Author: Clare Bennett

Builders Vision invested in CREW’s Series A, marking the platform’s first investment in CDR technology.

Builders Vision is an investment and philanthropy platform that catalyzes scalable solutions in the food and agriculture, energy, and oceans sectors. This investment in CREW points to something Builders Vision sees across its sectors: the largest opportunities for scale often come from solutions built to work within existing infrastructure — like wastewater treatment. 

CREW’s technology accelerates a naturally occurring process in Earth’s water cycle. In nature, minerals like calcium carbonate or silicate rocks react with the billions of tonnes of CO₂ that flow through Earth’s water cycle (e.g., in rivers, oceans, and soils), capturing that CO₂ as stable alkalinity. 

CREW has adapted this natural process for another important part of the water cycle: the water that flows through our wastewater treatment systems.

By precisely dosing locally-sourced calcium carbonate to wastewater treatment plants, CREW optimizes wastewater treatment while permanently removing carbon dioxide and superpollutants — reducing pollutants that make their way into the ocean.

The calcium carbonate converts the CO₂ produced by microbial breakdown of sewage in wastewater reactors into stable bicarbonate ions (a safe, more stable, non-greenhouse-gas form of CO₂) that flows downstream to rivers and oceans, where it remains safely stored for thousands of years. 

CREW’s deployments at multiple facilities across the US and Europe are already delivering measurable results. Plants report better biological treatment, improved sludge settling, and reduced chemical usage. 

CREW lets utilities get more out of their existing infrastructure, deferring costly infrastructure upgrades. One leading utility, HRSD, is considering deferring $400 million in planned capital upgrades based on CREW’s impact.

CREW is also driving community-level impact. With compliance regulations becoming more stringent as funding is constrained, CREW offers a solution that can ultimately reduce the burden on ratepayers.

CREW sat down with Chris Wu, Vice President, Investments at Builders Vision, to discuss: 

• How a company working in wastewater can be a gateway to oceanic health
• Ways operational efficiency aligns with carbon removal at scale
• How CREW’s technology can reduce cost and improve efficiency for wastewater utilities 

Read CREW’s interview with Chris Wu

What made CREW a compelling investment opportunity for Builders Vision?

Chris Wu: CREW perfectly aligns with the core pillars we look for in a successful CDR venture: 

• Rigorous measurement, reporting and verification (MRV)
• Infrastructure compatibility
• A resilient business model

What really stood out is how CREW’s technology drops right into existing closed-loop wastewater infrastructure and delivers significant operational cost savings that represents a strong business case for utilities. 

One of the biggest barriers to adoption for most sustainable solutions is infrastructure compatibility, and most plants can’t afford multi-million-dollar expansions. 

By working within a closed loop, CREW can verify the efficiency and accuracy of the plant’s reduced reliance on costly chemicals as well as the amount of carbon being removed with unmatched precision. 

We were impressed because CREW is solving a specific, high-cost operational problem for utilities while simultaneously establishing a high-integrity standard for carbon removal.

How does CREW fit into the bigger picture of what you’re doing at Builders Vision?

Chris Wu: We see a clear connection between CREW’s technology and the health of our ocean systems, we also see a vital link between how we manage wastewater and our broader infrastructure.

One example we are seeing is the massive surge in infrastructure development — especially with the energy and water demands of data centers — and we have to find ways to make that growth sustainable. 

CREW is a standout example of a scientifically rigorous, commercially viable carbon removal solution. Hyperscalers building AI infrastructure are already exploring co-location opportunities with CREW projects as part of broader water sustainability strategies.

Plus, the additional alkalinity from CREW’s solution serves as a buffer against ocean acidification.

By optimizing wastewater treatment processes, CREW reduces nutrient runoff that would otherwise flow into rivers and oceans, contributing to harmful algal blooms, deoxygenation, and degraded waterways. 

The environmental and economic consequences of nutrient pollution are quantifiable, and wastewater operators are the stewards of this potential prevention.

CREW is demonstrating that you can take an existing industrial process and turn it into a platform for both efficiency and coastal resilience.

At Builders Vision, we believe a resilient ocean, energy infrastructure, and food system ultimately support a resilient economy. Not only does CREW’s work with wastewater plants have downstream effects in our oceans, CREW hits on multiple intersections across all three of the sectors that Builders Vision focuses on.

What gives you the most confidence in CREW’s trajectory?

Chris Wu: In addition to the technology itself, what gives me confidence is the speed with which CREW has been able to land initial projects with wastewater treatment plant operators and also expand to multiple sites. 

The utilities CREW has partnered with are seeing results that allow them to confidently consider deferring hundreds of millions of dollars in massive, multi-year capital upgrade projects. 

