Mati Carbon, a Houston-based climate-tech startup, has won $50 million in the XPrize Carbon Removal competition, aimed at scaling its innovative rock dust method to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while enhancing crop yields for farmers in India, Tanzania, and Zambia. Founded in 2022, the company grinds basalt rock into dust, which, when applied to farmland, binds with CO2 and enriches the soil with essential minerals, potentially increasing yields by 25% to 70%. With plans to assist 100 million farmers by 2040, the initiative has garnered attention and scrutiny, particularly due to its backing by Elon Musk.