Top 10 DAC Startups to Watch in 2026

The Direct Air Capture (DAC) sector is rapidly shifting from research pilots to a focus on commercial viability and megaton-scale deployment, driven by a new cohort of startups challenging established players. The primary focus is now on economic scalability, with companies aggressively working to lower capture costs from the current $500-$1, 000 per ton to a target of $200 per ton or less. This push is fueled by significant government funding, such as the U.S. Department of Energy’s DAC Hubs program, and increasing corporate demand for high-quality carbon removal credits. The dominant theme for 2025 and beyond is the pivot to innovations in sorbent chemistry, modular system design for mass production, and passive air contact methods, all aimed at drastically reducing capital costs and energy consumption. The global DAC market is projected to grow from $1.007 billion in 2024 to over $120 billion by 2034.

1. Heirloom Carbon Technologies

Company: Heirloom Carbon Technologies
Key Innovation: A novel low-cost DAC process utilizing abundant minerals and accelerating the natural carbon mineralization process to permanently store CO₂. The company is a key partner in the Project Cypress DAC Hub in Louisiana.
Source: Top Companies in Direct Air Capture (Apr, 2026) – Tracxn

2. Deep Sky

Company: Deep Sky
Key Innovation: As a Canadian carbon removal project developer, Deep Sky is building large-scale infrastructure in Canada. It achieved a major milestone in September 2025 by completing North America’s first CO₂ storage via DAC.
Source: Deep Sky Completes North America’s First CO₂ Storage via Direct …

3. Carbon Capture Inc.

Company: Carbon Capture Inc.
Key Innovation: Unveiled the “Leo Series” modular DAC system, the first designed for mass production in the U.S. The company is constructing an 83, 000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona to support scaling.
Source: Carbon Capture Inc. unveils first U.S. direct air capture system …

4. Mission Zero Technologies

Company: Mission Zero Technologies
Key Innovation: A UK-based startup developing a cost-effective, scalable DAC technology. It is recognized as the company behind the UK’s first operational DAC systems.
Source: 100 Top Carbon Markets Companies · June 2026 – F 6 S

5. Greenlyte Carbon Technologies

Company: Greenlyte Carbon Technologies
Key Innovation: Based in Germany, this startup is developing a low-temperature DAC process that enhances its economic model by producing green hydrogen as a valuable byproduct.
Source: 30 Carbon Capture Utilization & Storage Startups To Watch in 2026

6. Spiritus

Company: Spiritus
Key Innovation: This climate-tech startup uses a passive air capture method that significantly reduces energy consumption. It announced a $30 million Series A funding round in March 2025 led by Aramco Ventures.
Source: Spiritus Unleashes a ‘Golden Era’ of Carbon Removal to Power …

7. Carbyon

Company: Carbyon
Key Innovation: A Dutch startup that unveiled what it claims is the world’s fastest DAC machine in September 2025. Its technology uses a specialized sorbent where 1 kg can capture 3 tons of CO₂ per year.
Source: Carbyon unveils world’s fastest Direct Air Capture (DAC) machine

8. Avnos, Inc.

Company: Avnos, Inc.
Key Innovation: This U.S. company is developing a hybrid direct air capture (HDAC) system that captures both CO₂ and water from the atmosphere, producing liquid water as a byproduct.
Source: Direct Air Capture Market Size, Trends | Industry Report 2030

9. Rep Air

Company: Rep Air
Key Innovation: An Israeli startup developing an electrochemical DAC solution that operates at room temperature, consuming significantly less energy than thermal-based systems.
Source: Direct Air Capture Market Size, Share and Trends 2026 to 2035

10. Soletair Power

Company: Soletair Power
Key Innovation: A Finnish company integrating DAC technology directly into building ventilation systems, capturing CO₂ from indoor air to potentially create synthetic renewable fuels.
Source: Direct Air Capture Market Size, Trends | Industry Report 2030

Table: Top 10 DAC Startups and Their Innovations

DAC Applications, From Megaton Hubs to Building-Integrated Systems

The diversity of approaches among these leading startups signals a broadening of the market and an evolution beyond one-size-fits-all solutions. The industry is bifurcating into two primary strategic paths. On one side, companies like Heirloom and Deep Sky are pursuing large-scale, centralized “megaton” project development, which requires massive capital investment and industrial partnerships. On the other side, a growing cohort is focused on distributed and specialized applications. Carbon Capture Inc.’s focus on mass-produced modular units aims to drive down costs through manufacturing scale rather than plant size. Even more distributed models are emerging, such as Soletair Power’s strategy of integrating DAC directly into building ventilation systems. This variety implies that DAC is not a monolithic technology but a flexible platform finding niches from industrial-scale carbon removal to decentralized air purification and fuel synthesis, which strongly supports wider industry adoption.

