Watershed raised $100M+ at a valuation building carbon accounting for US enterprises. Persefoni charges $100K-$500K/year. Australia's AASB S2 mandatory reporting is rolling out NOW -- and the $5K-$50K/year tier is completely empty. I did the research. Now I need a co-founder who knows sustainability and ESG.
"ESG data quality is terrible -- companies can't accurately measure Scope 1, 2, or 3 emissions."
"Scope 3 supply chain traceability is the biggest pain point -- companies have no idea what their suppliers emit."
"Consultants charge $50K-$200K for manual carbon audits that are outdated by the time they're delivered."
"Mid-market companies facing AASB S2 have no affordable tooling. The $5K-$50K/year tier is completely empty."
Mandatory reporting is just rolling out. No incumbent exists. No one has built the affordable tool for AU-specific emissions factors, NGER reporting, and Safeguard Mechanism compliance.
Watershed and Persefoni use US/EU emissions factor databases. Australia has unique requirements: National Greenhouse Accounts Factors, state-based electricity grids with different carbon intensities, NGER thresholds.
Enterprise tools cost $100K-$500K/year. Consultants charge $50K-$200K per audit. The $99-$499/month tier that connects to Xero and auto-calculates emissions from accounting data doesn't exist.
BHP, ANZ, Woolworths, and every large company committed to net zero will force their SMB suppliers to report emissions. Those suppliers have no affordable tool.
Revenue model: SMB tier at $99-$499/month (auto-calculation from Xero data). Mid-market at $1,000-$5,000/month. Enterprise at $50K-$200K/year. 500 SMBs at $299/month = $1.8M ARR. Regulatory-forced adoption means low churn.
The AI engineering, product, and infrastructure.
The domain expertise, sustainability credentials, and first clients.
This is a co-founder search, not a job ad. I'm looking for someone who wants to own half of this company and build it together from day one.
Domain expertise in sustainability/ESG. NGER/AASB S2 knowledge. Industry network. First 10 pilot companies.
AI/full-stack engineering. Xero integration. Emissions calculation engine. Dashboard and reporting. Market research already done.
We'll figure out the right structure together. What matters first is whether we're the right fit.
R&D Tax Incentive (43.5%), ARENA innovation funding, Startmate ($120K), then Giant Leap / Virescent Ventures seed round.
"AASB S2 mandatory reporting creates forced adoption. Build the $299/month version that plugs into Xero, and you own the SMB tier before anyone else shows up."
Talk to companies in supply chains of BHP, ANZ, Woolworths. Ask: "Have your major customers asked for emissions data yet? Would you pay $299/month for automated carbon reporting?"
Connect to Xero/MYOB. Auto-extract energy and fuel expenditure. Apply AU National Greenhouse Accounts Factors. Generate AASB S2-compliant carbon report.
Real-world validation with manufacturers, construction, and professional services firms. Iterate on emissions factor accuracy. Apply for ARENA funding and Startmate.
Add Scope 3 supply chain emissions. Reduction pathway planning. Offset marketplace. Full ESG reporting. Target 200 companies. Approach Giant Leap for seed.
If you know sustainability, ESG, or climate reporting and want to co-found something massive, I'd like to hear from you.
Thanks for reaching out. I'll get back to you within 24 hours.