Carbon Happy World and its Carbon Data Foundation has been named a finalist in the Innovation Challenge 2025, spotlighting its groundbreaking AI-powered platform designed to unify carbon emissions data across public and private sectors.
Inviting some of the best minds from near and afar, the challenge tasked entrants with presenting real world solutions for the FinTech, Cleantech, and Data & AI sectors.
Gary Alden, the company’s founder, was inspired during the COVID pandemic to question how organisations verify claims of achieving Net Zero.
“With time on his hands, he began to ask himself questions about claims he had seen being made by companies of achieving Net Zero and Carbon Neutrality,” the team shared.
This led to the creation of a workable carbon accounting product by summer 2022.
Why The Isle of Man?
The Carbon Data Foundation leverages the Isle of Man’s unique Data Asset Foundation model, which enables secure and ethical data sharing.
“A key opportunity we identified was the Island’s Data Asset Foundation model,” the team explained. “It creates the conditions for collaboration, transparency, and shared purpose.”
The platform aims to address fragmented carbon reporting by centralising data and using AI to detect trends and recommend actions.
Brendon Kenny, Project Lead, emphasised the transformative potential: “We are not just building a reporting tool. We are creating a learning system that improves over time.”
The team includes Gary Alden as Technical Lead, Martin Thornton handling communications, and Jennie Thompson as Project Manager, combining expertise to deliver a scalable solution.
Notable milestones include partnerships with IBM and King’s College, as well as pioneering carbon footprint calculations for sports teams like the Desert Vipers cricket team.
“We have carbon calculated the first Cricket team in the world to publicly announce their carbon footprint,” the team noted.
Looking ahead, the Carbon Data Foundation plans to develop a prototype and expand collaborations. “Our long-term goal is to position the Isle of Man as a leader in data-enabled sustainability,” they said.
The Innovation Challenge offers a launchpad for the project, with hopes to attract further partnerships and funding.
As the team put it: “It is more than a competition. It is a launchpad for lasting impact.”
In association with Digital Isle of Man
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You can read more about the finalists and the challenge here.
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