Tokyo backs University of Tokyo DAC startup Planet Savers with $1.6M in grants

What's the deal? Planet SaversDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a University of TokyoDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → spinout building direct air capture (DAC) technology, has been selected for two Tokyo Metropolitan GovernmentDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → grant programmes worth up to US$1.92M combined. The funding runs for up to three years.

What does it do? The Bunkyo-based startup, founded in July 2023, develops zeolite-based CO₂ adsorbents and capture systems designed to pull carbon dioxide directly from the air at commercially viable cost. It bills itself as Japan's first DAC startup.

Where's the money going? The first grant supports developing and deploying a DAC system to offset residual emissions from hard-to-abate sectors in Tokyo. The second funds a business model for CDR credits — capturing atmospheric CO₂, storing it underground overseas, and testing whether the resulting credits can trade on Tokyo's carbon credit market.

Why now? Both programmes tie into Tokyo's push to build green transformation industries and reach net-zero CO₂ emissions by 2050. Carbon removal is increasingly viewed as essential for sectors that cannot cut emissions outright.

The signal: The grant is modest by venture standards, sitting in the lower third of comparable rounds. But public backing from a major city government is a validation for a young technology, and the CDR credit trial points to where DAC startups hope to find durable revenue.

Image credit: americaspower