# Sponge

> Sponge is a climate technology company that utilizes patented direct air capture (DAC) technology to pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for cost-effective on-site production, utilization, and sequestration.

Company page on Leadbay: https://mad-max.leadbay.ai/company/sponge.co · loaded 2026-10-29

## At a glance

- Website: https://sponge.co
- Team based in: Boston (sponge.co and 1 more)
- Founded: 2024 (sponge.co and 1 more)
- Founders: Marek Nowosielski
- Industry: Climate Technology Product Manufacturing
- Employees: 6 (employees and founders, investors not counted; sponge.co and 1 more)
- Backed by: Venture Cooperative, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
- Seen in its site's code: Squarespace (static1.squarespace.com), Google Workspace (MX smtp.google.com) (read 2026-10-30)
- Email: info@spongedac.com

## What it sells, to whom

- Sponge is a climate technology company that utilizes patented direct air capture (DAC) technology to pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for cost-effective on-site production, utilization, and sequestration. ([sponge.co](https://www.sponge.co/), [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/sponge-co2), [climatebase.org](https://climatebase.org/company/1142704/sponge))

## Why it stands out

- Climate Technology Product Manufacturing company ([linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/sponge-co2))
- Competes with: Other Direct Air Capture (DAC) companies ([climatebase.org](https://climatebase.org/company/1142704/sponge))

## Products and services

- Direct Air Capture (DAC) systems for on-site CO2 production ([sponge.co](https://www.sponge.co/), [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/sponge-co2), [climatebase.org](https://climatebase.org/company/1142704/sponge))
- Sequestration credits ([sponge.co](https://www.sponge.co/), [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/sponge-co2), [climatebase.org](https://climatebase.org/company/1142704/sponge))

## Customers and markets

- **Customers**: Industrial CO2 utilization and sequestration markets ([sponge.co](https://www.sponge.co/), [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/sponge-co2))
- **Markets**: AI agents requiring autonomous payment capabilities. ([linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/multimodal-ventures_ai-fintech-aiagents-activity-7470852763589951488-Dx28), [ycombinator.com](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/sponge), [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rainxyz_agents-are-spending-real-money-rain-issues-activity-7457866148101943298-hquZ))
- **Markets**: Businesses and API providers looking to accept payments from AI agents without human intervention. ([linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/multimodal-ventures_ai-fintech-aiagents-activity-7470852763589951488-Dx28), [ycombinator.com](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/sponge), [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rainxyz_agents-are-spending-real-money-rain-issues-activity-7457866148101943298-hquZ))

## Team

- Jason Burnett, Chief Executive Officer
- Marek Nowosielski, CTO, Co-Founder
- Marek Nowosielski Pe FIChemE, Chief Technology Officer
- Anastasia Montgomery, Chief Science Officer

Backed by: Venture Cooperative, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

## Latest news

- 2026-08-07 · [My phone's gallery was a mess until I found this oddly satisfying app](https://www.makeuseof.com/my-phones-gallery-was-mess-until-found-this-oddly-satisfying-app/) (makeuseof.com)
- 2026-01-16 · [Sponge's Josh Cardoz & Olivia Haywood speak to Forbes about 'The New Workplace Frontier.'](https://www.spongelearning.com/en/resources/sponges-josh-cardoz-olivia-haywood-speak-to-forbes-about-the-new-workplace-frontier) (spongelearning.com)
- 2024-08-22 · [Sponge gains Coeliac UK accreditation for gluten-free cakes | British Baker](https://bakeryinfo.co.uk/finished-goods/sponge-secures-coeliac-uk-accreditation-for-gluten-free-bakery-in-norfolk/694693.article) (bakeryinfo.co.uk)
- 2023-11-20 · [It’s Been a Weird Year: Growing a Marketing Ops Startup - Sponge IO | Marketing and Revenue Ops](https://sponge.io/its-been-a-weird-year-yes/) (sponge.io)
- 2023-10-24 · [Prohibition wins jammy new PR brief - Prohibition PR](https://prohibitionpr.co.uk/news/prohibition-takes-the-cake/) (prohibitionpr.co.uk)

## Where to find more

- [This page in Markdown, for agents](https://mad-max.leadbay.ai/company/sponge.co.md)

## Decision makers

- [Jason Burnett](https://mad-max.leadbay.ai/person/jason-burnett--sponge.co.md), Chief Executive Officer
- [Marek Nowosielski](https://mad-max.leadbay.ai/person/marek-nowosielski--sponge.co.md), CTO, Co-Founder
- [Marek Nowosielski Pe FIChemE](https://mad-max.leadbay.ai/person/marek-nowosielski-pe-ficheme--sponge.co.md), Chief Technology Officer
- [Anastasia Montgomery](https://mad-max.leadbay.ai/person/anastasia-montgomery--sponge.co.md), Chief Science Officer

Work emails and direct phones come with a Leadbay account: https://wow.leadbay.ai/?register=true

Where it comes from: 33 sites read (sponge.co, sponge.co.uk, thesponge.com.au, linkedin.com, climatebase.org, ycombinator.com, docs.paysponge.com, aventure.vc, …).

