaney, and Dr Jay Schwalbe. The company is now preparing for their biggest market opportunity yet: Europe. We are proud to have co-led Nitricity’s $50m Series B round with Khosla Ventures, and to back a team that is proving fertiliser can be produced locally, sustainably, and competitively. Read the full article in the comments.

🚀 Missed our D-SAFE in Action virtual session? In this 45-minute session, we shared more about how our new tool, the D-SAFE, unlocks flexible, catalytic capital for early commercial and first-of-a-kind projects and de-risks follow-on funding. Don't have time to watch the whole thing? Here’s your quick guide to the recording, including key takeaways and soundbites. 1️⃣ 0:00 - 7:30 | OVERVIEW: Join Elemental's Amir Chireh Mehr as he explains how the tool works, how it evolved from the Y Combinator SAFE Note, and how it is uniquely designed to decrease the risks of funding FOAK projects. 💬 "While there are no shortcuts, the D-SAFE allows you to more quickly, more cheaply, and in a much more collaborative fashion come to terms on a transaction—especially for deals that are too small for institutional investors and project finance but too large for venture capital" 2️⃣ 7:30 - 14:25 | WHY THE D-SAFE: Hear from a true master of investment structures, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's Robert O'Connor, on why the D-SAFE is a solution for the "age-old challenge of bankability" for FOAK and early commercial projects where predictable long-term cash flows are often not guaranteed. 💬 “The elegance of the D-SAFE is in its flexibility. It gives companies the ability to fund FOAK project development at a lower cost of capital than the alternative, which is venture capital.” 3️⃣ 14:30 - 23:00 | THE D-SAFE IN ACTION: The D-SAFE helped Nitricity scale from their demonstration facility to a 100x larger commercial facility. Co-founder and CEO Nicolas Pinkowski explains how the D-SAFE acted as the “nucleus” for the $10M project funding stack: the familiarity of the tool made it easy to move through board approval and the debt-like flexibility unlocked essential company maturity milestones. Nitricity opted for repayment after just 6 months, in tandem with their $50M Series B, enabling them to expand their employee stock option pool. 💬 "We were faced with a choice. Should we raise a Series B that was smaller than we wanted or did we want to raise dedicated finance for this project, delay our Series B, and raise a bigger Series B off the success of a fully financed project?" 4️⃣ 23:00 - 45:00 | Q&A: Find answers to questions about variations, project milestones, and the difference between the D-SAFE and a convertible note. We dive into the upsides for investors, the catalytic nature of this financing for unlocking capital, and the ability of this tool to provide a template for future financing. 🎥 Watch the full recording here: https://hubs.li/Q03MNpLw0

We’re honored to be featured in Rolling Stone’s latest article, “The Next Chapter of Climate Finance,” exploring how leaders like Dawn Lippert are reimagining what it takes to achieve impact at scale. Dawn was recognized as "The Architect Storyteller: proving that strong foundations — policy, partnerships, blended capital — keep ideas alive." This speaks to Elemental's four-pronged approach to investing. By providing catalytic capital, project expertise, local partnership, and investor mobilization, we ensure that breakthrough innovation — like Nitricity's — has both the financial AND local stakeholder support needed to bridge the Scale Gap. Lasting impact requires more than good ideas. Bold thinkers need ecosystems that allow innovation to thrive and scale. 🔗 Read more: https://hubs.li/Q03MG3lw0

Can we produce sustainable organic fertilisers without the costly "green premium"? That’s the question World Fund’s very own Dr. Nadine Geiser tackles in our latest “Why We Invested” article. Conventional nitrogen-based fertilisers account for ~5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, largely due to the energy-hungry, fossil-dependent Haber-Bosch process. If we want to decarbonise agriculture at scale, we need an alternative that works for both the climate and farmers’ bottom line. In her latest blog, Nadine explores why we believe Nitricity is the answer, and why it’s the newest addition to our portfolio. 🔬 Nitricity produces sustainable, organic fertilisers using just air, water, renewable energy, and local plant-based materials. Its flagship fertiliser, Ash Tea, is pathogen-free, animal byproduct-free, and cost-competitive with conventional alternatives. Better yet, it helps deliver significantly higher yields for farmers without a “green premium.” 🌱 An independent LCA shows Nitricity’s solution cuts emissions by 92% on average, while increasing yields by up to 30%. Organic farmers in the US are already adopting it at pace. 🌍 With Europe highly dependent on imported natural gas for fertiliser production (and recent energy crises exposing the fragility of supply) Nitricity offers a path to resilience. By electrifying fertiliser production, the company can help Europe strengthen its food security while slashing emissions. 🚀 Nitricity world-class leadership team of is backed by a world-class founding team of Stanford scientists turned entrepreneurs: Nico Pinkowski, Dr Joshua McEnaney, and Dr Jay Schwalbe. The company is now preparing for their biggest market opportunity yet: Europe. We are proud to have co-led Nitricity’s $50m Series B round with Khosla Ventures, and to back a team that is proving fertiliser can be produced locally, sustainably, and competitively. Read the full article in the comments.

