# Shashank Samala

> Shashank Samala is the CEO and Co-Founder of Heirloom, the company operating America's first commercial direct air capture facility. A serial entrepreneur who previously co-founded Tempo Automation (raising $100M+ for aerospace-grade electronics manufacturing), he pivoted to carbon removal after a stint as Entrepreneur in Residence at Carbon180. At Heirloom, he's building limestone-based DAC technology to remove one billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere by 2035, targeting a cost of $50 per ton. The company has raised $354M total, including a $150M Series B in December 2024, and is building two new DAC facilities in Louisiana with combined annual capacity of nearly 320,000 tons.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Heirloom
- **Organizations:** Heirloom, Tempo Automation, Carbon180, Square
- **From:** Southeast India
- **Nationality:** American (Indian-born)
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science, Cornell University, High School Diploma, Bangor High School
- **Known for:** Built and operated America's first commercial direct air capture facility in Tracy, California, Scaled Heirloom's CO2 capture capacity from 1 kilogram to 1,000 metric tons in just over two years, Raised $354M total including a $150M Series B in December 2024

## Career timeline

- **2011-2012** — Worked at Square, helping grow small business customer base in New York City
- **2013** — Co-founded Tempo Automation, a software-driven electronics manufacturer for aerospace, medical devices, and defense
- **2013-2020** — Served as Co-Founder and VP of Product at Tempo Automation, raising over $100M in venture capital
- **2020** — Left Tempo Automation to join Carbon180 as Entrepreneur in Residence to study carbon removal
- **2020** — Founded Heirloom (originally called EquiOps) to commercialize limestone-based direct air capture
- **2021** — Raised initial funding; began scaling from grams to tons of CO2 removal capacity
- **2022** — Raised Series A funding; rebranded from EquiOps to Heirloom
- **2023** — Unveiled America's first commercial direct air capture facility in Tracy, California (November 9, 2023)
- **2024** — Announced two new DAC facilities in Northwest Louisiana with combined capacity of 320,000 tons/year
- **2024-12** — Closed $150M Series B led by Future Positive and Lowercarbon Capital
- **2025** — Secured investments from Development Bank of Japan, Chiyoda Corporation, and United Airlines

## Achievements

- Built and operated America's first commercial direct air capture facility in Tracy, California
- Scaled Heirloom's CO2 capture capacity from 1 kilogram to 1,000 metric tons in just over two years
- Raised $354M total including a $150M Series B in December 2024
- Secured customers including Microsoft, Stripe, Shopify, Meta, JPMorgan, McKinsey, and H&M
- Previously co-founded Tempo Automation, raising over $100M to manufacture mission-critical electronics for rockets, satellites, and Mars rovers
- Announced $475M investment in Louisiana to build two DAC facilities creating approximately 1,000 jobs
- Secured backing from Japan Airlines, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui & Co., Siemens Financial Services, and United Airlines

## Latest updates

- **2025-02** — United Airlines invested in Heirloom Carbon as part of its sustainability commitments
- **2024-12** — Closed $150M Series B led by Future Positive and Lowercarbon Capital, with investors including Japan Airlines, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Siemens Financial Services
- **2024-12** — Development Bank of Japan and Chiyoda Corporation announced investments in Heirloom
- **2024-06** — Announced two new DAC facilities in Northwest Louisiana near Shreveport with combined capacity of 320,000 tons/year
- **2023-11** — Unveiled America's first commercial direct air capture facility in Tracy, California, capturing up to 1,000 tons CO2 per year

## Links

- Website: https://heirloomcarbon.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/shashanksamala
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/HeirloomTech

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/shashank-samala
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-22