Global DAC Capacity Projected for Massive Growth

This chart, which projects a massive growth in DAC capacity, is a perfect fit for Section 11, ‘DAC Applications, From Megaton Hubs…’. The increasing capacity is what enables the development of large-scale applications like megaton-level hubs.

(Source: Anticarbon – Substack)

North America & Europe, A DAC Innovation Hotbed

The geographic distribution of these startups highlights where policy, funding, and talent are converging to create fertile ground for DAC innovation. North America is a clear leader, with a strong U.S. contingent (Heirloom, Carbon Capture Inc., Spiritus, Avnos) and a major project developer in Canada (Deep Sky). This concentration is heavily influenced by significant public funding, most notably the U.S. Department of Energy’s multi-billion dollar DAC Hubs program, which de-risks first-of-a-kind commercial plants. Meanwhile, Europe is a hub for deep-tech innovation in chemistry and process engineering, with startups like Carbyon (Netherlands), Greenlyte (Germany), and Rep Air (Israel) pioneering novel sorbents and electrochemical methods. This regional leadership in North America and Europe, driven by supportive government policies and venture capital, indicates where the first wave of commercial-scale DAC infrastructure will be built.

DAC Tech Maturity, $30 M Series A and First Commercial Plants

These startups reveal a technology sector rapidly advancing from pilot to commercial scale. The landscape represents a full spectrum of technological maturity. Companies like Heirloom, as a partner in a major DOE DAC Hub, and Carbon Capture Inc., with its new manufacturing facility, are at the commercialization stage, transitioning from demonstrating the tech to deploying it at scale. In the middle are companies like Deep Sky and Mission Zero Technologies, which have recently deployed first-of-their-kind operational systems, proving the viability of their approach in real-world conditions. Finally, the significant $30 million Series A funding for Spiritus and the technological claims from Carbyon show that there is still a vibrant pipeline of next-generation, venture-backed technologies aiming for step-change improvements. The overall pattern is one of accelerated maturation, where the timeline from lab to commercial deployment is compressing under market and policy pressure.

Direct Air Capture Market Poised for Explosive Growth

This chart’s headline about explosive market growth directly aligns with the theme of Section 13, ‘DAC Tech Maturity, $30 M Series A and First Commercial Plants,’ as a rapidly growing market is a key indicator of increasing technological and commercial maturity.

(Source: Research Nester)

Sub-$200/ton, The DAC Cost Reduction Imperative

The DAC industry’s trajectory over the next three years hinges on its ability to execute initial commercial projects and prove a clear pathway to drastic cost reduction. The single most critical expectation is the release of verified operational performance and cost data from the first wave of large-scale facilities, which will determine if private capital and corporate buyers sustain their interest.

• Signals from recent data indicate that modular, mass-produced systems are gaining significant traction. Carbon Capture Inc.’s “Leo Series” and its dedicated factory represent a strategic bet that manufacturing economies of scale will drive down costs more effectively than building massive, one-off plants.
• Venture capital is increasingly backing novel approaches over incremental improvements. The $30 million Series A for Spiritus’s passive capture method suggests investors believe a fundamental redesign, not just optimization, is required to break the current cost barriers.
• Technologies that offer additional value streams are becoming more attractive. The ability of Avnos to produce water and Greenlyte to produce green hydrogen creates more resilient business models that are less solely dependent on the price of carbon credits.
• Conversely, large-scale projects relying on established but high-energy thermal processes may face increasing scrutiny. Without a clear, data-backed roadmap to sub-$300/ton costs, they could struggle to secure offtake agreements and financing beyond initial government support.

The questions your competitors are already asking

This report covers one angle of the Direct Air Capture commercialization race. The questions that matter most depend on your work.

• Which companies are gaining ground in the race to commercial-scale DAC, and which are falling behind?
• Heirloom’s investments and funding. Is the Project Cypress DAC Hub on track for its megaton-scale targets?
• How does Heirloom’s mineralization-based DAC compare to liquid or solid sorbent systems for achieving the sub-$200/ton cost target?

This report does not answer these. Enki Brief Pro does.

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