Indonesian air quality tech firm said to net nearly $3m

Nafas, a provider of air quality management solutions based in Indonesia, is reportedly finalizing a funding round worth nearly US$3 million.

The round includes participation from Rigel Capital and Qatar Development Bank (QDB).

Co-founder Piotr Jakubowski confirmed the news to DailySocial but did not share further details.

The company recently expanded to the Middle East by opening a regional hub in Doha, Qatar.

This move aims to address air quality challenges using its monitoring technology in sectors like offices and educational institutions.

🔗 Source: DailySocial

🧠 Food for thought

A. Air quality technology attracts funding amid global underinvestment

Nafas’s $3 million funding round stands out in a sector that receives disproportionately low investment despite its massive impact on public health.

Global data shows that only 1% of international development funding was allocated to clean air projects between 2018-2022, despite air pollution causing over 8 million deaths annually 1.

This funding gap is particularly pronounced in developing regions, with low-income countries receiving just $2 per person for air quality initiatives compared to $73 per person in upper-middle-income countries 1.

The investment from Rigel Capital and Qatar Development Bank represents significant confidence in Nafas’s approach, especially considering that only 3% of global public climate finance explicitly targets air quality improvements 1.

Nafas’s ability to secure funding demonstrates the growing recognition of air quality technology as an investable sector, contrasting with the historical pattern where air quality receives minimal attention in climate financing despite its direct health impacts.

B. Strategic expansion to Middle East follows funding patterns and market gaps

Nafas’s establishment of a regional hub in Doha, Qatar aligns with strategic funding flows and addresses a regional monitoring deficit.

The Middle East and Africa together received only $1.5 billion in clean air funding from 2018-2022, significantly less than the $4.7 billion allocated to the Philippines alone during the same period 1.