Rainmaker Technology Corporation has raised $100 million in Series B funding to expand its atmospheric research and develop technology aimed at increasing freshwater supplies through cloud seeding.
The funding round includes NOA VC, Upfront Ventures, DCVC, Lowercarbon Capital and Dream Ventures.
Based in El Segundo, California, Rainmaker uses weather-resistant drones to fly into winter storm clouds and release small amounts of silver iodide. The particles help ice crystals form and grow, which can lead to additional rain or snow.
The company also uses its own radar, satellite systems and validation technology to measure the additional precipitation generated by its cloud-seeding operations.
Earlier this year, Rainmaker said it became the first private company to physically validate the results of its cloud-seeding operations. Over four months, the company recorded 82 seeding signatures linked to more than 145 million gallons of verified freshwater, according to the company.
In August, Rainmaker said one operation near Homer, Alaska, produced 19 million gallons of water in about three hours.
The new funding will help Rainmaker expand its research team, which includes atmospheric scientists, radar and satellite specialists, and materials scientists. The company plans to study which clouds should be seeded, when to conduct operations, how much material to use and where additional precipitation can provide the greatest benefit.
Rainmaker Founder and CEO Augustus Doricko said, “The future of water is the future of everything. With this historic investment in weather modification technology, Rainmaker will continue to conduct frontier atmospheric research, cloud seed to end drought in the American west, and develop the tech stack that will make the earth more habitable for generations to come.”
Rainmaker also plans to support research at national laboratories and universities working on weather modification.
The company currently operates in Utah, Idaho, Oregon, California and Colorado and plans to expand across the American West and eventually into international markets.
Rainmaker was founded and is led by Augustus Doricko. The company says its long-term goal is to use atmospheric technology to address water shortages and other challenges affecting productive land.
