# Troy Carter

> Troy Carter is the CEO and Co-Founder of Earthshot Labs, a Sebastopol, California-based climate tech company that uses AI-driven ecological modeling, satellite data, and geospatial analysis to develop, finance, and verify nature-based carbon projects at planetary scale. Before founding Earthshot in 2020, Carter co-founded RIZOME, a bamboo building materials company, and was an early employee at Airbnb. Raised on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands and educated at Stanford, he brings a rare combination of entrepreneurial grit and ecological urgency to the carbon markets, with Earthshot managing 50+ client projects across more than one million hectares and directing $55M+ in project financing.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Earthshot Labs
- **Organizations:** Earthshot Labs, RIZOME, Airbnb, E la Carte, Troy Cider
- **From:** St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts, Economics, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Earthshot Labs, managing 50+ carbon projects across 1+ million hectares, Directed $55M+ in nature-based carbon project financing, Enabled $65M+ in project finance through Earthshot platform

## Career timeline

- **2007-2011** — Studied Economics at Stanford University
- **2011-2014** — Early employee at Airbnb and E la Carte
- **2012-2015** — Founded Troy Cider, scaled and sold in successful acquisition
- **2015** — Witnessed coral reef damage that catalyzed ecological mission
- **2015-2020** — Co-founded RIZOME as Chief Strategy Officer, developing bamboo as climate-positive building material replacing wood, steel, and concrete
- **2020** — Co-founded Earthshot Labs with Patrick Leung to bring scientific rigor and AI to nature-based carbon markets
- **2020-2023** — Hosted personal development retreats on Big Island, Hawaii property near Waipio Valley
- **2024** — Closed $5.5M Series A led by Acorn Pacific Ventures; Earthshot reaches 50+ projects across 1M+ hectares

## Achievements

- Co-founded Earthshot Labs, managing 50+ carbon projects across 1+ million hectares
- Directed $55M+ in nature-based carbon project financing
- Enabled $65M+ in project finance through Earthshot platform
- Projects on track to sequester 30+ million tonnes of CO2
- Helped develop 60+ reforestation, conservation, and agroforestry projects worldwide
- Raised $5.5M Series A from leading climate investors including Future Ventures and Earth Foundry
- Built LandOS, a geospatial carbon project analysis platform used across 1M+ hectares
- Created Biome citizen science app connecting smartphone users to global ML forest models
- Co-founded RIZOME, one of the largest bamboo carbon sequestration projects in Southeast Asia
- Early employee at Airbnb during its hypergrowth phase

## Latest updates

- **2024-07** — Earthshot Labs announced $5.5M Series A funding led by Acorn Pacific Ventures with participation from Future Ventures, Earth Foundry, and others
- **2024-05** — Series A round formally closed on May 10, 2024
- **2024-03** — Earthshot reaches milestone of 50+ client projects across 1+ million hectares
- **2025-06** — Received non-equity assistance with Google for Startups noted among supporters

## Links

- Website: https://earthshot.eco
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/troyearthshot
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/EarthshotLabs
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/earthshotlabs/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/troy-carter
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-06