# Nicolas Pinkowski

> Nicolas Pinkowski is the Co-Founder and CEO of Nitricity, a Fremont, California-based clean energy company reinventing how nitrogen fertilizer is made. Armed with a Stanford PhD in Energy Systems, Pinkowski and his co-founders turned a backyard experiment on a lemon tree into a $95M-funded company producing organic nitrogen fertilizer from air, water, renewable electricity, and recycled almond shells. Their flagship product, Ash Tea, delivers 92% lower emissions than conventional fertilizers, has achieved OMRI certification, and has already generated over $150M in binding offtake agreements. Pinkowski was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2021 and is an Unreasonable Food Fellow (2024), leading Nitricity's expansion from California into global markets.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at Nitricity
- **Organizations:** Nitricity, Stanford University, Unreasonable Group
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Ph.D. in Energy Systems, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Forbes 30 Under 30 (2021) - recognized for creating a sustainable fertilizer startup facilitating decarbonization of the chemical industry, Unreasonable Food Fellow (2024), NDSEG Fellow at Stanford University

## Career timeline

- **2012-2016** — Studied Mechanical Engineering at University of Colorado Boulder; led team to first place at the ME Senior Design Expo designing a CubeSat Deployer for NASA's Orion program in partnership with Lockheed Martin Space Systems
- **2016-2021** — Pursued PhD in Energy Systems at Stanford University as an NDSEG Fellow; began research into electrified nitrogen production
- **2018** — Co-founded Nitricity with Dr. Joshua McEnaney and Dr. Jay Schwalbe, initially testing solar-powered fertilizer systems on a backyard lemon tree
- **2020** — Nitricity won the BASES 100K Challenge (Stanford's premier entrepreneurship competition) in its first-ever virtual iteration; also won MIT Clean Energy Prize Scholarship and Stanford TomKat Grant
- **2021** — Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for work creating a sustainable fertilizer startup; completed PhD at Stanford
- **2023** — Chipotle made an initial investment in Nitricity through its Cultivate Next venture fund
- **2024** — Named Unreasonable Food 2024 Fellow; appeared on Consensus in Conversation podcast/YouTube discussing lightning-powered fertilizer
- **2025-03** — Nitricity secured $10M in FOAK project funding from Elemental Impact and Trellis Climate for Delhi, California facility
- **2025-09** — Nitricity raised $50M Series B co-led by World Fund and Khosla Ventures; broke ground on first-of-a-kind organic fertilizer facility in Delhi, California, with production sold out through 2028

## Achievements

- Forbes 30 Under 30 (2021) - recognized for creating a sustainable fertilizer startup facilitating decarbonization of the chemical industry
- Unreasonable Food Fellow (2024)
- NDSEG Fellow at Stanford University
- Led Nitricity to raise $95M in total funding
- Secured over $150M in binding offtake agreements
- Won BASES 100K Challenge (Stanford's top entrepreneurship competition) in 2020
- Won MIT Clean Energy Prize Scholarship
- Received Stanford TomKat Grant for sustainable energy innovation
- First-place winner at University of Colorado Boulder ME Senior Design Expo for NASA CubeSat Deployer
- Achieved OMRI certification and CDFA OIM approval for Nitricity's Ash Tea fertilizer
- Ash Tea demonstrates 92% lower emissions vs. conventional fertilizer
- Field trials show up to 30% yield increases with Nitricity fertilizer

## Latest updates

- **2025-09** — Raised $50M Series B co-led by World Fund and Khosla Ventures; broke ground on Delhi, California organic fertilizer facility; $150M+ in binding offtake agreements; production sold out through 2028
- **2025-03** — Secured $10M FOAK project funding from Elemental Impact and Trellis Climate for Delhi facility development
- **2024-02** — Featured on Consensus in Conversation podcast/YouTube discussing lightning-powered fertilizer and the decarbonized future of food; named Unreasonable Food 2024 Fellow

## Links

- Website: https://nitricity.co
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolaspinkowski/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/NitricityInc
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEu8keZH_rE
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nitricityinc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NitricityInc/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nicolas-pinkowski
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-13