Issue #35: CO2-based Textile / Latam’s Climate Wallet / Seafood You’ll Believe
Azolla makes textile out of CO2 / ePioneers makes transacting with environmental credits easier / Sea & Believe is the next gen plant-based seafood
ClimateRaise is a newsletter for our network that showcases early-stage climate startups led by women, non-binary and gender non-conforming founders, and connects them with climate ecosystem partners. The newsletter is short and to the point. We want to provide you with useful information, not flood your inbox with yet another lengthy publication.
How it works:
🔎 We find vetted, women-led climate startups.
📝 Our biweekly newsletter then highlights a diverse selection of those startups
🔗 We give you the opportunity to opt-in for 1:1 introductions to the featured founders!
Missed the last issue with Climatize, Sādu, and Sortile? Check out how these companies create the infrastructure for the circular economy, bring to market affordable insulation materials for all buildings, and democratize green investments. Read more here and request an introduction here.
Featured Companies
ePioneers
ePioneers is building a secure and frictionless suite of products to make transacting with carbon credits easier, more efficient, and more reliable. Their first solution is a climate wallet and marketplace for netZero teams to offset their CO2 emissions while accumulating environmental credits that provide economic yields and fund nature-based solutions. The company received a $200,000 USD non-dilutive grant from Algorand and has signed partnerships with leading organizations like the WWF, The Humboldt Institute, Mormaii, and 12 additional organizations.
In 6 months, the company has brought 11 million hectares of reforestable land to its pipeline, ready to be brought on-chain with its marketplace. ePioneers' team brings 25+ years of experience in climate, blockchain development, and legal tech with the founding team being part of the MIT Innovators U35 network. The company's science team is being led by Dr. Sebastien Raoux, a Nobel Peace Prize Winner with 20+ patents under his belt and being recognized as the developer of the ICCP/UN Green Gas Emissions Framework.
Co-Founder & CEO: Ilana Milkes
Co-Founder & COO: Stiven Loaiza
HQ: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Stage: Seed
Company Ask: They would love to engage with UI designers.
Sea & Believe
Sea & Believe is a food tech company that is developing a range of alternative proteins: plant based seafood. They are using Irish seaweed, microalgae, and other novel protein sources to create the flakiness of real fish. Sea & Believe developed key R&D partnerships with Wageningen University, Clextral, and the University of Limerick and companies. The company was selected for the SOSV Indie Bio accelerator, the world’s largest Life Sciences Accelerator and temporarily relocated to the US for a 4-month accelerator program in downtown San Francisco to work in fully-equipped labs and develop their prototype - the world's first Filet of COD that Flakes.
Co-Founder & CEO: Jennifer O’Brien
Co-Founder & COO: Piyali Chakraborty
HQ: Dublin, Ireland
Stage: Pre-Seed
Company Ask: They are looking to hire in R&D, operations, engineers, sales, and marketing experts.
Azolla
Azolla develops technology that transforms carbon dioxide emissions into biomaterial for the textile industry. Their groundbreaking technology uses enhanced photosynthesis to turn CO2 into high performance biomaterial that can be genetically engineered to target specific physical properties to make a variety of everyday products, starting with textiles. The created biomaterial can be spun into textile fiber using existing equipment, enabling manufacturers to offer sustainable alternatives while meeting performance and price targets dictated by the incumbent commodities like rayon, cotton, and polyester.
Azolla has assembled a team of accomplished advisors with varied backgrounds including Lawrence National Berkeley Labs and USDA. Azolla’s CEO, Lubica Hanacek, has many years of experience in the textile industry (Levi Strauss and Target), and was a featured speaker at the Biofabricate Summit in NYC in June 2022.
Co-Founder & CEO: Lubica Hanacek
Co-Founder & CSO: Milan Hanacek
HQ: Oakland, CA
Stage: Pre-Seed
Company Ask: They are looking for senior scientists with experience in genetic engineering and for strategic partners in textile and fashion industries. They also launched a campaign on wefunder.
Challenges and events
The For ClimateTech Summit ‘22 & The Global Innovation Challenge
The For ClimateTech Summit ‘22 & The Global Innovation Challenge are returning this Fall! Join them for the convening of climate tech innovators, leaders, & investors. PLUS $30K in cash prizes for the most impactful & equitable solutions.
FinTech for Tomorrow Challenge
Calling all green finance startups based or looking to expand their presence in Europe! Finance for Tomorrow announced the launch of the 5th edition of its Fintech for Tomorrow Challenge, the reference call for projects to support and promote green and sustainable fintechs. Laureates will earn €16 000 and other benefits. Apply here before September 15th, 2022.
GFI Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program is now accepting applications
The six-month Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program selects one person from outside of GFI to focus on building a startup that addresses an alternative protein whitespace. Apply by July 6th.
Community highlights
Help a founder!
Filament is looking for feedback from early testers! They are building a product that makes it easier for people to invest in a socially responsible way while meeting their financial goals. If you're interested in socially responsible investing, but haven't known where to start, you can fill out a short survey (it takes less than 5 minutes) and the Filament team will do some research to find index funds and mutual funds that line up with your values, whether it's moving towards clean energy, supporting gender equality, or anything in between.
Content we 💚
4WARD.VC shared a detailed climate and impact startup ecosystem.
Enduring Planet sat down with Shawn Xu to get a sense of what an elite approach to ideation and validation looks like. Startup success stories take idea development for granted, but the best ideas go through a rigorous process of ideation and validation before investors commit a dime. They chat about customer discovery, identifying inflection points that create massive opportunities, early validation and more.
💡Do you know a great climate start-up founded by a woman, non-binary or gender non-conforming person? Forward this newsletter to them or simply reply to this email.
👀See our past issues here. Consult the list of previously featured companies and request access to the 500+ climate tech ecosystem players database.
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Disclaimer: Please note the information contained on this website and provided in any form does not recommend the purchase or sale of any security nor is it to be construed as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. Furthermore, the information contained on this website and provided by ClimateRaise in any form is not intended to be, nor should it be construed or used as investment, tax, or legal advice. The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon to make any investment decisions. ClimateRaise is an independent organization and is not affiliated in any way with any other organization, including but not limited to the employers or affiliates of its founders.
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