Singapore-headquartered venture capital firm Golden Gate Ventures has anchored the seed funding round for Arkadiah, a nature tech startup based in the city-state.
The funding amount was not disclosed, but Arkadiah said the round was also backed by climate-focused investor The Radical Fund and Japanese seed and early-stage investor Money Forward Venture Partners (HIRAC Fund).
Arkadiah, founded in 2023, revives degraded lands through AI-enabled nature restoration. The company said it uses AI to fuse LiDAR and remote-sensing to deploy climate solutions aimed at carbon removal and advancing biodiversity-rich ecosystems.
With the new funding, the startup said it plans to enhance its AI models and expand its product offerings. It is currently supporting pilots with over 15 projects in Southeast Asia and Australia on pre-feasibility studies.
“Through transformative AI and digital monitoring technology, we are eager to accelerate project funding opportunities and scale needed land restoration to bring the highest quality carbon removal and biodiversity credits in Asia,” said Reuben Lai, Arkadia’s CEO and co-founder.
Lai, former executive director and head of regional strategy at Grab and Singtel’s digibank GXS, earlier said the nature sector is estimated to represent a $20-30 billion opportunity in the future.
Between 1990 and 2020, Southeast Asia saw 82% growth in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, mainly from fossil fuel combustion, agriculture, land-use change, and forestry.
Arkadiah said its technology creates a digital twin of the project landscapes and brings a whole new level of transparency to secure investor and buyer confidence.
“Their groundbreaking AI-enabled approach to nature restoration is not just innovative; it’s a vital step towards our shared climate goals for 2030,” said Golden Gate Ventures partner Justin Hall.
