fresh funding

Chevron backs carbon capture tech company in $45M investment round

Boulder, Colorado-based ION Clean Energy announces it has raised $45 million in financing. Photo via Getty Images

Chevron New Energies has a new cleantech company in its portfolio.

Boulder, Colorado-based ION Clean Energy announces it has raised $45 million in financing. The round was led by Chevron New Energies with participation from New York-based Carbon Direct Capital. Founded in 2008, ION's carbon dioxide capture technologies lower costs and make CO2 capture a more viable option for hard-to-abate emissions.

“We have truly special solvent technology. It is capable of very high capture efficiency with low energy use while simultaneously being exceptionally resistant to degradation with virtually undetectable emissions. That’s a pretty powerful combination that sets us apart from the competition. The investments from Chevron and Carbon Direct Capital are a huge testament to the hard work of our team and the potential of our technology,” ION founder and Executive Chairman Buz Brown says in a news release. “We appreciate their collaboration and with their investments we expect to accelerate commercial deployment of our technology so that we can realize the kind of wide-ranging commercial and environmental impact we’ve long envisioned.”

The funding will go toward ION’s organizational growth and commercial deployment of its ICE-31 liquid amine carbon capture technology.

“We continue to make progress on our goal to deliver the full value chain of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) as a business, and we believe ION is a part of this solution. ION has consistent proof points in technology performance, recognition from the Department of Energy, partnerships with global brands, and a strong book of business that it brings to the relationship,” Chris Powers, vice president of CCUS and emerging with CNE, says in the release. “ION’s solvent technology, combined with Chevron’s assets and capabilities, has the potential to reach numerous emitters and support our ambitions of a lower carbon future. We believe collaborations like this are essential to our efforts to grow carbon capture on a global scale.”

With the new investment, the company announced that Timothy Vail will join the company as CEO. He previously was CEO of Arbor Renewable Gas and founder and CEO of G2X Energy Inc. He also serves as an Operating Partner for OGCI Climate Investments.

"With these investments, we are well positioned to grow ION into a worldwide provider of high-performance point source capture solutions,” Vail says. “This capital allows us to accelerate the commercial deployment of our carbon capture technology.”

Trending News

A View From HETI

Lawson Gow and Kelsey Kearns have stepped into new leadership roles at Greentown Labs. Photos courtesy Greentown/LinkedIn

Greentown Labs has reshuffled its leadership, elevating Houston leaders into new roles.

Lawson Gow was named COO of the Houston- and Boston-based climatech incubator in February 2026. In his new role, he will focus on optimizing Greentown's structure, building new internal and external systems and developing a plan for growth.

Gow was named Head of Houston in July. He previously founded The Cannon, a coworking space with eight locations in the Houston area, with additional partner spaces. He also recently served as managing partner at Houston-based investment and advisory firm Helium Capital. Gow is the son of David Gow, founder of Energy Capital's parent company, Gow Media.

Kelsey Kearns, who previously served as Director of Community Strategy at Greentown, was named as Gow's replacement in the Houston-focused role. As the new Head of Houston, she will lead daily operations, work to connect the city's climate and innovation ecosystem and founders, strengthen partnerships and accelerate solutions.

"I'm honored and grateful to step into this new role," Kearns said in an email. "My goal is for Greentown to thrive so our founders can thrive! That means supporting their connection to the capital, pilots, and customers they need to grow while building partnerships across Houston's innovation ecosystem. I want Greentown Houston to become the playbook for every future Greentown expansion."

Before joining Greentown Houston, Kearns served as director of business development at Howdy.com, an Austin-based technology staffing company.

"Kelsey is such a perfect fit to lead Greentown Houston," Gow added in an email. "She's deeply passionate about the entrepreneurial community here and has worked throughout and across the ecosystem for years. She's built an awesome dream team here and has helped reinvigorate Greentown's presence and role in Houston's innovation economy."

Earlier this year, Greentown also named Julia Travaglini as the Head of its Boston incubator. Travaglini has held multiple leadership roles at Greentown since 2016. The organization named Georgina Campbell Flatter as its new CEO in early 2025.

Trending News