Downforce Technologies

Downforce Technologies provides a data-driven platform for land management, focusing on soil health, organic carbon levels, and biodiversity. The company was founded in 2020 by Professor Jacqueline McGlade and Maria Whittaker to make soil carbon measurement technology both accessible and affordable. Josephine Wapakabulo serves as the CEO. Professor McGlade, who is the Chief Scientific Officer, is a marine biologist and environmental informatics professor with extensive experience, including serving as the Chief Scientist of the UN Environment Programme and Executive Director of the European Environment Agency. Her research has centered on ecosystem dynamics, climate change, and the use of data for sustainable development, which inspired the founding of Downforce Technologies. The company's core offering is a natural capital analytics platform that utilizes remote sensing and modeling to measure soil organic carbon (SOC) without the need for extensive and costly physical soil sampling. This technology provides a high-resolution view of the land's carbon profile, offering historical analysis for over six years with data points every 10 days at a 10-meter resolution. The platform is designed for a diverse client base, including farmers, landowners, supply chain managers, financial institutions, and governments. Clients such as New Belgium Brewing, Jordans Cereals, and The Duchy of Cornwall have used the platform to work towards their net-zero and sustainability goals. The business model is centered on providing this SaaS platform to help organizations establish a baseline for their land's carbon profile, plan and implement carbon sequestration and regenerative agriculture projects, and then measure, report, and verify (MRV) the outcomes in alignment with standards like ISO 14064-2. By offering a cost-effective method for continuous SOC assessment, Downforce Technologies enables users to make informed decisions that can improve crop productivity, reduce input costs, and enhance profitability. The platform supports cropping analysis to assess the impact of rotations on soil health and aids in planning carbon projects by identifying areas with the highest potential for impact. In June 2024, the company announced it had raised $4.2 million in a funding round led by Equator VC to fuel international expansion, with a particular focus on Africa, and for further product development. Keywords: soil organic carbon measurement, land management platform, natural capital analytics, remote sensing, regenerative agriculture, carbon sequestration, soil health, agtech, climate tech, MRV solutions, sustainable supply chains, ISO 14064-2, environmental data, farm emissions reporting, land use analysis, biodiversity optimization, data-driven agriculture, carbon farming, nature-based solutions, supply chain traceability