FOUNDERS UNFILTERED: Q&A WITH JIM MANN, CEO & FOUNDER OF UNDO
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MAKING CARBON REMOVAL SCALABLE
This month Jim Mann, CEO & Founder at UNDO is in the hot seat. UNDO uses enhanced rock weathering technology to kick-start nature’s own carbon capture process, locking away CO2 permanently.
Its global mission is to permanently remove more than 1 billion tonnes of CO2 and make carbon removal accessible to all.
It’s undoing the damage already done and providing a healthier planet for future generations.
Q: What’s the scrappiest thing you’ve done so far to make progress?
At the very start of UNDO's journey, I car camped during COP26 in Glasgow to avoid the eye-watering hotel prices. It wasn't glamorous, but many of the relationships I built at the UN’s climate change summit have stuck with us to this day.
Q: What are you most excited about with your business right now?
Our vision is to empower a global network of project developers with the scientific, digital and financial infrastructure needed to deliver durable, bankable carbon removal at scale.
Right now, I'm most excited that we're signing partners onto the world's first end-to-end platform for enhanced rock weathering (ERW). By removing barriers around measurement, data management and upfront project finance, we're creating the enablement layer that could unlock more than one billion tonnes of community-led carbon removal by 2050.
Q: What story about your company has landed best with the media, and why?
Winning the $100 million XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition in 2025 was one of our biggest media moments. Being named one of just four global winners of the largest incentive prize in history was a huge validation of our work. The fact that the prize was funded by the Musk Foundation certainly helped capture attention, but what really resonated was the idea that ERW has the potential to become one of the world's most scalable CDR solutions.
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received as a founder?
Don't believe everything you read about your competitors in the press. Headlines rarely tell the full story, and it's easy to be distracted by noise. Stay focused on your customers, your team and your own progress.
Q: What's one podcast you think everyone should listen to?
Moonshots with Peter Diamandis. It reminds me just how extraordinary this moment is for technology and innovation. When you're building a climate company, it's easy to become consumed by the challenges. It gives me perspective, optimism and a huge amount of energy about what's possible.
Q: My purpose is…
To help create a liveable planet for future generations.
Q: One word you hope people use to describe you – and one word for your business?
Relentless. I compete in 100-mile-plus ultramarathons, and running a climate company often feels like another endurance race. Progress comes from showing up every day, especially when it's hard.
As for UNDO, what our scientists, farmers, data, tech, and finance teams are building is truly groundbreaking. They are pioneers in their field, whether it is designing patent-pending measurement techniques, trialling remote sensing tools which monitor crop greenness, or launching a first-of-a-kind solution to unlock upfront project financing. Together with our partners, the team is helping write the playbook for an entirely new industry.