Participated · Series A · Apr 2023

Noya pivoted from a cooling-tower-based capture concept to modular direct air capture after the Inflation Reduction Act altered project economics. Its system consists of arrays of independent units with activated carbon monoliths that host a sorbent; fans draw air through until the sorbent saturates. Saturated modules are sealed and electrically heated to release pure CO2, which is extracted and piped for underground storage, with units cycling on alternating two-hour schedules. The company is on track to deploy a commercial demonstration by the end of the year and has advance purchases of carbon credits from Shopify, Watershed and an unnamed university endowment. Noya recently raised an $11M Series A and aims to drive its cost per metric ton below $100 by the end of the decade. The startup positions itself alongside incumbents like Climeworks and Carbon Engineering while arguing there is room for multiple players given the scale of the market. Noya Labs builds hardware and chemical additives that turn existing industrial cooling towers into CO2‑capturing devices by adding a blend of CO2‑absorbing chemicals to tower water and an attachment that regenerates and releases the captured CO2 as gas. The founders, Josh Santos and Daniel Cavero, pivoted from a consumer CO2 air purifier to this industrial application after finding the home market uneconomical. Each installation targets roughly 0.5–1 ton of CO2 capture per day; a pilot with the Alexandre Family Farm is under development to validate that range. Captured CO2 is intended to be resold to industrial CO2 consumers (e.g., companies making synthetic fuels, chemicals, or products like diamonds), with Noya projecting production costs below $100 per ton versus current DAC prices of $600–$700 per ton. An initial installation could cost about $250,000. The company says it plans to vertically integrate carbon capture and sequestration over the next five years while using the initial model to refine its capture technology and generate revenue. Noya is in Y Combinator and has begun commercial outreach to potential CO2 buyers.