Heirloom: Streamlining a $50M Grant Audit with Alcove

Heirloom needed to translate their operational data to a custom list of specific performance-based grant requirements. They had a plethora of data that they needed to communicate effectively at scale for mission-critical projects, such as an 8-figure funding opportunity.

That’s when the Heirloom team reached out to Alcove. Alcove transformed their high-quality removal data into a clear, contextualized audit package – cutting their audit timeline from weeks to hours, enabling Heirloom to meet a tight deadline for a grant application. 

“Alcove simplified Heirloom’s grant submission, which would have otherwise required additional resources, tools, and people working on other pressing initiatives at Heirloom,” - Alexandra Hasbani, Lead Product Manager, MRV

About Heirloom

Heirloom is a global leader in direct air capture (DAC) technology, pioneering a scalable, low-cost approach to carbon dioxide removal (CDR). In 2022, they launched the country’s first DAC facility that captures and stores CO2, and their credits have been purchased by major CDR buyers like Microsoft, JP Morgan, and Meta. 

However, even market leaders face challenges in translating huge amounts of raw operational and lab data into a structured, transparent model for compliance and verification. 

“Speed and integrity in credit issuance aren’t just nice to haves — they’re non-negotiable for scaling durable carbon removal. Heirloom captures millions of data points monthly through a precise and measurable process.  Alcove delivered by turning a high-volume, steady stream of data into a transparent carbon accounting system that verifiers could trace from real-world operations to credit issuance with confidence.”

The Challenge 

A solid, but complex data foundation

Heirloom’s carbon accounting process relied on discrete tools. Linking high-volume operational data with supporting materials, like invoices, images, or PDFs, was a time-consuming and manual process. This made it hard to present a clear, traceable data story to external reviewers.

Compiling Data Took Weeks

One of the most time-consuming tasks was compiling and explaining their carbon accounting in a way that made sense outside their internal systems. Their team had to manually sift through datasets, organize evidence, and create audit-ready packages from scratch. This process could take weeks.

The biggest risk: Transparency gaps. Without a way to contextually link evidence to specific activities or emissions, verification could be slow, confusing, and laborious.

As Heirloom scaled operations and entered the final stages of the grant, it needed a better way to balance data management against mission-critical commercial outcomes. The cost of delays or miscommunication in verification wasn’t just operational, but it could also impact credibility, credit issuance timelines, and market trust.

The Solution 

To meet the demands of third-party verification and prepare for its final grant audit, Heirloom adopted Alcove’s Developer Cloud. This gave them a single system to manage, structure, and present their carbon removal data.

Alcove served as the unified system connecting Heirloom’s raw data to a verifier-ready output. The Developer Cloud platform:

• Centralized operational data 
• Modeled LCA outputs 
• Ensured documentation was organized, traceable, and understandable
• Connected source data to specific project activities and emissions impacts

On Platform Auditing

Beyond building a high-integrity data package for the grant, the final audit was completed directly on the Developer Cloud platform. Features like inline verifier comments, plain-English model logic, and missing data alerts streamlined the audit process and reduced back-and-forth.

Alcove’s interface also made it easy to analyze specific data points while maintaining a clear view of the full process. This was key for quickly addressing verifier feedback and iterating on the submission.

For Heirloom, Alcove wasn’t just a data platform. It replaced hours of manual work, made verification faster and more accurate, and gave the team confidence that their data could scale with them.

The Results 

Adopting Alcove delivered measurable improvements across Heirloom’s MRV and verification processes.

• Audit preparation time was reduced from weeks to hours. Tasks that once required intensive manual work—like compiling datasets, linking evidence, and explaining methodology—were streamlined into a single, organized workflow.
  
  
• Anomalies were detected early. Alcove flagged an irregularity in Heirloom’s energy use data that would have required manual review under their previous system. This allowed the team to investigate and resolve the issue much faster —improving both data accuracy and confidence.
  
  
• Manual workload dropped by 80%. Their operational MRV lead, who previously spent nearly all their time on compliance tasks, now spends just 20% of their time on reporting—freeing up bandwidth for higher-impact work.
  
  
• On-platform auditing simplified the process. During the application process, Alcove enabled a third-party verifier to review all data directly on the platform. This made it easier to respond to questions and iterate in real time.
  
  
• Software development overhead avoided. Without Alcove, Heirloom would have needed a dedicated team of engineers and MRV specialists to build a system capable of delivering the grant submission requirements

In short, Alcove became the solution for Heirloom to move faster, work smarter, and verify confidently without adding headcount or complexity.

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