About

Our Mission

CarbonFarm is on a mission to decarbonise rice growing through transparent incentives for farmers. For farmers and agribusinesses, we make access to carbon markets easy by providing end-to-end support. We handle project design, MRV—through our proprietary satellite technology—, certification management with carbon registries, and credit sales. For corporations, we offer registry-certified, satellite-verified credits to offset emissions.

With CarbonFarm, profitability and sustainability unite, shaping a greener future for agriculture and our planet.

Our Team

Our diverse, multi-disciplinary team brings together people from over 12 countries—all with an interest in improving sustainability and tackling climate change.

Vassily Carantino

Chief Executive Officer

Vassily combines expertise in climate change with a cultivated intuition for data-driven problem solving. Prior to entrepreneurship, Vassily was a McKinsey consultant, specialised in sustainability and carbon markets. Prior to that, Vassily was a PM at Amazon, and data scientist at a FinTech. An engineer by training, Vassily is a graduate of Columbia Business School. On the side, Vassily is a volunteer sailing instructor and plays two instruments.

James Hastwell

Chief Technology Officer

James is a data product leader whose expertise lies in leveraging big data and scientific research to build innovative products. Prior to entrepreneurship, James was the Head of Data Science in AdTech, where he led a team of 15 engineers. Dux of his engineering faculty at the University of Western Australia, he also holds a Masters from Ecole Polytechnique. On the side, James is an avid climber and surfer.

Devon Long

VP, Commercial

Based in Sydney, Australia, Devon is an experienced go-to-market leader in digital products and services for sustainable agriculture. Her career has focused on one of the key questions of our time: How do we feed a growing population while reducing our impact on nature? With experience across diverse agricultural supply chains, Devon brings deep expertise in MRV technologies, with a strong focus for the rice sector.

Aparna Raturi

Chief of Staff

Aparna is an experienced lawyer with varied experience in dealing with international stakeholders especially in climate change regulation and sustainable finance. She holds an MBA from HEC Paris and dual degrees in Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from NLIU, India. Beyond her professional expertise, Aparna is driven by a personal commitment to sustainability, especially supporting smallholders in emerging economies. She is also a trained Indian classical dancer and avid traveller.

Russ Cullinane

VP, Carbon Projects

Russ has over 28 years of experience working on global international sustainable development and emission reduction projects while being based in the Asia-Pacific region. Thematically, he has worked on the following topics: Climate Change, Carbon/Climate Finance, Sustainable/Regenerative Agriculture, Secure Livelihoods, and Community Based Natural Resource Management. Russ has a degree in agriculture from the University of Guelph, Canada. In his spare time, he enjoys morning walks and watching sports.

Dr. Hoa Phan

Lead Scientist

Dr Hoa Phan has nearly 10 years of research experience on remote sensing applications for rice (PhD and post-doctorate). Hoa is a specialist in scientific research for environmental applications with an emphasis on SAR (synthetic aperture radar) technology for rice agriculture monitoring to enhance crop production and other applications in food security and global environment.

Tim Chapman

Chief Data Architect

With an academic background in Applied Mathematics, Physics and Electronic Engineering, Tim loves to apply the scientific method using software. After spending much of his career working as a data scientist, data engineer and cloud infrastructure engineer at leading ad tech companies, he has deep familiarity with modern data-driven solutions architecture. At CarbonFarm, he leverages this experience to maximise the value of our rich satellite and field-based data sources. In his spare time, Tim is an avid board gamer, water polo player and reader of science fiction.

Apsara Doutrelant

Product Marketing Manager

Apsara is a carbon markets expert with a solid background in policy and economics. Driven by a strong commitment to climate action, she previously supported carbon project development and carbon credit sales at South Pole. Apsara is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris and the London School of Economics. Outside of work, she enjoys arts and crafts, cooking and travelling.

Mentari Suharto

Grants & Administration Specialist

Mentari is a chemistry graduate from Universitas Gadjah Mada and has spent the past 4 years working for various NGOs around Indonesia as a project manager focusing on public health, plastic pollution, and sustainable landscapes. Her passion lies in science communication, and aims to utilise her skills in writing and research to engage with communities and exchange knowledge. Outside of work, Mentari spends her time watching Formula 1 and reading Richard Feynman books.

