Mission and Vision
What Drives Us Forward
Terraffirm was established to address the social and economic disruption that will be caused by an increase in average global temperature resulting from the increased greenhouse effect caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels. This disruption will take the form of rising sea level, more frequent and more intense heat waves and wildfires, changes in rainfall patterns, and, likely, more intense storms.
To this end, we conduct and fund research, development, and educational and advocacy activities to bring about awareness of global climate change and and to mitigate its effects. We are focused on methods of carbon sequestration that are scalable and cost-effective.
Emissions From California Fires
NASA's Earth Observatory
1/9/2020
Aerosol Index
NASA's Earth Observatory
1/9/2020
Our Causes
Carbon Sequestration
Carbon captured in plants or trees by photosynthesis is typically released back into the atmosphere over time, either by decomposition or by burning. We are investigating ways to substantially slow this return of carbon to the atmosphere by increasing the amount and recalcitrance of soil organic carbon, by wood burial, or by improved techniques of managing the decomposition of slash piles created during forest thinning operations.
Root system
Extreme Wildfires
In the Western United States, the main cause of the increased risk and extent of wildfires is climate change. A number of factors influence the risk of wildfires, including the moisture content of the soil, the air temperature, and the presence and dryness of potential fuel such as trees and shrubs. All these factors are strongly affected, either directly or indirectly, by climate change, which causes forest fuels to be drier.
North Complex smoke, San Francisco Bay Bridge
SRC: Christopher Michel
Fire crew member fighting wildfire in California
SRC: Andrea Booher
Leadership
Bruce Dunlevie
Board Chair
President & Director
Bruce Dunlevie is a general partner of Benchmark Capital with more than 20 years’ experience in high-tech investing. A graduate of Stanford Graduate School of Business, Mr. Dunlevie has served on the boards of Rambus, Inc, Palm, Inc. and ServiceSource International, Inc.
Robert A. Hayes
Treasurer & Secretary
Robert Hayes is an engineer with broad engineering, management and executive experience in the high-tech industry, including such companies as Everex, CellNet, Chroma Graphics, Finesse, and Aquifi. He is a graduate of Rice University.
Mike Farmwald
Director
Mike Farmwald is a serial entrepreneur working in the Silicon Valley high-tech industry. He holds a doctorate in computer science from Stanford University where he was a Hertz Foundation Fellow. He has founded six companies, including Rambus, Epigram, Matrix Semiconductor, Chromatic Research.
Mark Evans
Director
Mark Evans is currently a Partner LP and Investment Committee member at Kindred Capital, a European Seed-Stage Venture fund, based in London. He was a general partner at Balderton Capital/Benchmark Europe from 2002 through 2015. Mr. Evans studied economics at both University of Oxford and Queen’s University in Canada.