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§ Private Profile · Stanford, CA, USA
Electrified climate-smart fertilizer
Nitricity has raised $79.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Nitricity has raised $79.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Nitricity has raised $79.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Nitricity's investors include Khosla Ventures, Nadine Geiser, Alumni Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, General Catalyst, Redalpine Venture Partners, Katie Plichta, Phoebe Wang, Change Forces Capital, Curt Garner, Fine Structure Ventures, Susquehanna Sustainable Investments.
Nitricity has raised $79.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $64.0M Series B in September 2025.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2025 | $64M Series B | Khosla Ventures, Nadine Geiser | Alumni Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, General Catalyst, Redalpine Venture Partners, Katie Plichta, Phoebe Wang, Change Forces Capital, Curt Garner, Fine Structure Ventures, Susquehanna Sustainable Investments | Announced |
| Mar 4, 2025 | $10M Venture Round | — | Danya Hakeem, Lara Pierpoint | Announced |
| Aug 1, 2021 | $5M Seed | Energy Impact Partners | Fine Structure Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, MCJ Collective | Announced |
Nitricity is a climate-tech startup founded in 2018 that produces sustainable, organic nitrogen fertilizers using air, water, renewable energy, and almond shells.[1][2][6][7] It serves organic farmers by addressing the vulnerabilities of traditional fertilizer supply chains—such as high emissions (up to 6% of global CO2eq), import dependency, and global disruptions—with localized, cost-competitive production that reduces carbon intensity by 43% and boosts crop yields by 23%.[2][3][8] The company solves key problems in agriculture: decarbonizing fertilizer manufacturing (responsible for 5% of global GHG emissions), minimizing waste through circular bioeconomy practices, and enabling reliable, odor-free, pathogen-free fertilizers compatible with irrigation systems, certified OMRI-listed and CDFA OIM-registered for organic use.[3][6][7][8] Nitricity has demonstrated strong growth momentum, raising over $50M in recent funding (including a $20M Series A and $10M for its first plant), securing $150M+ sales pipeline, full offtake agreements through 2028 for its Delhi, CA facility (producing 1.4M gallons/year for 5,000 acres), and expanding pilots across the US and into Europe with a 38-person team.[1][3][5][6]
Nitricity was founded in 2018 by Stanford University graduate students Dr. Nicolas Pinkowski (CEO), Dr. Joshua McEnaney (President and CTO), and Dr. Jay Schwalbe (CSO), initially a team of PhDs and postdocs focused on climate solutions.[1][3][4][6] The idea emerged from their shared drive to decarbonize nitrogen fertilizer production—a $120B industry reliant on fossil fuel-heavy processes—starting with backyard experiments on a solar-powered system for a single lemon tree while co-living.[1][2][4] Early traction built quickly: from a lab-scale 6kW pilot in 2022 (post-$20M Series A), to commissioning a larger Fremont, CA pilot in 2023, securing investments from Khosla Ventures (2022), Elemental, World Fund, Chipotle, and others, and preparing a commercial-scale Delhi, CA plant with construction starting in 2025.[1][3][5][6]
Nitricity rides the wave of regenerative agriculture and climate-tech decarbonization, targeting fertilizer production's outsized emissions (5-6% global CO2eq) amid rising demand for organic, resilient food systems vulnerable to supply shocks (e.g., over 50% US nitrogen imported).[2][3][8] Timing is ideal with surging renewable energy costs dropping, policy pushes for sustainable ag (e.g., organic certifications), and market forces like almond waste abundance in California plus global food security needs favoring distributed manufacturing.[1][3][7] It influences the ecosystem by pioneering "fertilizer-as-a-service" models, inspiring circular bioeconomy shifts, and partnering with investors like Khosla and Chipotle to scale US/Europe facilities, potentially reshaping a century-old industry for smallholder and large-scale farmers worldwide.[1][3][5]
Nitricity is poised to break ground on its Delhi plant in 2025, ramp to full production in 2026 with capacity sold out to 2028, and deploy 10+ hires for US/Europe expansion using $50M+ fresh capital, targeting R&D for larger modular units.[1][3][6] Trends like AI-optimized ag, stricter emissions regs, and biofuel synergies will accelerate adoption, evolving its role from US pioneer to global disruptor in a $120B market.[2][4] As decentralized clean tech matures, Nitricity could redefine fertilizer access, slashing ag emissions while boosting farmer resilience—transforming waste into wealth for a sustainable food future.[1][3][8]