We're proud to announce that we’ve been recognized on the 2025 “50 by 2050” list, a selection of companies leading the charge toward meaningful carbon reduction by 2050 and shaping the future of climate innovation. This annual list, curated by Congruent Ventures and Silicon Valley Bank, highlights the next wave of high-growth companies tackling the toughest decarbonization challenges and building the solutions our planet needs. Thank you for the recognition, and congratulations to the other inspiring companies on the list! Check out the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gm6wtPyZ

We’ve officially broken ground on Nitricity's first-of-its-kind (FOAK) organic nitrogen fertilizer facility — located in the heart of California’s Central Valley — alongside local leaders, farmers, investors, and community members who share our vision for a more sustainable future in agriculture. This facility, backed by $10M in FOAK project funding from a strategic mix of partners including Trellis Climate and FOAK D-SAFE support from Elemental Impact, represents a 100x scale-up in our production capacity. It is already fully sold out through 2028. We're not just building a facility. We're building a local supply chain, a blueprint for sustainable ag infrastructure, and a future where farmers have access to plant-based, pathogen-free fertilizer made from upcycled almond shells, air, water, and renewable energy. This is what the future of farming looks like. Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/gYk2NDV6

We’re excited to share that Nitricity has raised a $50 million Series B funding round, co-led by World Fund and Khosla Ventures, with participation from Cultivate Next / Chipotle, King Philanthropies, Susquehanna Sustainable Investments (SSI), Energy Impact Partners, and Fine Structure Ventures. This milestone comes just days before we break ground on our first commercial-scale facility in Delhi, California. The facility will produce our flagship product, Ash Tea, an organic nitrogen fertilizer made from recycled almond shells, air, water, and renewable energy. Ash Tea is already demonstrating strong results in the field, with up to 30% yield increases and every ounce of current production fully committed through 2028. Our technology offers farmers a cost-competitive, organic, and sustainable alternative to conventional fertilizers, with up to 92% fewer emissions. This funding enables us to expand across the US and into Europe, grow our team, and invest further in R&D. We are proud to be building a circular, regional fertilizer economy designed to meet the needs of organic and regenerative farmers worldwide. Thank you to all of our investors, customers, and partners who believe in our mission. Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/gf-vmhcy

Thanks to Farm Progress for the coverage: https://lnkd.in/eKm9wifg A lot of organic fertilizers still come from slaughterhouse fluids, emulsified fish, and other animal byproducts. They don’t just smell terrible — sometimes bad enough that neighbors call the sheriff — they also clash with the values many people have in mind when they choose organic food. At Nitricity, we’re taking a different approach. Our fertilizer is made with locally sourced almond shells, along with air, water, and renewable power. By valorizing a waste stream, we deliver a clean, scalable solution that performs for growers — and is more sustainable for farmers and the environment.

🥬 Our team will be at the Organic Produce Summit! 🥬 We are looking forward to connecting and exchanging fresh ideas with fellow industry leaders. We’re excited to strengthen relationships across the organic community and share our passion for organic produce and sustainability. If you're attending, we would love to connect! 🍎🥕 #OrganicProduceSummit #OrganicFarming

🌱 We’re live🌱 Nitricity is launching its company blog! We’re kicking things off with a look at our recent field trials, where we tested our organic fertilizer in real-world growing conditions and the results speak for themselves. Our blog will be a space to share progress from the field trials, insights, and conversations in organic agriculture. 👉 Read our first post here: https://lnkd.in/g6ZyYeCg