A Living Wall Instead of Another Filter: Carbelim’s Microalgae Bet Gets ₹10 Cr

Carbon capture is usually associated with heavy industrial equipment. Kerala-based Carbelim is taking a biological route instead, building systems where microalgae absorb carbon dioxide while producing oxygen and biomass.

The climate-tech startup has secured ₹10 crore from IIT Madras Unicorn Frontier Fund I, becoming the first Kerala startup to receive backing from the fund. Carbelim is also among its first four deeptech investments. The capital will support further technology development, production scale-up, international expansion and hiring.

Founded by Dr Karthika Gopi and Rahul Babu, Carbelim develops bio-integrated carbon- capture and air-purification systems for cities and industrial environments. Its product approach includes what it calls Micro Algae Trees or Liquid Trees — engineered systems that keep microalgae growing inside controlled structures where they can interact with air rather than requiring conventional land-intensive cultivation.

The company says it has filed 13 patents, including seven in the US and six in India. Its current team comprises 42 employees, including scientists and engineers, while the fresh investment is expected to support more than 50 additional jobs. CEO Karthika Gopi has also set a target of reaching ₹100 crore in turnover through international markets, although that remains a company goal rather than realised revenue.

The investor itself is designed for companies with longer technology-development cycles. IIT Madras Unicorn Frontier Fund I was established by IIT Madras, IIT Madras Research Park and Unicorn India Ventures. It has announced roughly ₹450 crore in its first close against a ₹1,000 crore target and has deployed nearly ₹55 crore across four deeptech startups so far.

For Carbelim, the bigger test now is commercial scale. Growing microalgae that absorbs CO₂ is one part of the problem; proving dependable performance, economics and measurable climate impact across repeated real-world installations will determine whether its living systems can become serious infrastructure for cities and industry.