Seeing the CREW team improve water treatment performance while delivering verified carbon removal proves they have a solution the market is demanding.

Looking ahead

CREW raised $25 million across equity and non-dilutive capital, including an oversubscribed Series A led by Burnt Island Ventures with participation from AP Ventures, Sony Innovation Fund, Builders Vision, Idemitsu Ventures, New York Ventures, Kibo Invest, and others. 

With that support, CREW is working to hire additional experts, partner with additional wastewater treatment plants, build analytics capabilities for plant operators, and further scale its MRV.

For wastewater operators, carbon credit buyers, and investors, the message is clear: solutions like CREW that work within existing systems, deliver measurable value to multiple stakeholders, and address climate change at industrial scale are moving from theory to practice.

The agreement further validates CREW’s high-quality credits, advancing industrial carbon removal at scale.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — CREW Carbon, Inc. (“CREW”) today announced an offtake agreement with Microsoft for the delivery of up to 23,602 durable, verified carbon removal units (CRUs) from CREW’s patented wastewater alkalinity enhancement (WAE) technology. 

CREW’s patented technology integrates into existing wastewater infrastructure to improve treatment performance and permanently remove carbon dioxide, delivering the world’s first and only verified carbon removals from wastewater alkalinity enhancement to date. Without needing the federal funding or permitting support that other carbon removal approaches typically require, CREW’s wastewater alkalinity enhancement, developed at and backed by Yale University, enables utilities to get more out of existing infrastructure.

CREW uses strategically-sourced alkaline minerals, such as calcium carbonate, to optimize key conditions, like pH and alkalinity, in each wastewater treatment plant’s specific process and minimize the carbon footprint of plant operations. CREW delivers better biological performance for operators while locking away CO₂ and superpollutant emissions in a permanent, measurable form. 

This new agreement follows CREW’s existing long-term agreements with leading corporate carbon buyers JP Morgan, Google, Autodesk, Stripe, and others through Frontier, bringing CREW’s total committed carbon removal to $40M+. 

These buyers signal the market’s value on carbon removal solutions that combine:

– Rigorous, closed-system measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV)

– Scalable deployment within existing infrastructure

– Operational co-benefits for customers

– Permanent storage pathways

“This agreement with Microsoft is a major milestone for CREW and further validates our approach to delivering high-quality, durable carbon credits while we optimize wastewater treatment performance,” said Dr. Joachim Katchinoff, CEO and co-founder of CREW. “We’re proud to expand our carbon removal with an organization as committed as Microsoft to carbon removal solutions.” 

CREW’s closed-system approach includes inlet and outlet monitoring of precise engineered carbon removal. All of CREW’s carbon removal is quantified through rigorous plant-level monitoring, tracked with downstream modeling, and verified by independent registries.

“Microsoft’s offtake agreement with CREW supports the advancement of a novel, wastewater-based approach that is highly durable and measurable,” said Phillip Goodman, Carbon Removal Portfolio Director. “CREW has shown that carbon removal in the wastewater sector is implementable and scalable with high Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) certainty.”

With wastewater treatment plants that CREW works with globally processing billions of gallons daily, the potential for CREW’s solution represents a clear pathway to gigaton-scale carbon removal.

About CREW Carbon

CREW is a water technology company providing wastewater treatment facilities with a process intensification solution that improves performance, lowers costs, and permanently removes greenhouse gases. 

By optimizing key environmental conditions such as pH and alkalinity through smart-dosing of strategically-sourced calcium carbonate, CREW delivers better biological treatment, improved settleability, reduced chemical usage, and increased capacity and efficiency. 

CREW’s data-driven solution integrates seamlessly into operators’ existing processes, with measurable results in weeks, to better serve communities. To learn more, visit: crewcarbon.com

Media Contact:
Clare Bennett
clare.bennett@crewcarbon.com

Water-tech company closes round across equity and non-dilutive capital sources to deploy patented technology at more wastewater utilities, reducing costs and delivering verified carbon dioxide removal

BROOKLYN, NY — CREW Carbon, Inc. (CREW) announced today it has closed an oversubscribed Series A round led by Burnt Island Ventures with participation from AP Ventures, Sony Innovation Fund, Builders Vision, Kibo Invest, Idemitsu Ventures, New York Ventures, and family office investors, alongside existing investors Counteract, ANIMO Ventures, Connecticut Innovations, Ponderosa Ventures, and Echo River Capital. The raise includes $19 million in equity and $6 million in grant and other non-dilutive funding.

The wastewater treatment industry faces mounting pressure from tighter regulations and having to treat higher volumes of wastewater with aging legacy infrastructure, leading to treatment costs doubling over the last 20 years. Utilities need solutions that work within and expand the capacity of existing systems without requiring massive capital investments. 

