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# Biochar Industrial Group Secures $1.5M Pre-Seed Funding to Scale Pan-African Infrastructure
- URL: https://www.africainvestorreview.com/biochar-industrial-group-secures-1-5m-pre-seed-funding-to-scale-pan-african-infrastructure/
- Published: 2026-09-17T21:46:10.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-01T17:39:43.000Z
- Description: Founded by former Releaf Earth executives, climate-tech startup Biochar Industrial Group closes a funding round led by Breega to deploy on-site pyrolysis equipment and monetize agricultural waste into audit-grade carbon credits.
- Author: Charles S.
- Tags: Venture Capital, West Africa, Southern Africa, North Africa, East Africa, Central Africa

**AFRICA** — [**Biochar Industrial Group (BIG)**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/biochar-industrial-group/about/?ref=africainvestorreview.com) has officially closed a **$1.5 million** pre-seed funding round earmarked for scaling industrial biochar infrastructure and deployment networks across the continent.

The financing round was led by early-stage venture capital firm [**Breega**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/breega/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com), with participation from the [**Catalyst Fund**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-catalyst-fund/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com) and non-dilutive capital from the [**Mulago Foundation**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/mulago-foundation/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com).

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## Tackling Industrial Waste via Biochar-as-a-Service

BIG was founded in 2026 by [**Ikenna Nzewi**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/inzewi/?ref=africainvestorreview.com), [**Uzoma Ayogu**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/uzomabayogu/?ref=africainvestorreview.com), and [**Isaiah Udotong**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaiahudotong/?ref=africainvestorreview.com), veterans of [Y Combinator](https://www.linkedin.com/school/y-combinator/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com)\-backed agro-processing company [Releaf Earth](https://www.linkedin.com/company/releaf-earth/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com). The startup addresses the continent's immense agricultural waste management challenge, where processing facilities generate over 3 billion tonnes of biomass residues annually (including nut shells, husks, cobs, and stalks) that are frequently burned or left to decompose.

At the core of the business model is **Biochar-as-a-Service (BaaS)**, an on-site operational framework targeted at large agricultural processors generating at least 2,500 tonnes of waste annually:

- **Capital and Operational Deployment:** BIG fully finances, installs, and operates continuous pyrolysis equipment directly on-site at food-processing facilities, heating organic material above 600°C in an oxygen-deprived environment.
- **Dual-Stream Value Creation:** Facilities supply the low-value waste and receive a share of the resulting economic value, while BIG converts the biomass into stable biochar capable of storing carbon for centuries.
- **Agricultural and Carbon Monetization:** The physical biochar is commercialized as a soil amendment to restore degraded African farmland, while the process generates audit-grade, independently verified carbon-removal credits for international buyers.

> "Africa has natural advantages to lead the most scalable and cost-effective biomass-based carbon removal globally," said [Ikenna Nzewi](https://www.linkedin.com/in/inzewi/?ref=africainvestorreview.com), CEO of [Biochar Industrial Group](https://www.linkedin.com/company/biochar-industrial-group/home/?ref=africainvestorreview.com). "By forming true win-win partnerships with agricultural processors to produce biochar, we have the opportunity to turn localised waste liabilities into a transformative global solution."

## Expansion and MRV Development

Proceeds from the pre-seed round will be deployed to expand BIG's engineering, operations, logistics, and carbon-verification teams. Additionally, the company is building digital **Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV)**systems utilizing continuous monitoring to ensure transparent, audit-grade data trails.

Rather than focusing on specific regional borders, BIG is executing a Pan-African mandate, prioritizing industrial sites based on raw biomass availability to scale its infrastructure where feedstock is most abundant.

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