Summary

CH4 Global is building a sustainable, globally-scaled supply of unique seaweed products to minimize methane emissions from livestock. Today, livestock are responsible for 14.5% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, the most destructive of which is methane (86x more potent than CO2 at warming the atmosphere). There are about 1.5B domestic cows in the world - each of which releases 70 to 120 kg of methane per year - and that number is growing as demand for beef and dairy continues to climb. Together with other grazing animals, cows contribute about 40% of annual methane output accelerating global warming. To address the mounting issue of methane from cattle, CH4 Global is executing an effective approach to reduce methane output using a specific red seaweed, Asparagopsis. Asparagopsis contains high concentrations of bromoform, which disrupts methane gas production in cow guts that would otherwise be released in burps. By supplementing cattle diets with levels as low as 0.5% bromoform from high quality Asparagopsis, CH4 Global intends to reduce cow methane output by up to 90%.

Why We Invested

Exceptional Team: With 2 PhDs - one in Neurology and one in Molecular Biology - and over a century of collective experience at Procter & Gamble, the CH4 Global team stands out both in academic and corporate experience.
Market Size: There are 1.5B domestic cows in the world - 300M in the dairy market alone - representing a market valued in the hundreds of billions.
Favorable Regulatory Shifts: In 2017, California approved legislation that commits the state to a 40% reduction in methane emissions (below 2013 levels) by 2030; in 2020, the EU adopted a strategy to reduce methane emissions with a key focus on agriculture; and in 2021, the US Congress has introduced at least two pieces of legislation targeting dramatic reductions in methane output. Legislative and regulatory efforts highlighting methane reduction are mounting, and these efforts are taking place in massive markets of interest to CH4 Global.

Contact CH4 Global

[email protected]

Team

Steve Meller PhD

CEO & Founder

Steve is a Silicon Valley-based Entrepreneur, Investor, Innovator, Founder and Board Advisor after successful careers in Corporate (18+ years in Executive positions) and Academia (17+ years in research and scientific Academic positions). Since an early retirement in late 2012 from a successful Corporate executive career at P&G as Chief Innovation Catalyst, Steve has founded or co-founded four companies in the healthcare, tech, sustainability and innovation sectors, sits on several Advisory Boards across a variety of sectors and also works closely with several global innovation advisory companies. Since early 2013, Steve has consulted with more than 25 Fortune 200 companies around how to better leverage external technology and innovations to drive top and bottom line growth across the automotive, apparel, healthcare, B2B, consumer, financial, travel and tech sectors. Steve has also been advising Governments on innovation strategies since late 2014. He has been consulting with the Australian Government for their innovation agency CSIRO on how to create new business models and strategies to globalize their impact. He also has been working with the New Zealand Government on innovation strategies to leverage novel, cutting edge technology to provide better transparency, efficiency and services to its citizens. Steve is an accomplished, creative, results-driven executive with a record of success at envisioning opportunities and developing the innovation and strategic plan through internal development, partnering, investing or acquisition to deliver top and bottom line growth. Coupled with strong experience leading global programs that are geographically dispersed, multicultural, and multi-functional. and a long history of experience in building internal and external innovation networks to quickly and efficiently identify potential solutions or solution providers provides a unique combination of deep academic, industrial and investment experience.

Toko Kapea

Chief Legal Counsel & Founder

Toko has over 20 years of experience as a commercial lawyer and many years as a company director. Toko has held directorship roles within dairy-farming, forestry and fishing sector operations in New Zealand.

David Lawson PhD

CTO

David Lawson has over 25 years of R&D experience at Procter & Gamble in multiple disciplines and across categories, with experience in both internal development and partnering externally to accelerate innovation. He started with Procter & Gamble in Germany in regulatory affairs for food and beverage products in Europe before managing the product development activities for the Pringles snack food business. He then transferred to Procter & Gamble’s headquarters in Cincinnati, USA where he was responsible for developing research collaborations between P&G and other companies. He expanded his focus on external collaborations and opportunities with stints in Connect + Develop identifying new technologies and collaboration opportunities for P&G’s Health Care and Corporate R&D, as well as his work as Open Innovation Manager for all P&G’s R&D activities in Silicon Valley seeking collaborations and innovations is as diverse areas as renewable materials, life sciences, smart products and advanced materials among others. David received his BSc. in Zoology from the University of Glasgow in Scotland and a MSc, in Tropical Medicine from Salford University, England and his PhD in Molecular Biology from the Max-Planck Institute in Tuebingen, Germany. He retired from P&G in 2018 and is now active within the innovation community in Delaware working with both the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment and as adjunct associate professor at the Horn Entrepreneurship program.

Rowena Pullan

Chief Brand Guardian

Rowena is a retired Global Brand Development/R&D Vice President with a career spanning over 30 years in health and beauty industries. Her broad experience includes accelerating, turning around and creating new brands. All driven by deep consumer and brand understanding matched with smart science. Rowena holds a BA and an MA from Oxford University in Natural Sciences. She spent over 20 years at Procter & Gamble honing her consumer/brand focus. She then worked at Pfizer in their Consumer Health division leading the Wellness category.