Meet Chad Massura, founder of Rosy Soil
Invest in startups like Rosy Soil alongside Climate Capital here.
Founders: Chad Massura
Motto: Potting soil made from captured CO2
Stage: Pre-Seed
Location: New York, NY
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Climate Capital: What made you want to solve this problem?
Chad: Having grown up gardening, I was dismayed to learn about potting soil's dirty secret: that extracting peat bogs contributes 2x more emissions than the airline industry. So, I set out to help growers nurture soil, plant, and planet health.
Climate Capital: What are you building?
Chad: We've created the first potting soil that captures CO2. By replacing peat with biochar, our blends perform better than traditional commercial mixes without harming the planet.
Climate Capital: What is next?
Chad: We've catered initially to houseplants with our Indoor Potting Mix, and our products are now available in plant shops, garden centers, and nurseries across the country. We're working hard to make peat-free options available everywhere, and have a number of exciting new products in the pipeline.
Climate Capital: How do you hoster growth and career development for your employees?
Chad: We've worked hard to create a joyful, empathetic, and nurturing work environment for our team, because working at a climate startup in particular can be overwhelming. We've set highly ambitious goals--the climate crisis necessitates them--but have ensured our team has the freedom and support they need to hit them.
Climate Capital: What are the key challenges as you scale your company?
Chad: Scaling our supply chain in parallel with demand growth, while ensuring our products remain carbon negative, has been and will continue to be a really fun challenge. A challenge I didn't expect was navigating each US State's Department of Ag, but we got through it!
Climate Capital: What have you learned that you want to share with other founders?
Chad:
Try scheduling regular time (I do an hour every Friday) to call your customers: the feedback, learnings, and connections are invaluable
Try putting yourself out there: my team pushed me to make TikToks, which is WAY out of my comfort zone, but it's proven to be really fun and rewarding
Try automating reflection and documentation across the org: we do daily, weekly, and monthly check-ins to codify our learnings and it's been so helpful to have a shared record
Climate Capital: How can the broader climate community help you on your mission?
Chad: Have some houseplants? We'd love your feedback on the soil. Interested in our mission? We'd appreciate any connections with likeminded investors and partners.