December Week 2, 2023: 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. Empower
Founded: 2018 – Oslo, NO
Founders: Wilhelm Myrer, Carl Nesset and Gjermund Bjaanes
Elevator Pitch: A Digital platform that incentivises transparent and traceable collection, sourcing & recycling of plastic waste globally.
Problem they solve: The challenge of plastic waste management is twofold: ensuring efficient collection and recycling, and maintaining transparency in the lifecycle of plastic products. Traditional approaches often lack traceability and efficiency, leading to environmental degradation and a disconnect between consumers and the origins of products. Empower addresses these issues by providing a digital solution that not only streamlines the collection and recycling process but also offers unparalleled transparency into the journey of recyclable materials, from source to product.
Impact: By facilitating the collection and recycling of plastic waste, they contribute to reducing environmental pollution and preserving natural ecosystems. Their emphasis on traceability and transparency encourages responsible consumption patterns and enables brands to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. Furthermore, Empower’s technology promotes a circular economy by ensuring that plastic materials are recycled and reused, reducing the demand for new plastics and lowering the overall carbon footprint associated with plastic production and disposal.
Stage: Seed.
Interested in Empower?
To learn more about their technology or get in touch, see here.
Cross-cutting enablers
2. Abundant Earth
Founded: 2023 – Paris, FR
Founders: Martin de Stoppani, Luc Bettaieb and Elena Bunel
Elevator Pitch: They combine cutting edge science with satellite and on-ground data to help companies identify and invest in biodiversity-positive projects.
Problem they solve: The challenge in biodiversity conservation is not just in securing investments but ensuring that these investments are effective and ecologically beneficial. There’s a critical need for accurate assessment and ongoing monitoring of biodiversity impacts. Abundant Earth addresses this by providing precise, data-backed insights into the ecological value of land and the real-time impact of investments. Their technology empowers companies to make informed decisions, ensuring that their financial commitments yield tangible benefits for nature.
Impact: By providing robust data and monitoring services, they enable more effective and transparent conservation efforts. This not only helps protect and sustain natural ecosystems but also improves them, benefiting biodiversity and the wider environment.
Stage: Pre-seed.
Interested in Abundant Earth?
If you are interested in learning more, see here.
Energy use in Transport
3. Geyser Batteries
Founded: 2018 – Helsinki, FI
Founder: Andrey Shigaev
Elevator Pitch: Geyser Batteries offers sustainable high-power heavy-duty energy storage solutions based on novel proprietary water-based electrolyte and unique engineering and manufacturing know-how.
Problem they solve: The traditional battery industry often struggles with issues related to environmental impact, safety risks, and complex recycling processes. Geyser Batteries meets this challenge with their patented technology, offering a sustainable, high-power solution for heavy-duty applications that minimizes environmental impact and maximizes safety and recyclability.
Impact: Geyser Batteries’ technology marks a significant step forward in reducing the environmental footprint of energy storage systems. Their water-based electrolyte and absence of harmful materials like Nickel and Cobalt make their batteries much more eco-friendly compared to traditional options.
Stage: Series A.
Want to learn more about Geyser Batteries?
To learn more about their technology or get in touch see here.
GHG Capture, Use, and Storage
4. Nekton Labs
Founded: 2022 – San Francisco, CA, USA
Founders: Patrick Schnettler, Margaret Deal and Ryan Searcy
Problem they solve: Current marine carbon dioxide removal efforts lack sufficient monitoring, reporting, and verification, leading to questions about their efficacy and impact. Neckton Labs addresses this gap with their MRV platform, enhancing the transparency and accountability of mCDR projects.
Impact: By improving the management and verification of mCDR projects, they are enhancing the ocean’s capacity to act as a natural carbon sink. This not only helps in reducing atmospheric CO2 levels but also aids in the regeneration of marine ecosystems. The ecological insights provided by their platform foster a deeper understanding of the ocean’s health, leading to more informed and impactful conservation strategies.
Stage: Pre-seed.
Interested in Nekton Labs?
To learn more about this company, see here.
Energy use in Industry and Buildings
5. Flock Energy
Founded: 2023 – London, UK
Founders: Matt Reizenstein and Ankur Sharma
Elevator Pitch: Flock Energy uses first-of-a-kind machine learning models, APIs, and low-cost hardware to provide a simple, affordable, scalable platform to improve energy efficiency, cut cost, and reduce emissions for SMEs, and, simultaneously, provide more robust demand-side response for grid balancing.
Problem they solve: Industrial SMEs are caught in a bind with high energy costs and pressure to reduce emissions, yet they often lack the capital and expertise for effective energy management. Traditional energy management systems don’t cater to their needs, and solutions like smart meters are not comprehensive fixes. Additionally, electric utilities face challenges in balancing the grid during the transition to renewable energy sources. Flock Energy addresses these challenges by providing a platform that is tailor-made for SMEs’ energy management needs while also offering robust demand-side response solutions to assist grid balancing efforts.
Impact: By helping SMEs to efficiently manage and reduce their energy consumption and emissions, Flock Energy is directly contributing to the reduction of the industrial sector’s environmental footprint. Furthermore, by enhancing demand-side response capabilities for grid balancing, their technology supports the integration of renewable energy sources, crucial for a sustainable energy future.
Stage: Pre-Seed.
Interested in Flock Energy?
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.
