Nitricity, a climate-tech startup, has closed a US$50 million Series B funding round, days ahead of groundbreaking of its organic fertilizer plant in Delhi, California.

Nitricity’s flagship organic, nitrogen fertilizer liquid – Ash Tea – is made from recycled organic almond shells, air, water and renewable power. The company says Ash Tea is cost-competitive with other commercially available organic fertilizers, while being better for the planet, pathogen-free and free from animal products.

“Ash Tea stands out as a fully organic fertilizer that offers farmers a sustainable and ethical alternative to traditional pelletized, dried slaughterhouse fluids used by competitors,” noted the company. “Its liquid form flows smoothly through irrigation systems, minimizing clogging and maintenance issues. Nitricity fertilizer also utilizes nitrogen more efficiently than competitor products, meaning farmers can apply less product and cut costs.”

Slated for operation in 2026, Nitricity’s facility in Delhi marks a 100-fold increase in production capacity to achieve commercial-scale volumes of cost-competitive organic nitrogen fertilizer. The plant’s full production capacity is already sold out through 2028 under binding offtake agreements with local organic growers.

Nitricity was founded by a team of graduate students – Dr. Nicolas Pinkowski (CEO), Dr. Joshua McEnaney (president and CTO), and Dr. Jay Schwalbe (CSO) – from Stanford University in 2018. They started out co-living, testing out their solar-powered fertilizer systems on a single lemon tree in their backyard. Nitricity has grown to secure over $150 million in its sales pipeline following a period of rapid growth.

The company says its pilot factory in Fremont produces 80 tons of fertilizer each year, which feeds around 80 acres of crops.

Nitricity plans to use the fresh capital to scale its clean technology across the U.S. and into Europe, make 10+ key hires into its 38-person team, and invest in R&D.

The company is building capacity in the Western U.S. to be closer to its organic farmer customer base and expand into high-value fruit markets. New funding will also enable Nitricity to start pilot and field trials across Europe and make its first strategic hires on the continent. Nitricity plans to use local agricultural waste materials, including wood and waste from olive oil manufacturing, to power its European fertilizer production. Capital will also be used to invest further in R&D to improve system efficiency and expand into markets such as corn and wheat.

“We’re scaling across the U.S. and we’re very excited to expand into Europe in a serious and assertive way,” says Pinkowski. “The European market for our organic fertilizer is even larger than in the U.S., and demand is only growing against a backdrop of European governments looking to boost resilience and create circular agriculture economies.”

The funding round was co-led by new investor World Fund and returning investor Khosla Ventures, with participation from Chipotle’s Cultivate Next venture fund, Change Forces, Susquehanna Sustainable Investments, EIP, and Fine Structure Ventures [from the Fidelity Investments parent group, FMR].

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