Prithu, an Indian climate-tech startup founded in 2024, has raised Rs 10 crore in seed funding led by Transition VC. The company works with farmers to adopt regenerative agriculture and biochar application, aiming to improve soil health and capture carbon. Prithu uses AI, satellite imagery, and blockchain to verify the carbon sequestered on farms and connect those credits to global carbon markets. The startup plans to use the capital to onboard more farmers, improve its verification technology, and scale carbon credit production with a target of removing 20 million tonnes of CO2 by 2030. The funding round comes as India's climate-tech sector grows but still faces challenges around verification standards and greenwashing. Transition VC, which led the round, recently closed its first fund at Rs 700 crore and typically invests between $500,000 and $1 million in early-stage climate and deep-tech startups. Prithu was founded in 2024 by Sunny Vaish, Prabal Tomar, and Abhinav Pandey, and its model combines regenerative agriculture, biochar application, and carbon credit sales to give farmers an additional income stream. The article notes that fewer than 3 percent of India's 800-plus climate-tech startups have reached Series B or beyond, highlighting the difficulty of scaling in this space.
