CyanoCapture

CyanoCapture is an Oxford-based synthetic biology company on a mission to make industrial-scale carbon capture affordable by harnessing the power of genetically modified cyanobacteria — fast-growing photosynthetic microorganisms that absorb CO₂ from the air. The company addresses the critical gap between rising global carbon taxes and the lack of cost-effective capture solutions for high-emitting industries such as power generation, cement, and oil refining.

CyanoCapture has engineered proprietary cyanobacteria strains that fix carbon at rates 300% higher than those found in nature. Using CRISPR gene-editing and a library of genetic parts, the platform produces two core commercial outputs from captured carbon: graphite and high-value recombinant proteins. This dual-product model means carbon capture becomes a byproduct of a profitable industrial process rather than a pure cost, making it viable at scale for the first time.

Founded in 2021 by Dr David Kim and Samir Chitnavis as a spinout from the University of Oxford, CyanoCapture won one of 23 Elon Musk XPRIZE student prizes and the 'Best Idea' award at the Oxford Foundry All-Innovate competition. The company has raised $1.83 million across two rounds, attracted R&D sponsorship from Shell, and was selected for the remove EU CDR accelerator programme. It is headquartered at the Oxford Science Park.