CREW’s patented technology helps utilities get more out of their existing infrastructure. By improving pollutant removal, boosting settleability, and reducing reliance on costly chemicals, CREW increases plant capacity and efficiency, lowering both capital and operating costs and easing the burden on ratepayers. 

Because CREW’s solution integrates into existing wastewater processes, utilities can see measurable results in weeks. CREW has already secured several long-term RFPs with utilities across the U.S.

“CREW’s water technology is driving jaw-dropping results for wastewater customers,” said Tom Ferguson, Partner at Burnt Island Ventures. “On top of the improvements they deliver to wastewater utilities, CREW’s precise measurement of permanent carbon removal is highly differentiated in the crediting market and empowers carbon credit buyers to know exactly what they are paying for. Together, CREW’s technology and business model are aligning good environmental outcomes with the bottom line for a massively impactful industry.”

Process optimization and decarbonization at scale

CREW’s process that improves wastewater treatment performance also permanently removes carbon dioxide. 

CREW uses strategically-sourced alkaline minerals, such as calcium carbonate, to optimize key conditions like pH and alkalinity in the wastewater treatment process. CREW delivers better biological performance for operators while locking away CO₂ and superpollutant emissions in a permanent, measurable form — all by leveraging existing industrial infrastructure, with none of the federal funding or permitting support that other carbon removal approaches typically require.

That precision and pragmatism has allowed CREW to deliver verified carbon removal credits to corporations in long-term agreements including JP Morgan, Google, Autodesk, Stripe, and others through Frontier. CREW has also signed other long-term offtakes. Carbon credit buyers increasingly realize that highly measurable, engineered CO₂ removals are key to net-zero goals.

“We are pleased to welcome CREW to our portfolio,” said Andrew Hinkly, Managing Partner at AP Ventures. “CREW has impressed us with its rapid progress, ability to deliver real carbon dioxide removal, and high-quality low-cost approach to CDR. The team is focused on executing a clear go‑to‑market strategy that leverages existing industrial infrastructure and well‑defined customer pain points to unlock decarbonisation at scale. CREW is advancing quickly, and we look forward to supporting their continued growth.”

Positioned to become a category-defining leader in water and climate tech

Since launching commercial operations in 2024, CREW has:

• Deployed at nearly 10 wastewater treatment facilities across the US and Europe, including leading utilities like HRSD (Hampton Roads Sanitation District)
• Delivered measurable performance improvements at wastewater treatment facilities, with one utility considering deferring $350 million in planned capital upgrades 
• Secured $33+ million in carbon removal offtake agreements
• Captured 2,000+ tons of CO₂ faster and more cost effectively than other carbon removal credit suppliers
• Recently won a $2.3 million award from the Colorado Energy Office as part of the state’s Clean Air Program
• Developed proprietary measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) capabilities that enable high-confidence carbon removal quantification
• Initiated development of a scalable analytics platform for wastewater treatment facilities, delivering actionable operational insights and process optimization capabilities to drive performance improvements

“Startups advancing frontier technologies to tackle global environmental challenges are central to building more sustainable, resilient industries – and a key focus of Sony Innovation Fund’s investment strategy,” said Austin Noronha, Managing Director, Sony Ventures-US. “CREW combines deep geochemistry expertise with a pragmatic business approach to seamlessly integrate carbon capture into existing infrastructure, making it both scalable and commercially viable. With multiple deployments already underway, CREW is well-positioned to help various industries accelerate decarbonization.”

Since closing its Series A round, CREW is focused on working with more wastewater utilities and on adding to the talent on the team. Some of the high-priority roles to fill in 2026 including: 

• Head of Wastewater Process & Technology
• Technology Team Manager
• Supply Chain and Logistics Manager
• Business Development Manager – Wastewater

To learn more about job opportunities at CREW, visit: crewcarbon.com/careers

About CREW

CREW is a water technology company providing wastewater treatment facilities with a process intensification solution that improves performance, lowers costs, and permanently removes greenhouse gases. By optimizing key environmental conditions such as pH and alkalinity through smart-dosing of strategically-sourced calcium carbonate, CREW delivers better biological treatment, improved settleability, reduced chemical usage, and increased capacity and efficiency. Our data-driven solution integrates seamlessly into operators’ existing processes, with measurable results in weeks, to better serve communities. To learn more, visit: crewcarbon.com

Media Contact:

Clare Bennett

clare.bennett@crewcarbon.com

The multi-facility agreement brings CREW’s process intensification solution to Hampton Roads, improving performance, lowering costs, and permanently removing greenhouse gases.

NORFOLK, VA — HRSD (Hampton Roads Sanitation District) and CREW announce a long-term partnership to deploy CREW’s process intensification solution at its two Norfolk-based wastewater treatment facilities: the Virginia Initiative Treatment Plant and the Army Base Treatment Plant. 

The innovative partnership began with HRSD testing CREW’s patented technology, which uses calcium carbonate dosing for process optimization and greenhouse gas removal. During the initial year of testing, CREW technology drove significant improvements in biological nutrient removal, optimizing plant performance, lowering wastewater treatment costs, and permanently removing greenhouse gases, which has been verified.   

Now HRSD’s patented technology* combined with CREW’s approach will further improve wastewater plant performance, reduce dependence on conventional chemicals, keep wastewater treatment rates as low as possible, and augment greenhouse gas removal from wastewater treatment processes. HRSD will be a leading case study in how to align positive environmental outcomes with the bottom line.

CREW’s process intensification technology optimizes biological nutrient removal and settleability by dosing naturally-occurring calcium carbonate to optimal levels to deliver consistent treatment and climate impact. This allows HRSD to reduce chemical usage, improve settleability, and ultimately drive opex and capex savings.

“The combined approach also enhances biomass settling for an intensification benefit, while simultaneously providing very low secondary effluent turbidity — a challenge for other competing approaches. The overall solution is transformational for facilities attempting to do biological nitrogen and/or phosphorus removal under the typical alkalinity-limited conditions experienced at many treatment plants. As we extend this approach to our Virginia Initiative Plant, we expect significant capital and operational savings for HRSD,” said HRSD Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Charles Bott.

Once again leading the industry, HRSD is the second major U.S. wastewater utility to deploy wastewater alkalinity enhancement at scale following CREW’s demonstration at Army Base Treatment Plant in 2024.

“HRSD is one of the leading wastewater utilities in the country,” said CREW CEO, Dr. Joachim Katchinoff. “This exciting partnership further validates that CREW’s approach delivers real value for utilities facing rising costs and tighter regulations. Together, CREW and HRSD will show a way to use existing wastewater infrastructure to boost the bottom line and improve environmental outcomes.”

CREW’s solution provides multiple benefits for wastewater utilities:

• Optimized performance
  CREW’s approach drives more consistent biological treatment, better nutrient removal and improved settleability, and impactful carbon credits — especially in combination with HRSD’s patented technology.

• Cost savings
  CREW provides compounding opex savings, using a more cost-effective alternative to replace conventional chemicals and improve nitrification performance, decrease the use of metal salts for phosphorus removal, and potentially improve thickening and dewatering. Intensification combined with low turbidity effluent can also provide the opportunity for capex savings.

• Enhanced safety
  CREW’s solution minimizes operator risk associated with hazardous chemicals such as sodium hydroxide.

• Efficient compliance
  CREW’s technology results in stable, more consistent biological and nutrient removal, which leads to better effluent quality to help facilities meet permit regulations.

• Environmental impact
  CREW reduces facilities’ carbon footprint by replacing carbon-intensive chemicals with locally-sourced minerals as well as reducing process emissions.
  

“This partnership with CREW represents the next important step in HRSD’s story as an innovative leader in the wastewater industry,” said HRSD CEO Jay Bernas. “Together with CREW, HRSD will reduce financial as well as environmental costs while improving how we treat wastewater for the communities we serve.”

About HRSD
HRSD is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia created by public referendum in 1940 and currently serves 20 cities and counties in southeast Virginia and the Eastern Shore, an area with a population of 1.9 million. 

*HRSD’s patented inDENSE® technology is a wastewater treatment technology that uses hydrocyclones to improve settling rates and increase hydraulic capacity, doing so by selectively separating and retaining denser biomass. Combining HRSD’s inDENSE technology with CREW’s approach delivers multiple benefits, including consistent biological treatment and reduced chemical usage.

HRSD’s Promise: We promise to treat wastewater and recover natural resources to protect public health and the environment.

Our Vision: Our communities will have clean waterways and reliable water resources for generations to come.

Media Contact:
Leila Rice, APR – 757.460.7056
Chief Communications Officer
lrice@hrsd.com

About CREW
CREW is a water technology company providing wastewater treatment facilities with a process intensification solution that improves performance, lowers costs, and permanently removes greenhouse gases. 

CREW’s process intensification technology optimizes alkalinity through calcium carbonate dosing that delivers consistent treatment, better settleability, reduced chemical usage, cost savings, and greenhouse gas removal. 

Our data-driven solution integrates seamlessly into operators’ existing processes, with measurable results in weeks, to better serve communities.

Media Contact:
Clare Bennett
Communications Lead
clare.bennett@crewcarbon.com