AP Ventures invests in wastewater-driven carbon removal company CREW Carbon

AP Ventures is excited to announce its investment in New York-based CREW Carbon’s USD 25m Series A Round. CREW’s technology helps wastewater utilities improve performance and cuts costs while permanently removing CO2 in the same process.

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.”

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. 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