Cotierra, a Zurich-based climate technology startup developing decentralised biochar infrastructure for agricultural value chains, has raised $3 million in a funding round co-led by PINC, the venture arm of Paulig, and Carbon Removal Partners.
The round also included Zürcher Kantonalbank, Carbon Drawdown Initiative, better ventures, GOTA Ventures, Hungry4Impact and Triple Impact Ventures, alongside climate and impact-focused angel investors. Paulig described the financing as a €2.6 million investment round.
Founded in 2023, Cotierra is led by co-founders Thomas Käslin, Marcel Rohner and Lorenz Buser. Käslin serves as CEO, Rohner as CTO and Buser as COO.
Cotierra develops technology that allows agricultural businesses to convert residual biomass into biochar near where the material is generated. Its system combines decentralised reactor hardware with software and IoT-enabled monitoring for operating, tracking and verifying biochar production and deployment.
The company is initially applying its technology in coffee supply chains. It plans to use the new funding to move from field deployments to repeatable commercial deployments and further develop its integrated hardware and software product. Cotierra is also expanding its approach into other tropical agricultural commodities, including cocoa, cotton and citrus.