## Best angle

2026-10-05 · Expansion: Unpopular opinion: open rates are one of the least interesting things about your email. (1 source)

## Best way in

- Message on X: The company's own account

## Signals: what happened

- 2026-10-29 · Headcount: Headcount up 200% in a year (1 source: [A company database](https://www.sponge.co/))
- 2026-10-05 · Expansion: Unpopular opinion: open rates are one of the least interesting things about your email. (1 source: [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sponge-io-llc_the-ultimate-b2b-email-marketing-checklist-activity-7512885594084012033-4nqI))
- 2026-08-07 · News: My phone's gallery was a mess until I found this oddly satisfying app (1 source: [makeuseof.com](https://www.makeuseof.com/my-phones-gallery-was-mess-until-found-this-oddly-satisfying-app/))
- 2026-08-06 · News: This August, we're running three series: AI, Compliance, and Change Management. Each one is built to help you turn business strategy into everyday behaviour. (1 source: [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/spongelearning_unforgettablelearning-changemanagement-activity-7491116329073262592-dF2c))
- 2026-07-14 · News: “Give me a place to stand and I will move the world,” Archimedes said. (1 source: [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/spongelearning_atlas-ai-diagnostic-tool-activity-7482782912183107584-Agwj))
- 2026-06-23 · Interviews: Your coding interview is testing the wrong thing. (1 source: [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/getsponge_your-coding-interview-is-testing-the-wrong-activity-7475229222010068992-hFq0))
- 2026-04-20 · Product: We are excited to launch the Sponge Wallet Agent Template on Pinata, the easiest way to run OpenClaw agents on the cloud, now with the easiest way to hold and spend money. (2 sources: [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/paysponge_announcing-the-revamped-sponge-gateway-turn-activity-7452063298235318272-U-Az), [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/paysponge_we-are-excited-to-launch-the-sponge-wallet-activity-7454909785344327681-c4Z_))
- 2026-03-30 · News: A year ago, Meta was the only company piloting AI-assisted coding interviews. (1 source: [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/getsponge_a-year-ago-meta-was-the-only-company-piloting-activity-7444464280336371712-WI9k))
- 2026-03-16 · News: Most software engineers weren't trained for the AI workflow. And that's a bigger problem than people realize. (1 source: [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/getsponge_most-software-engineers-werent-trained-for-activity-7439420992814276608-5eLD))
- 2026-03-11 · Interviews: The legacy workflow is dead. Is your technical interview prep up to date? 🧽🫧 (1 source: [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/getsponge_the-legacy-workflow-is-dead-is-your-technical-activity-7437522559576895490-tNOq))
- 2026-02-17 · Product: Launch YC: Sponge: Financial infrastructure for the agent economy (1 source: [ycombinator.com](https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/PTD-sponge-financial-infrastructure-for-the-agent-economy))
- 2026-01-16 · News: Sponge's Josh Cardoz & Olivia Haywood speak to Forbes about 'The New Workplace Frontier.' (1 source: [spongelearning.com](https://www.spongelearning.com/en/resources/sponges-josh-cardoz-olivia-haywood-speak-to-forbes-about-the-new-workplace-frontier))

## Working on now

- Building financial infrastructure for the AI agent economy.
- Developing agent-specific wallets (Sponge Wallet) for autonomous payments.
- Powering API gateways (Sponge Gateway) for businesses to sell directly to AI agents.
- Supporting payments across Base and Solana networks via stablecoins (USDC).
- Enabling agentic commerce via credit card integrations (Visa, Mastercard, Rain).

From: [For years, AI agents could think, but not transact. Hours ago, Visa and OpenAI announced plans to change that. Their new partnership will allow AI agents to browse merchants, evaluate options, and … | Multimodal Ventures](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/multimodal-ventures_ai-fintech-aiagents-activity-7470852763589951488-Dx28), [Sponge: Financial infrastructure for the agent economy | Y Combinator](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/sponge), [docs.paysponge.com](https://docs.paysponge.com/llms.txt), [Agents are spending real money. | Rain](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rainxyz_agents-are-spending-real-money-rain-issues-activity-7457866148101943298-hquZ)

## Summary

Sponge is a San Francisco-based fintech startup building financial infrastructure for AI agents [1][2][3]. It allows autonomous agents to hold funds, transact, and make payments using bank accounts, cards, and crypto without human intervention, while enabling businesses to sell services directly to those agents [1][4]. It has raised $500,000 in seed funding from Y Combinator [2][3]. Competitors include Allowance, SpotPay, Locus, Agentcard, and broader crypto-financial platforms like BitGo [2][3].

[1]: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/sponge "Sponge: Financial infrastructure for the agent economy | Y Combinator"
[2]: https://aventure.vc/companies/sponge-san-francisco-ca-us "Sponge"
[3]: https://tracxn.com/d/companies/sponge/__-nbkVRTj7gzfAFmgkGOa5uQZVpPbM8sf_vaJI8d7zfQ "Sponge - 2026 Company Profile, Team, Funding & Competitors - Tracxn"
[4]: https://www.startuphub.ai/ai-news/claude's-corner/2026/claudes-corner-sponge-yc-w2026 "Claude's Corner: Sponge, Financial Rails for AI Agents That Spend Money on Their Own | StartupHub.ai"
[5]: https://www.sponge.co/ "Sponge"
[6]: https://linkedin.com/company/sponge-co2 "Sponge"
[7]: https://www.rain.xyz/resources/sponge-is-betting-on-agentic-commerce "Sponge is betting on agentic commerce"
[8]: https://www.645ventures.com/portfolio/sponge "Sponge — 645 Ventures Portfolio"

## Sources

- [Sponge's website](https://sponge.co)
- [For years, AI agents could think, but not transact. Hours ago, Visa and OpenAI announced plans to change that. Their new partnership will allow AI agents to browse merchants, evaluate options, and … | Multimodal Ventures](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/multimodal-ventures_ai-fintech-aiagents-activity-7470852763589951488-Dx28)
- [docs.paysponge.com](https://docs.paysponge.com/llms.txt)
- [Agents are spending real money. | Rain](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rainxyz_agents-are-spending-real-money-rain-issues-activity-7457866148101943298-hquZ)
- [Marek Nowosielski PE FIChemE - Sponge DAC | LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mareksnowosielski)