Woodchuck Secures Growth Investment to Accelerate AI-Powered Construction Waste Diversion

Michigan Rise investment supports national expansion of Woodchuck’s AI sorting technology, smart containers, and renewable biomass processing

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Woodchuck, the AI-powered climate-tech startup redefining how construction and manufacturing industries handle wood waste, today announced that Michigan Rise, a venture investment subsidiary of the MSU Research Foundation, has made a growth-round investment to accelerate Woodchuck’s expansion across the United States. The investment underscores the company’s rapid traction with top contractors and its role in reshaping how the construction industry manages waste, cuts costs, and measures carbon impact.

Woodchuck has already diverted more than 13,000 tons of wood waste from landfills, saved contractors 30–40% on waste-hauling costs, and delivered clean biomass energy to regional power producers. The company’s AI-enabled smart containers, contamination-prevention tools, and processing sites are now deployed with leading contractors, including Walbridge, Barton Malow, Ford, Amazon, and major data-center builders.

Calvin VanderWal, a venture associate at the MSU Research Foundation, said the team was drawn to Woodchuck because it is solving one of the largest, most overlooked materials problems in the climate sector: construction waste at scale.

“What impressed us is how quickly Woodchuck is executing on an idea that reframes construction waste,” said VanderWal. “Todd and his team are moving with urgency, and their model is already being shaped by feedback from multiple flagship partners. They’ve paired that momentum with strong co-investors and a deliberate decision to put down roots in Grand Rapids. It’s a compelling combination that positions them to scale a new standard for how waste can be managed and monetized.”

Funding accelerates national expansion and deployment of new AI technologies

The new investment comes at a pivotal moment for Woodchuck, as contractors across the U.S. face rising landfill fees, stricter diversion mandates, and growing demand for transparent carbon reporting—especially on large industrial, infrastructure, and hyperscale data-center projects. With AI-enabled diversion rapidly shifting from “nice to have” to operational necessity, the funding gives Woodchuck the ability to scale its platform to meet surging demand from both builders and energy partners.

The new investment will enable Woodchuck to:

• Expand from the Great Lakes region into major national markets—including fast-growing hubs for EV battery manufacturing, semiconductor fabrication, and data-center construction—ensuring contractors in these regions can deploy waste automation, on-site processing, and renewable biomass at scale.
• Accelerate development and deployment of Woodchuck’s AI image-recognition and contamination-prevention systems, which have already proven capable of increasing diversion rates from below 30% to above 95%. These systems identify unusable materials before they enter the waste stream, improving processing efficiency and drastically reducing rework, contamination penalties, and landfill dependency.
• Build additional on-site processing hubs for large multidimensional job sites, allowing contractors to convert wood waste into consistent, energy-ready biomass directly at or near the project location. This reduces fuel consumption, hauling frequency, site congestion, and overall project emissions.
• Strengthen renewable biomass supply chains for utilities and industrial energy users seeking reliable, carbon-accounted feedstock, helping regional clean energy producers replace fossil alternatives while benefiting from Woodchuck’s standardized BTU and CO₂e measurement systems.
• Enhance Woodchuck’s real-time reporting and analytics capabilities, giving contractors and developers instant visibility into diversion progress, contamination events, and carbon impact—features essential for meeting LEED, corporate ESG, federal contracting, and client sustainability requirements.

Woodchuck CEO Todd Thomas said the Michigan Rise investment and affiliation with the MSU Research Foundation will accelerate the company’s mission to redefine construction waste as a valuable resource.

“This funding allows us to scale exactly where the market is demanding it most,” said Thomas. “Contractors are under pressure to cut costs, hit diversion targets, and report carbon impact with accuracy. Our AI solves those problems right on the job site, not in some distant facility. The Michigan Rise venture investment team immediately understood that Woodchuck is not just a waste solution—we’re a competitive advantage for builders.”

Thomas added that Woodchuck’s growth is being propelled by the explosion of data-center and industrial megaprojects, all of which now face aggressive sustainability mandates.

“We’re entering a moment where every major contractor is rethinking how they handle materials,” he said. “AI-driven diversion will become standard across the industry—and support from the MSU Research Foundation venture team is helping us get there faster.”

A new model for construction waste and renewable energy

Woodchuck’s platform transforms wood debris from construction activity into clean biomass energy, providing measurable BTUs, carbon avoided, and diversion impact back to clients. The company’s software and automated reporting tools give contractors real-time visibility into contamination, loads, and sustainability metrics—capabilities previously unavailable in the industry.

“We think Woodchuck represents the future of job-site operations,” added VanderWal. “It’s rare to find a company that is simultaneously reducing emissions, lowering costs, and building critical renewable-energy infrastructure.”

About Woodchuck

Woodchuck is a climate impact start-up dedicated to empowering contractors, manufacturers, and biomass energy producers by streamlining wood waste diversion and processing. We are committed to leveraging advanced AI technologies to transform waste into valuable resources, reduce landfill usage, and provide a steady, sustainable supply of biomass. Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Woodchuck is funded by an investor syndicate led by Mason Fink, Beckett Industries, NorthStar Clean Energy and Alloy Partners. For more information, visit https://woodchuck.ai/.

About the MSU Research Foundation

The MSU Research Foundation supports the Michigan State University ecosystem with resources that increase the impact of research and innovation. The Foundation achieves its mission through grant programs that contribute over $15 million annually to the University, entrepreneurial programming and early-stage investments that accelerate technology transfer and startup growth throughout Michigan, and environments where startup businesses and collaborators can thrive. The Foundation’s work is made possible through its stewardship of a flexible and sustainable endowment, nourished by over 50 years of licensing revenues and investment returns. Learn more about the MSU Research Foundation and its impact at msufoundation.org.