Abu Dhabi AI Startup Slashes Costs & Carbon Footprint for Businesses
▼ Summary
– CarbonSifr is an AI-powered climate-tech startup that helps businesses measure and reduce carbon emissions while unlocking cost savings and new revenue streams.
– The platform simplifies carbon emissions tracking by using AI to analyze data quickly, replacing time-consuming manual processes with a drag-and-drop tool.
– Unlike traditional emissions reporting tools, CarbonSifr provides actionable business intelligence to reduce emissions and create competitive advantages, such as Careem’s eco-friendly ride option.
– CarbonSifr emphasizes regional specificity and data security, using localized emissions data and allowing deployment on private clouds or client premises.
– Backed by Abu Dhabi’s Hub71, CarbonSifr has grown rapidly, supporting over 100 brands and measuring Dh7 billion in purchases while expanding into GCC markets.
Abu Dhabi-based AI startup CarbonSifr is transforming how businesses tackle sustainability by cutting costs and carbon footprints simultaneously. The climate-tech company, supported by Hub71, leverages artificial intelligence to help organizations measure, reduce, and offset emissions while uncovering financial benefits.
Businesses no longer need lengthy consulting engagements to assess their environmental impact. CarbonSifr’s AI-driven platform simplifies the process, allowing companies to upload procurement records, utility bills, and travel data. The system then analyzes millions of data points, identifies emission hotspots, and suggests cost-effective alternatives, all within hours.
Founder Onur Elgun recognized a shift in the GCC market, where both corporations and consumers increasingly prioritize sustainability. Traditional carbon reporting tools, he argues, merely document the problem. CarbonSifr goes further by turning emissions data into actionable business strategies, whether through cost reductions or new revenue streams.
One standout example is ride-hailing giant Careem, which used the platform to launch an eco-friendly ride option. The feature calculated emissions per trip and offset them through mangrove restoration projects. Within a year, Careem recorded 500,000 low-emission rides, attracting over 100,000 environmentally conscious customers, a clear win for both the planet and profitability.
Data security and regional relevance set CarbonSifr apart. Built on Meta’s open-source LLaMA models, the AI can operate on private clouds or client servers, ensuring sensitive data never leaves their control. The platform also incorporates GCC-specific emissions factors, accounting for regional variables like district cooling and local utility fuel mixes, details often overlooked by global solutions.
Hub71 played a pivotal role in CarbonSifr’s early growth, providing mentorship, funding, and access to a network of industry leaders. Since its launch, the startup has worked with over 100 brands, analyzing Dh7 billion in purchases and removing 1,500 tonnes of CO₂ through nature-based projects.
Elgun emphasizes that climate action shouldn’t be siloed as a corporate social responsibility initiative. When aligned with core business objectives, cost savings, customer engagement, or market expansion, it becomes a powerful driver of growth. As CarbonSifr expands across the GCC, it aims to deepen expertise in key sectors like construction, energy, and hospitality, proving that sustainability and profitability can go hand in hand.
(Source: Aletihad)
