April Week 4, 2024: In this weekly series, we highlight 5 climate tech startups to watch by featuring the incredible startups, companies, or projects that are leading the fight against the climate crisis.
Each month, we add these startups to our running list, which we have categorized based on fuel emission sector data from the most detailed, recent data SBC could identify from the World Resource Institute in 2016.
This initiative from Startup Basecamp aims to support founders by giving them access to networking and exposure opportunities that help them to scale and finance their climate tech solutions.
Do not hesitate to join our collective movement by requesting your membership.
With care,
Guillaume and the SBC TEAM
Waste (water & landfills)
1. Ziptility
Founded: 2018 – Bloomington, IN, USA
Founder: Tyler Henke
Elevator Pitch: Ziptility helps busy water and wastewater teams protect, maintain, and improve their utility infrastructure with uncomplicated software that’s built just for them.
Problem they solve: Water and wastewater utilities, particularly smaller teams, often struggle with the complexity and high costs associated with traditional management software. These challenges can hinder their ability to effectively oversee and improve their infrastructure, leading to increased risks and inefficiencies. Ziptility addresses this gap by providing a tailored, easy-to-implement solution that meets the specific needs of small utility teams, enabling them to manage their operations more effectively without the overhead and complexity of more cumbersome systems.
Impact: By improving the efficiency and effectiveness of water and wastewater utilities, the software helps prevent leaks and reduce waste, which are crucial for conserving water resources and protecting natural ecosystems.
Stage: Seed.
Interested in Ziptility?
To learn more about their technology or get in touch, see here.
Waste (water & landfills)
2. Bloom Labs
Founded: 2023 – New York, NY, USA
Founder: Simardev Gutali
Elevator Pitch: Accelerating the world’s transition to a circular economy, by developing next-gen alternatives to fibers and plastics. Bloom Labs is pioneering breakthrough in material science by harnessing the value of natural waste by-products, a protein-rich and globally abundant raw material, to create high-performance alternatives to textile and plastic materials.
Problem they solve: Two thirds of global fibre production are now synthetic fabrics. Polyester alone has been the most widely produced fibre since the mid-1990s. The problem is these fabrics are fossil fuel-based, shed microplastics, and will never biodegrade. During their short lives, synthetic garments shed non-biodegradable microplastics when washed, making them the largest source of microplastic pollution in the world’s oceans. Finally, synthetics and polyblend garments will never biodegrade. These imperishable pieces compile in landfills, often in the Global South, or are incinerated, releasing toxic chemicals.
Impact: By converting natural waste into high-performance fibers and plastics, they help preserve biodiversity, reduce pollution, and decrease the overall carbon footprint of the materials industry. This shift to bio-based materials supports the transition to a circular economy, where materials are continuously reused and recycled, minimizing waste and resource depletion
Stage: Seed.
Interested in Bloom Labs?
If you are interested in learning more, see here.
GHG Capture, Use, and Storage
3. Emvolon
Founded: 2021 – Woburn, MA, USA
Leadership: Emmanuel Kasseris & Leslie Bromberg
Elevator Pitch: Emvolon, an MIT spin-off, is propelling industries toward a zero-carbon future by transforming methane, CO2 emissions, and waste into valuable carbon-negative fuels and green chemicals such as methanol and ammonia. Utilizing patented technology that repurposes automotive engines for chemical processing, Emvolon offers an innovative solution that captures and converts onsite greenhouse gases into easily transportable, green liquid fuels.
Problem they solve: Industries such as maritime and aviation struggle to find sustainable fuel solutions that meet the energy density and transportability requirements necessary for their operations. Additionally, significant methane emissions from various sectors contribute substantially to global greenhouse gases, yet capturing and utilizing this methane cost-effectively remains a challenge due to the lack of infrastructure. Emvolon addresses these issues with a groundbreaking approach that converts methane directly at the source into green chemicals and fuels, eliminating the need for extensive pipeline systems and reducing the environmental impact of these emissions.
Impact: By converting this methane into green methanol and ammonia, Emvolon not only prevents it from entering the atmosphere but also provides sustainable fuel alternatives that can help decarbonize sectors traditionally dependent on fossil fuels. This dual benefit enhances both environmental protection and industry compliance with decarbonization mandates, contributing to a more sustainable and economically viable green energy landscape.
Stage: Seed.
Want to learn more about Emvolon?
To learn more about their technology or get in touch see here.
Cross-cutting enablers
4. Recoolit
Founded: 2023 – Jakarta, IDN
Founders: Louis Potok & Ning Jeng
Problem they solve: Refrigerants, essential for modern air conditioning and refrigeration, are incredibly damaging to the environment due to their high global warming potential. Despite being critical for comfort and safety in a warming world, conventional refrigerant management practices lead to significant emissions. Recoolit addresses this challenge by revolutionizing refrigerant lifecycle management, ensuring that these gases are responsibly handled from recovery to reuse, thus preventing their release into the atmosphere.
Impact: By effectively capturing and recycling refrigerants, Recoolit prevents millions of tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions annually, directly addressing a major source of global warming. The platform’s transparent tracking system ensures accountability and promotes trust in their carbon credits, while their comprehensive management system facilitates a transition to a sustainable cooling industry.
Stage: Seed.
Interested in Recoolit?
To learn more about this company, see here.
GHG Capture, Use, and Storage
5. Caidio
Founded: 2018 – Espoo, FI
Founders: Aku Wilenius & Pasi Karppinen
Elevator Pitch: Caidio is revolutionizing the concrete industry by leveraging data-driven technology to reduce costs, lower CO2 emissions, and enhance the quality of concrete production. As the world’s most used construction material, concrete plays a significant role in urbanization but also contributes to environmental challenges, accounting for 8% of global CO2 emissions and 10% of industrial water use. Caidio’s innovative solutions assist producers in navigating these issues by optimizing production processes and material usage, thus driving the industry towards a more sustainable and efficient future.
Problem they solve: The concrete industry is under increasing scrutiny due to its substantial environmental impact, including significant contributions to global CO2 emissions and water consumption. Furthermore, as global demand for building materials surges, the pressure to maintain quality while reducing the environmental footprint is intensifying. Caidio addresses these challenges by providing technology that enhances the efficiency of concrete production, reduces emissions, and improves product quality, especially in high-volume markets where resources are strained and quality often suffers.
Impact: By improving the sustainability of concrete production, Caidio helps to significantly cut global CO2 emissions associated with one of the most common building materials. Additionally, by optimizing the use of materials and reducing waste, Caidio not only lessens water consumption and greenhouse gas output but also supports the broader shift towards sustainable construction practices.
Stage: Seed.
Interested in Caidio?
If you are interested in learning more, see here.
Do you know of other startups we should include in our Startups to Watch Series? Submit to our list!
How do these startups fit in with all the others we have looked at?
Check out our running list of the 400+ climate tech startups to watch we have featured.
