Okavango Capital Invests in Substrate Biochar to Scale Nature-Based Solutions in Africa
Okavango Capital Partners, an impact investment firm focused on scaling solutions that address climate change, protect biodiversity, and strengthen resilient rural livelihoods across East and Southern Africa, has made an investment in Substrate Biochar through Terra Labs, its dedicated platform for ecosystem services and nature-based solutions.
Substrate Biochar transforms organic waste into high-quality biochar, delivering permanent carbon removal while improving soil health, restoring degraded land, and reducing embodied carbon in construction. The company collaborates with farmers, landowners, and industrial partners to deploy biochar across agricultural systems, land rehabilitation projects, and low-carbon building materials.
The investment will support the establishment of Substrate Biochar’s initial production facility in South Africa and the expansion of its supply chain. Biochar is widely regarded as one of the most promising nature-based solutions, addressing soil degradation and climate change simultaneously. All biochar carbon credits bought in 2025 were retired.
Josep Oriol the Founder and Managing Partner at Okavango said: “Aligning capital with nature is how we restore ecosystems and address climate risk. Substrate Biochar has a team of extremely capable young professionals, and has identified an area of enormous opportunity, combining forestry, agriculture, and carbon removals, creating value across the value chain. We are proud to support their growth.”
Thomas Hancock, Director at Terra Labs said: “We understand the sectors Substrate Biochar is addressing. They could not have taken a better approach. This is a very promising partnership and we expect phenomenal growth”.
Charlie Cornish, co-founder at Substrate Biochar said: “We are so excited to have Okavango Capital Partners join us on our journey. Their deep understanding of the market, network and commitment to building high-impact, scalable businesses in Africa make them an ideal partner as we move to scale. With their support, we are well positioned to accelerate deployment, deliver high-quality carbon removal, and bring the benefits of biochar to agriculture, land restoration and low-carbon construction at scale.”
Substrate Biochar’s approach reflects Terra Labs’ broader strategy of backing solutions that restore ecosystems and address climate risk through nature-based systems designed for long-term impact.
This investment reinforces Terra Labs’ continued commitment to deploying capital nature based solutions and scale nature’s role in delivering long-term resilience.
Okavango Capital Partners, an impact investment firm focused on scaling solutions that address climate change, protect biodiversity, and strengthen resilient rural livelihoods across East and Southern Africa, has made an investment in Substrate Biochar through Terra Labs, its dedicated platform for ecosystem services and nature-based solutions.
Substrate Biochar transforms organic waste into high-quality biochar, delivering permanent carbon removal while improving soil health, restoring degraded land, and reducing embodied carbon in construction. The company collaborates with farmers, landowners, and industrial partners to deploy biochar across agricultural systems, land rehabilitation projects, and low-carbon building materials.
The investment will support the establishment of Substrate Biochar’s initial production facility in South Africa and the expansion of its supply chain. Biochar is widely regarded as one of the most promising nature-based solutions, addressing soil degradation and climate change simultaneously. All biochar carbon credits bought in 2025 were retired.
Josep Oriol the Founder and Managing Partner at Okavango said: “Aligning capital with nature is how we restore ecosystems and address climate risk. Substrate Biochar has a team of extremely capable young professionals, and has identified an area of enormous opportunity, combining forestry, agriculture, and carbon removals, creating value across the value chain. We are proud to support their growth.”
Thomas Hancock, Director at Terra Labs said: “We understand the sectors Substrate Biochar is addressing. They could not have taken a better approach. This is a very promising partnership and we expect phenomenal growth”.
Charlie Cornish, co-founder at Substrate Biochar said: “We are so excited to have Okavango Capital Partners join us on our journey. Their deep understanding of the market, network and commitment to building high-impact, scalable businesses in Africa make them an ideal partner as we move to scale. With their support, we are well positioned to accelerate deployment, deliver high-quality carbon removal, and bring the benefits of biochar to agriculture, land restoration and low-carbon construction at scale.”
Substrate Biochar’s approach reflects Terra Labs’ broader strategy of backing solutions that restore ecosystems and address climate risk through nature-based systems designed for long-term impact.
This investment reinforces Terra Labs’ continued commitment to deploying capital nature based solutions and scale nature’s role in delivering long-term resilience.