Spiritus Technologies, a Los Alamos National Laboratory spinoff with a unique approach to carbon removal technology called “direct air capture,” has hired James Burbridge as its director of business development.
Prior to joining Spiritus, he served as director of North America Advisory at Carbon Direct, where he advised Fortune 500 companies on high-quality carbon reduction and removal solutions.
“James’ deep knowledge of carbon markets and experience in developing impactful carbon removal initiatives for the world’s biggest companies makes him an ideal addition to our team as we work to scale our … direct capture technology,” said Spiritus CEO and Co-Founder Charles Cadieu, Ph.D., in a news release.
Spiritus’ capture system uses a type of sorbent energy, shaped like small balls, that passively absorb carbon, then release it through a desorption process, making the balls reusable.
Cadieu and Matt Lee, Ph.D., the startup’s co-founder and chief technology officer, took the startup out of “stealth” mode in September 2023 with $11 million in hand.
"Climate change is the greatest problem the world is faced with, and the only path forward is through innovation," Burbridge said in the release. "We need new approaches like those that Spiritus is pioneering if we hope to reverse the damage done. Spiritus' novel approach to DAC could solve the major cost and energy challenges that face the industry today, potentially paving the way for widespread adoption of DAC solutions.”
Prior to Carbon Direct, Burbridge worked at the XPRIZE Foundation, where he designed and pitched the Musk Foundation-funded $100M XPRIZE for Carbon Removal (which named Spiritus a Top 100 team in competition earlier this year) and the OPIS Carbon Market Report, which he helped launch.
He previously worked as an energy markets journalist in China and Singapore. Burbridge holds an MBA from Rotterdam School of Management and a BA in English from the University of Kansas.
