May Week 3, 2023: In this monthly 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
Cross-cutting enablers
Founded:
2017 – Waterlooville, UK
Founders:
Jonathan Swanston and Jack Herring
Elevator Pitch:
The World’s First & Fully Recyclable Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Laminate.
Problem they solve:
The current substrate used in the PCB industry is constructed from epoxy resin and fibreglass; the only commercial method of processing waste PCBs involves shredding and incinerating them to extract the precious metals within. This inefficient process is very energy intensive and results in a substantial loss of value of any precious metals recovered.
Impact:
Jiva Material’s Soluboard PCB solution provides a reduction of 10.5 kg/m2 in carbon (60% to existing PCB materials) and a reduction of at least 620 g/m2 in plastic waste when compared to current PCB materials of CEM-1/FR-4.
Stage:
Seed
Interested in Jiva Materials?
To learn more about their technology or get in touch, see here.
Agriculture, Forestry and Land Use
Founded:
2022 – Berlin, Germany
Founders:
David Schmelzeisen, Jan Wilmking, and Hubertus Bessau
Elevator Pitch:
PROJECT EADEN combines pioneering technology with an immense love for life and food to create NEW EARTHLY PLEASURES: Full taste. Zero guilt.
Problem they solve:
Climate change threatens the foundations of our lives. Food is a major cause of greenhouse gases. Especially meats.
Impact:
Let’s solve the dilemma between indulging in the moment and saving our planet for the future. New delicious food is the missing part to leave behind beef and other meats.
Stage:
Seed
Interested in Project Eaden?
If you are interested in learning more, see here.
GHG Capture, Use, and Storage
3. RockFix
Founded:
2022 – San Francisco, CA, USA
Founders:
Gustavo Marquez, Melissa Zhang, and Allen Yu-Lun Liang
Elevator Pitch:
Unlocking permanent carbon storage and critical minerals in mine waste.
Problem they solve:
By designing technology into the mining process and partnering with major base metal mining companies, they look to provide a tool for developing and developed countries to reduce their net GHG emissions by capturing and sequestering CO2.
Impact:
RockFix is exploring how to catalyze and scale the natural weathering reaction that creates carbonate minerals from CO2.
When Ca & Mg-rich rocks are exposed to water and air, they naturally decompose: CO2 in the air reacts into CaCO3 (i.e. Calcite in Limestone) or MgCO3 (Magnesite in Dolomite). These minerals also act as cementing agents, stabilizing mine tailings and reducing their risk of environmental spills.
RockFox’s technology will catalyze the weathering process onto the huge quantity of highly-reactive, finely-ground (i.e. high surface area) tailings as they are generated.
Stage:
Pre-seed
Want to learn more about RockFix?
To learn more about their technology or get in touch see here.
4. Arbor
Founded:
2022 – El Segundo, CA, USA
Leadership:
Brad Hartwig
Elevator Pitch:
Arbor is developing a scalable and low-cost approach to reverse humanity’s climate footprint, leveraging advanced rocket engine technology and Earth’s own natural rhythms.
Problem they solve:
Working in harmony with Earth’s natural rhythms, their technology turns waste into carbon-negative energy and fresh water, while permanently removing CO2 from the atmosphere in the process.
Arbor envisions a solarpunk future with carbon-negative power at the center of a global circular economy – where growth is no longer extractive, but regenerative. A world in tune, a planet in balance.
Impact:
Arbor’s BiCRS innovation is a process that removes CO₂ from the air through biomass and stores it. The team brings together deep experience in turbomachinery, combustion, and manufacturing.
Arbor’s modular systems combine compact gasification with a supercritical CO₂ turbine, offering feedstock flexibility, high electrical efficiency, and permanent geologic storage.
Stage:
Seed
Interested in Arbor?
To learn more about this company, see here.
Waste (water & landfills)
5. Spout
Founded:
2019 – Los Angeles, CA, USA
Founder:
Reuben Vollmer
Elevator Pitch:
An ingenious, novel, and safe way to make pure drinking water from the air. No plumbing or installation is needed.
Problem they solve:
We’ve been working on Atmospheric Water Generators for almost a decade, fascinated with the potential to create water right where it’s needed. We knew if we could make a source of water that reliably produced the highest quality of water possible, we would be making a product people would love.
Impact:
Spout offers the purest form of water from a chemical perspective compared to everything else available for public consumption, given the distillation process and 6 stages of filtration inside our machine. Because we hold ourselves to a much higher standard, we benchmark our quality against ourselves, far above national standards.
Stage:
Seed
Interested in Spout?
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.
