In a major step forward for global climate innovation, Chinese tech giant Tencent has announced the 16 winning teams of its highly competitive CarbonX 2.0 program. The global decarbonization initiative is distributing nearly $30 million in catalytic funding and commercialization support to help scale breakthrough low-carbon technologies from laboratory testing to real-world deployment.
Among the international cohort, three Kenyan climate technology startups Octavia Carbon, Cella Mineral Storage, and Flux have secured highly coveted spots. The selection underscores Kenya’s rapid rise as a global testbed for engineered carbon removal, a reputation built on its vast geothermal energy potential and favorable geologic formations.
The CarbonX 2.0 program drew an impressive 660 applications from 54 countries across six continents. This massive pool was meticulously whittled down to 50 finalists before a panel of experts selected the final 16 winners.
Ten of the chosen teams will receive approximately $2 million each to advance technologies in four core tracks: carbon dioxide removal (CDR), long duration energy storage, industrial carbon capture (specifically for the steel industry), and carbon utilization. The remaining six teams, including Kenya’s Flux, will receive specialized, tailored support. This includes assistance with measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) protocols, green-premium subsidy mechanisms, and carbon credit procurement commitments.
Dr. Hao Xu, Vice President of Tencent’s Sustainable Social Value and Head of Climate Innovation, highlighted the company’s vision for the program:
“CarbonX 2.0 reflects Tencent’s role as a catalyst, connector, and mobilizer within the climate ecosystem. By backing these frontier technologies with substantial funding and access to our extensive network, we are helping unlock the next generation of climate innovation and supporting these solutions as they scale towards commercial viability and global impact.”
The inclusion of three Kenyan startups highlights the East African nation’s emergence as a pioneer in climate technology. Sam Davies, the founder of Flux, previously estimated that Kenya now hosts roughly 80% of Africa’s engineered carbon removal startups. He attributed this unique density to “a convergence of favourable geology, a power grid that is over 90% renewable, and a government that has amended its Climate Change Act to provide regulatory clarity for the sector.”
Among the Kenyan winners:
Octavia Carbon operates Project Hummingbird in Kenya’s Central Rift Valley. Known as the first direct air capture (DAC) company in the Global South, it designs and builds modular machines that filter carbon directly from the atmosphere.
Cella Mineral Storage works closely with Octavia. Cella focuses on the permanent disposal of captured carbon by dissolving it in water and injecting it into volcanic basalt formations, where it naturally turns into solid rock.
Flux focuses on agricultural soil-based carbon sequestration, utilizing enhanced rock weathering to securely lock away carbon while enriching local farmland.
Celebrating their selection, the team at Octavia Carbon emphasized their commitment to proven, real-world deployment:
“We have not just theorized about DAC in Kenya; we have built it, tested it, and proven it works here.”
Many promising climate innovations struggle to transition from small-scale academic prototypes to commercially viable enterprises due to high capital requirements and lack of industrial partners. Tencent’s CarbonX 2.0 is designed specifically to bridge this gap, known in the industry as the “valley of death”. Beyond financial resources, the 16 winning teams gain access to Tencent’s expansive corporate network, technology infrastructure, and international pilot sites.
The announcement of the winners coincided with London Climate Action Week, where Tencent also reported significant progress toward its own corporate environmental goals, including its target of achieving full carbon neutrality across its operations and supply chain by 2030.
