Global Tech Platform Made By U.S Startup Tracks, Transfers, And Recycles Discarded And Old Wood

According to the Global Forest Watch, India lost 2.33 million hectares of tree cover since 2000.

Deforestation is a global problem, not just in India.

When trees decay due to disease or are just cleared, they are usually burnt or sent to a landfill.

A startup based in the United States is developing new technology to stop the wastage and track, transport, and recycle this wood.

Founded in 2020 by Ben Christensen, Theo Hooker, and Marisa Repka, Cambium is disrupting the wood supply chain and making it easier and more efficient to recycle wood. It has partnered with local tree care services, trucking companies, mills, and companies like Amazon, CBRE, Gensler, and Room and Board.

CAMBIUM: FINDING LOST WOOD TO MAKE IT RECYCLABLE 

Ben Christensen spent his childhood being immersed in woodworking and science. In 2019, he was sitting in a local store and saw imported firewood being used. He was joined by Theo Hooker and Marisa Repka to build a supply chain that transformed local wood waste into feasible resources.

While local wood recyclers do have a presence, Cambium fills the absence of a company addressing and solving the wood supply chain on a national scale.

Calling itself a platform “where timber meets tech,” Cambium’s researchers work on technology that helps track, recycle, and ultimately transfer old wood into the supply chain.

Speaking to CNBC, founder Ben Christensen said, “We make it really easy to source wood that would have otherwise been wasted, and we build technology for the wood industry so that we can save material, create new local jobs and address climate change at scale.”

The wood management tech startup has advanced wood identification systems in place. Every piece of wood brought into the supply chain by Cambium has a barcode attached to it. When scanned, the startup’s app identifies the wood’s species, the time it was milled, and its grade.

Cambium assists truckers in coordinating their loads and helps various sawmills discover and source the materials. Additionally, it sells recycled material.

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GROWTH AND FUNDING

To date, according to CNBC, Cambium has raised a total of $28.5 million in funding from the likes of Volo Earth Ventures, NEA, and Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund.

In 2024, the startup’s sales doubled. According to the founder, Cambium has two main revenue streams:

1. Directly selling wood to end users.

2. Selling software to the wood industry that helps move, track, and ultimately sell the recycled products.

Ben Christensen said the larger chunk of the revenue comes from the second bucket of software sales.

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