March Week 2, 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. Litech
Founded: 2021 – Oslo, NO
Founders: Synne Sauar & Ida Marie Thin Pedersen
Elevator Pitch: Litech is on a mission to detect incorrectly sorted batteries in fragmented waste streams, and the negative consequences that follow.
Problem they solve: The improper sorting and disposal of lithium-ion batteries pose significant environmental and safety risks, including toxic leaks and fires within waste management facilities. However, identifying these batteries within fragmented waste streams has remained a considerable challenge due to technological limitations. Litech addresses this issue by introducing a sophisticated sensor that accurately detects lithium-ion batteries, enabling proper sorting and recycling.
Impact: By ensuring the correct identification and sorting of lithium-ion batteries, the technology helps prevent hazardous materials from entering landfills and the natural environment. This contributes to reducing soil and water pollution and minimizes the risk of fires in waste facilities, thereby protecting ecosystems and public health. Additionally, by improving the recycling rate of lithium-ion batteries, Litech supports the recovery of valuable materials, reducing the need for new resources and lowering the carbon footprint associated with battery production.
Stage: Seed.
Interested in Litech?
To learn more about their technology or get in touch, see here.
Industry (chemical and cement)
2. Cascade Biocatalysts
Founded: 2022 – Denver, CO, USA
Founders: James Weltz & Alex Rosay
Elevator Pitch: Cascade Biocatalysts is creating more productive enzymes for economical biomanufacturing of sustainable chemicals. Cascade addresses the growing need for stable, long-lasting biocatalysts using our patent-pending enzyme immobilization platform. By combining nature’s catalyst, enzymes, with state-of-the-art materials, we can create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Join us as we help build the future bioeconomy.
Problem they solve: The biomanufacturing industry faces significant challenges in the production of sustainable chemicals, primarily due to the limitations of current biocatalysts, which include issues with stability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Traditional chemical manufacturing processes often rely on non-renewable resources and can have harmful environmental impacts. Cascade Biocatalysts addresses these challenges head-on by enhancing the natural efficiency of enzymes, making them more robust and suitable for large-scale sustainable chemical production. This innovation allows for more environmentally friendly manufacturing processes that can compete with, and eventually replace, traditional chemical synthesis methods.
Impact: By enabling the production of sustainable chemicals through more efficient and stable biocatalysts, Cascade contributes to reducing reliance on fossil fuels and minimizing toxic byproducts. This shift towards bio-based manufacturing processes aligns with global sustainability goals, promoting a cleaner, greener approach to chemical production.
Stage: Pre-Seed.
Interested in Cascade Biocatalyst?
If you are interested in learning more, see here.
Cross-cutting enablers
3. Openvolt
Founded: 2023 – Remote in UK
Founders: Don O’Leary & Dave Curran
Elevator Pitch: Openvolt is building the API for energy data across Europe. As the world accelerates its efforts to reach Net Zero, energy data is becoming increasingly important to enabling the efficient use of our energy resources. With an initial focus on smart meter data, Openvolt is removing the regulatory, financial and technical hurdles that impede energy innovators from integrating this data into the next generation of energy applications.
Problem they solve: The explosion of smart meter installations worldwide represents a transformation in energy management and consumption. However, the potential of this data is stifled by outdated systems, fragmented access, and inefficient authorization processes, making it difficult for innovators to harness this information for the energy transition. Openvolt addresses this critical gap by providing a streamlined, developer-friendly platform that democratizes access to smart meter data, facilitating the development of applications and systems that can lead to more sustainable energy usage, better grid management, and accelerated electrification across various sectors.
Impact: By enabling access to smart meter data, Openvolt supports the effective planning and management of electrified assets, from rooftop solar panels and heat pumps to electric vehicles, contributing significantly to the reduction of carbon emissions. The platform’s role in facilitating the transition to cleaner, smarter energy usage aligns with the urgent need for decarbonization, particularly in Europe’s building stock.
Stage: Pre-Seed.
Want to learn more about Openvolt?
To learn more about their technology or get in touch see here.
GHG Capture, Use, and Storage
4. InfinaVero
Founded: 2022 – Austin, TX, USA
Founders: Marc Ferguson & Brittany Ferguson
Problem they solve: The production and distribution of conventional fertilizers are highly centralized, leading to significant environmental, economic, and logistical challenges, particularly in energy- and resource-intensive processes. Furthermore, the alarming rise in methane emissions from waste management, agriculture, and fossil fuel industries exacerbates global warming and threatens food security. InfinaVero addresses these intertwined issues by converting methane emissions into eco-friendly, nitrogen-rich fertilizer, thus offering a dual solution: mitigating a potent greenhouse gas while providing an accessible, sustainable alternative to traditional fertilizers. This approach not only helps reduce global methane levels but also decentralizes fertilizer production, making it more accessible to farmers worldwide.
Impact: By converting methane into a valuable resource, they turn a harmful emission into a beneficial agricultural product, thereby promoting carbon-negative farming practices. This innovative process contributes significantly to reducing the agricultural sector’s carbon footprint and supports the transition to more sustainable, regenerative agricultural practices. Furthermore, by offering an alternative to synthetic fertilizers, which are energy-intensive and often lead to soil degradation and water pollution, InfinaVero fosters healthier ecosystems and more resilient food systems, aligning with global efforts to combat climate change and enhance food security.
Stage: Seed.
Interested in InfinaVero?
To learn more about this company, see here.
GHG Capture, Use, and Storage
5. Banyu Carbon
Founded: 2022 – Seattle, WA, USA
Founders: Julian Sachs & Alexander Gagnon
Elevator Pitch: Banyu Carbon is developing a light-driven approach to carbon capture that promises to be cheaper and require less energy than competing technologies.
Problem they solve: The global challenge of removing billions of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere is hampered by existing solutions that are too costly, energy-intensive, and massively under-scaled. Banyu Carbon addresses this gap with an innovative approach that significantly lowers the barriers to large-scale carbon removal. By using the ocean as a natural CO2 collector and employing a light-driven process for carbon extraction, Banyu Carbon offers a solution that is not constrained by the limitations that have plagued traditional carbon capture methods.
Impact: By harnessing the ocean’s natural carbon absorption capabilities and utilizing sunlight for the chemical extraction process, Banyu Carbon minimizes the environmental impact typically associated with carbon capture technologies. Their method offers a scalable way to significantly reduce atmospheric CO2 levels, directly contributing to the mitigation of global warming and climate change effects. Furthermore, by producing a pure stream of CO2, Banyu Carbon facilitates the generation of verifiable carbon credits, encouraging wider adoption of carbon-negative practices across industries and governments.
Stage: Seed.
Interested in Banyu Carbon?
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.
