Can cloud seeding fight drought? Startup Rainmaker just raised $100 million to find out

Rainmaker, the weather modification startup focused on generating rain and snow through cloud seeding, announced today that it has raised $100 million in Series B funding. Investors including NOA VC, Upfront Ventures, DCVC, Lowercarbon Capital, and Dream Ventures participated in the round. Rainmaker declined to share an updated valuation as part of the news. Prior to this round, the company had raised $50.3 million in venture backing. Founded in 2023 (and dubbed “the hardest startup in America” by Fast Company), Rainmaker has developed a fleet of custom drones that can withstand harsh conditions in order to “seed” precipitation. During flights, the drones release silver iodide, an ice-attracting particle, into clouds with promising conditions. The silver iodide serves as a catalyst, helping turn the cloud’s water droplets or ice crystals into precipitation. In recent months, the company says, it has made significant progress toward demonstrating the effectiveness of its seeding programs. Rainmaker says that it has data tying its flights to 145 million incremental gallons of freshwater: Its drones fly in programmed patterns, allowing researchers to distinguish their precipitation f…