May Week 1, 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.
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With care,
Guillaume and the SBC TEAM
Cross-cutting enablers
1. Klim
Founded: 2020 – Berlin, DE
Founders: Robert Gerlach, Nina Mannheimer & Adiv Maimon
Elevator Pitch: Klim is creating a joint movement with farmers, businesses and consumers to scale regenerative agriculture as quickly as possible, in order to sustainably reduce CO₂ emissions, improve soil health and biodiversity, and thus make an important contribution to climate protection while safeguarding yields.
Problem they solve: Traditional agriculture often depletes soil health, reduces biodiversity, and contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, which poses a threat to food security and ecological balance. Klim addresses these challenges by championing regenerative agriculture, a method that restores soil health, conserves water, and sequesters carbon. By collaborating with farmers and aligning interests across the supply chain, Klim ensures that regenerative practices are not only adopted but are also economically viable and sustainable in the long term.
Impact: By advancing regenerative agriculture, Klim helps sequester carbon in the soil, effectively reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and combating climate change. Improved soil health leads to better water retention and resilience against droughts and flooding, enhancing agricultural productivity naturally without reliance on chemical inputs. Furthermore, promoting biodiversity through these practices supports healthier ecosystems and wildlife habitats.
Stage: Series A.
Interested in Klim?
To learn more about their technology or get in touch, see here.
GHG Capture, Use, and Storage
2. Queens Carbon
Founded: 2021 – Pine Brook, NJ, USA
Founders: Daniel Kopp & Dave Gersholowitz
Elevator Pitch: Queens Carbon is revolutionizing the cement and chemical industries with its cutting-edge hydrothermal processing technology. By significantly lowering the energy required for carbon capture and the production of carbon-neutral cement, Queens Carbon addresses critical environmental challenges head-on. Their patented technology reduces the processing temperatures for carbonate minerals from over 1800°F to less than 1000°F, allowing for the integration of renewable energy sources and drastically cutting costs and energy consumption.
Problem they solve: The production of cement and other large-volume chemical products is one of the largest sources of CO2 emissions globally, primarily due to the high energy requirements of the calcination process. Existing methods for capturing and processing carbon in these industries are energy-intensive and costly, limiting their adoption and effectiveness. Queens Carbon’s hydrothermal technology addresses these issues by dramatically reducing the temperature needed for these processes, thus lowering energy consumption, operational costs, and ultimately the carbon footprint associated with these industrial activities.
Impact: By making carbon capture and the production of carbon-neutral cement commercially viable, Queens Carbon not only helps industries reduce their environmental impact but also contributes to the broader goal of climate change mitigation.
Stage: Seed.
Interested in Queens Carbon?
If you are interested in learning more, see here.
Cross-cutting enablers
3. Sylvarum
Founded: 2021 – Yerba Buena, ARG
Founders: Guadalupe Murga & Manuel Sobrino
Elevator Pitch: Intercepting electrostimulation tech with AI to control the metabolism of plants in order to improve crop yields.
Problem they solve: Traditional agricultural methods often struggle to keep pace with the growing global demand for food, constrained by limitations in crop yield and the increasing challenges posed by climate change. Additionally, most agricultural enhancements rely on chemical inputs, which can have detrimental environmental effects. Sylvarum addresses these challenges by using electrostimulation combined with AI to naturally enhance the metabolic processes of plants, leading to higher yields without the need for chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
Impact: By optimizing plant growth and productivity through natural processes, Sylvarum not only helps conserve natural resources but also supports sustainable farming practices that are crucial for long-term ecological balance.
Stage: Seed.
Want to learn more about Sylvarum?
To learn more about their technology or get in touch see here.
Cross-cutting enablers
4. Kenoteq
Founded: 2015 – Edinburgh, UK
Founders: Dr. Samuel Chapman & Gabriela Medero
Problem they solve: The construction industry is a significant contributor to landfill waste and carbon emissions, with a substantial portion of global landfill waste coming from construction and demolition. Traditional building materials also fall short in meeting the increasing demands for sustainability as outlined by net-zero carbon targets. Kenoteq addresses these issues by providing a sustainable alternative that not only utilizes waste materials but also significantly reduces the carbon footprint of building materials through their innovative production process.
Impact: By converting construction and demolition waste into valuable building materials, Kenoteq helps reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills and lowers the demand for virgin raw materials, thus conserving natural resources. Their patented low-energy production process minimizes carbon emissions and the products are designed to be used within a day of waste collection, exemplifying efficiency and sustainability.
Stage: Series A.
Interested in Kenoteq?
To learn more about this company, see here.
Energy use in Industry and Buildings
5. Calectra
Founded: 2023 – Oakland, CA, USA
Founders: Pauliina Meskanen & Nathaniel Weger
Elevator Pitch: Manufacturer of conductive ceramic composites intended for high-temperature thermal energy storage. Calectra electrifies industrial process heat by storing excess renewable electricity as high-temperature heat, enabling industries to use it for industrial processes.
Problem they solve: Many industrial processes require significant amounts of thermal energy, traditionally generated by burning fossil fuels, which contributes to high operational costs and environmental pollution. The intermittency of renewable energy sources has also been a barrier to their adoption for industrial heating needs. Calectra addresses these challenges by providing a system that stores excess renewable energy as heat, bridging the gap between renewable energy availability and industrial energy demand.
Impact: The ability to store and utilize excess renewable energy for high-temperature applications mitigates the wastage of renewable resources and enhances the overall efficiency of energy use in industrial settings. This contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and helps industries move towards more sustainable operations, aligning with global efforts to combat climate change and promote energy sustainability.
Stage: Pre-Seed.
Interested in Calectra?
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.