Sabitra Pokhrel

Operations Manager

Sabitra, an Agriculture and Food Process Engineer from IIT Kharagpur, brings expertise in GHG quantification and regenerative agriculture. At CarbonFarm, she leads ground operations, designing technology-enabled processes and field protocols to ensure robust data collection, advancing scalable climate-smart agriculture while maintaining scientific rigour and practical impact.

Ammu Nair

Customer Success Manager

Ammu is a development professional with experience across climate action and regenerative agriculture. She holds an MSc in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford and an Integrated MA in Development Studies from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Prior to joining CarbonFarm, Ammu was a Senior Program Consultant at Dalberg Advisors, where she supported clients including Mars Inc. on sustainable mint supply chains, partnership strategy, and fundraising. She has also worked closely with tribal farmers in India’s Araku valley on sustainable coffee cultivation and managed one of India’s largest reforestation efforts. Outside of work, Ammu is an avid amateur gardener and enjoys travelling and reading.

Theresa Hopkins

Carbon Project Specialist

Theresa has spent the past several years working in carbon project development in Southeast Asia, focusing on both nature-based and biochar initiatives. She studied politics and economics at the University of British Columbia and is currently pursuing a Master of Environmental Management at the National University of Singapore. At CarbonFarm, she supports the carbon asset development team in bringing new projects to implementation. Outside of work, she enjoys travelling, reading, scuba diving, and playing padel.

Daria-Maria Preda

Software Engineer

Daria has a diverse background in computer engineering, specialising in smart technologies and satellite data analysis. She holds a MSc. in Computer Science from Politecnico di Milano, Italy, where she focused on the application of machine learning in projects such as detecting flooding from satellite images and predicting grape quality. She has previously contributed to the development of two educational cubesats in Romania and Italy. Daria actively volunteers at a scout center for students. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring flea markets, hiking, and analog photography.

Dr. Simone Marullo

AI Engineer

Dr. Simone, a PhD graduate from the University of Florence, specialises in computer vision and continual learning. With a background in software engineering, including both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in the field, he combines academic expertise with practical experience. Passionate about technology transfer and impactful AI applications, he is particularly dedicated to leveraging AI for climate-related initiatives.

Laurène Pascal

Machine Learning Engineer

Laurène specialises in implementing tools and machine learning models to process satellite imagery. Her previous experiences also include using machine learning tools for the detection of quality anomalies in water. She holds an engineering degree from Ecole Polytechnique as well as a master's degree in data sciences from the Polytechnique Institute of Paris.

Simon Liétar

Machine Learning Engineer

Simon is completing his master's degree in machine learning from PSL university. Before that, he studied bioengineering at EPFL and then spent two years working on biology problems using machine learning and more broadly computer science. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, skiing, playing the piano and learning about random topics such as colour management or linguistics.

George Moon

Full Stack Developer

George has a multi-disciplinary background, covering web development, geospatial analysis and project management, as well as studies in environmental policy and science. He has a Master in Environmental Policy from Sciences Po (Paris) and BA(Hons) & BSc in Geography from the University of Canterbury (New Zealand). He has previously worked as a developer and project manager, including a stint developing bird biodiversity databases for New Zealand’s Department of Conservation. George continues to volunteer his time to help bird conservation, and when he’s not doing that he can be found hiking, running, learning languages, playing musical instruments or drawing.

Nina Kahr

Full Stack Developer

Nina is a developer with experience across diverse frontend and backend projects, most recently working on cloud-based developer tools. She pivoted into software after completing her BSc in Geophysics at the University of Edinburgh and holds an MSc in Advanced Computational Science from Imperial College London.

Alexandros Peponis

Full Stack Developer

Alexandros holds a Master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Patras (Greece), where he focused on advanced digital technologies and intelligent, data-driven systems. His experience spans full-stack development and IoT projects, particularly in environmental monitoring and forest-protection applications. In his free time, he enjoys playing the drums and reading about history and world politics.

Anddrew Richmond Thezo

Marketing and Communications Specialist

Anddrew is a Business Management graduate from Indonesia with over two years of experience in marketing and communications across the private sector and international organisations. His work spans project management, product marketing, and strategic communications. He is driven by a strong interest in communication and sustainability, aiming to align both in his professional contributions. Outside of work, Anddrew volunteers as a mentor and enjoys travelling and attending cultural events.

Our Backers

Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES)