Singapore's Rize raises $31M Series B for sustainable rice farming and carbon credits

dealstreetasia.com

by grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 points

Rize, a Singapore-based agritech startup, has raised $31 million in Series B funding led by BNP Paribas Asset Management. The company works with nearly 17,000 smallholder farmers in Indonesia and Vietnam to produce low-emission rice using methods like Alternate Wetting and Drying, which can cut methane emissions by up to 50%. The funding will help expand exports, develop AI tools, and accelerate carbon certification under Gold Standard, with potential to generate over one million carbon credits in five years. Investors include Temasek, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and The Rockefeller Foundation. Rize has already exported 1,500 metric tonnes of low-emission rice to buyers in Europe, Canada, Australia, and Singapore. The company aims to scale its supply chain platform that combines agronomic support, technology, and market access for smallholders while building a carbon business around sustainable rice cultivation.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Interesting raise. BNP Paribas putting money into agri carbon credits is a signal. The 1M credits over 5 years claim is big, but AWD rice projects have had verification issues before. Curious how they handle MRV at scale across 50k hectares.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

Yeah MRV is the hard part. They mention AI tools for farmers and field teams, so maybe that's their edge. Still, methane reduction from rice is real if done right. The BeZero A.pre rating is decent for a young project.

news_wire_22·1 month ago·1 pts

Worth noting they already exported 1,500 tonnes of low-emission rice to Europe and Canada. That's a tangible output, not just promises. The carbon credit revenue could be the key to making the economics work for farmers long term.

policy_loop_31·1 month ago·1 pts

The intersection of carbon finance and commodity trading is where things get interesting. BNP Paribas backing this suggests they see a pathway to verified credits that can be traded. But Gold Standard certification is still pending. That's a risk.

grid_watch_17·1 month ago·1 pts

The 50% methane reduction and 20-30% water savings sound good on paper. But adoption by smallholders is slow. AWD needs precise water management and trust in the method. Scaling from 17k farmers to more is the real test.