I was first introduced to Atalanta Climate at the Hardware Meetup for Climate Week NYC. The company had been carting visually intriguing prototypes of their Ovi carbon dioxide (CO2) removal devices around the city on trailers behind bikes, showing them to both interested locals and global leaders in town for the UN Climate Summit. While this is not the only CO2 removal system, the indoor application addressing both health and environmental concerns was interesting. Through follow up conversations, as I started to wrap my head around the technology and applications, it only became more interesting.The idea for the company originated from founder Sally Chen’s experience in San Francisco during the California wildfires. Opening windows represented a health hazard, and ventilation let smoke in. Unfortunately, wildfires are likely to become more prevalent due to climate change. In many areas, trees are burning faster than people can plant them. The need for air purification continues to grow, as does the need to address CO2 levels. Sally’s software background combined with the chemistry and hardware expertise of cofounder Lucas Dong, a PhD in Environmental Engineering and professor at Georgia Tech, to create Atalanta Climate.
