Ceiba Earth

Gigatons of carbon removal are needed to meet Paris climate targets, and natural climate solutions (NCS) could deliver up to 30% of the mitigation required this decade. Yet most NCS pathways remain slow, expensive, and difficult to scale, and less than 5% of global climate finance currently flows to them. The constraint is no longer the science. Peer-reviewed methods for accelerating carbon removal already exist. The challenge is execution: translating validated approaches into investable, scalable impact.

Ceiba Earth PBC is an early-stage tropical forestry company founded by Bronson Griscom, former TNC Global Director of Forest Carbon Science and VP of Natural Climate Solutions at CI, to bridge the gap between proven carbon science and scalable deployment. The company restores and improves degraded rainforest logging concessions, generating high-integrity carbon removals alongside forestry, biodiversity, and rural livelihood outcomes. The core insight, from a decade of peer-reviewed research: fast-growing woody vines (lianas) suppress tree regrowth after selective logging; removing them lets forests rebound and sequester roughly 2× more CO₂, comparable to reforestation, but faster and at lower cost. Tropical forest concessions represent roughly 25% of remaining tropical forests globally. With the science validated, the methodology advancing, and early buyer interest in place, the company was ready for an execution layer: operational systems, financial modeling, fundraising infrastructure, and the startup capacity to support seven-figure fundraising, entity formation, concession acquisition, and initial implementation.

Working alongside the founder, the operator led the build-out of Ceiba's financial, operational, and fundraising infrastructure during an 8-week trial: rapidly iterating the venture's financial model and investor narrative, establishing internal operating systems and a fundraising pipeline, and co-leading a field visit to Peru covering in-country logistics, field measurements at a target concession, owner negotiations, and meetings with local legal counsel. Activities were conducted in both English and Spanish.

• A proforma financial model with toggleable assumptions, underpinning investor conversations and the capital plan
• A two-page executive summary, plus refinements and new slides for the May 2026 pitch deck
• A fundraising prospects CRM and outreach tracking system, and a draft company work plan and operating roadmap
• Internal operating infrastructure: Drive file architecture, a weekly meeting cadence, and website updates
• A Peru site visit covering concession field measurement, owner negotiations, and in-country legal meetings

By the close of the 8-week trial, the financial model and revised investor materials were in active use with prospective pre-seed investors, the fundraising pipeline was built and actively managed, and core operating systems were in place. The Peru field visit became a logistics and operations sprint the founder described as “even more than both of us bargained for,” advancing both the Peru operating company and the acquisition of the first forestry concession for pilot implementation. The strongest signal of fit is structural: the founder and operator transitioned the engagement into a full-time leadership role as co-founder and COO.