🥓 Issue #57: Seaweed-based bacon, intelligent virtual power plants with fast EV charging, and non-isocyanate polyurethanes
Product Strategy for Founders
Welcome back!
ClimateRaise showcases early-stage climate startups led by women and non-binary founders and connects them with investors and climate ecosystem partners through warm introductions.
How it works:
🔎 We find vetted, actively raising women-led climate startups.
📝 Our biweekly newsletter then highlights a diverse selection of those startups.
🔗 We introduce investors, ecosystem partners, and fellow founders to the featured founders.
📩 Submit companies, opportunities, and resources (or say hi!) for the newsletter here.
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Featured companies
*Featured companies are actively raising.
Umaro Foods
#️⃣ seaweed, plant-based, bacon
Umaro Foods is on a mission to make seaweed the most planet-friendly source of protein on earth and improve the quality, sustainability, and affordability of animal meat alternatives. The Company employs seaweed-based compounds to create realistic fat and meat; its debut product is plant-based bacon, which offers a sustainable alternative to pork.
Umaro has received over $6 million in non-dilutive research funding from ARPA-E and Activate. Other investors include AgFunder, Impact Science Ventures, Ponderosa Ventures, and Neil Renningner (founder of Ample Carbon, Amyris, and Ripple Foods). The Company has also secured a U.S. patent for seaweed-based fat encapsulation technology and gotten its product into over 100 restaurants in less than a year with a 4-person team.
Co-Founder & CEO: Beth Zotter
Co-Founder & CTO: Amanda Stiles
HQ: Berkeley, CA
Current funding stage: Seed
Electric Fish
#️⃣ microgrids, charging, EV
ElectricFish is a climate tech company dedicated to bringing energy resilience to electric transportation. The Company builds and operates a network of micro-grids that are integrated with extremely fast vehicle chargers, which offer 75% faster miles/min charging sessions and ensure energy against power failures for up to 14 hours. Its no-trenching approach downsizes both the interconnection and permitting process and is designed as a resilience-first solution to maximize EV charging uptime, site host activities, and grid operations.
Electric Fish was awarded three patents for sitting, operation, and containerized hardware, was recognized in Diamond List 2021, and its founders were named in Forbes 30 Under 30. The Company currently has three ongoing hardware pilots in the states of California, Michigan, and New York City. It has also previously participated in Cradle to Commerce, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, Joules Accelerator, and Scale for ClimateTech.
Co-Founder & CEO: Anurag Kamal
Co-Founder & CSO: Folasade Ayoola
HQ: Fremont, CA
Current funding stage: Series A
Matereal
#️⃣fashion, bioplastics, NIPU
Matereal is a technology company leveraging breakthrough innovations in biobased plastics & AI to build the platform for the future of chemicals & their respective supply chains. Matereal has started off by focusing on non-toxic bioplastics in the fashion industry, which is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions and utilizes 20% of the global plastic production.
One of the Company’s first products is Polaris, a non-isocyanate polyurethane (“NIPU”), which is safer for workers than PU, price competitive, and aligns with sustainability goals by sequestering CO2. Matereal is proposing a novel approach to replace one of the most versatile and common plastics, polyurethane, in a way that replaces petrochemicals with agricultural products, waste products, and recycled products as integral components of a sustainable production ecosystem.
Co-Founder & CEO: Jacqueline Ros Amable
Co-Founder & CTO: Philip Pienkos
HQ: Denver, CO
Current funding stage: Seed
ICYMI - They are still raising
Recycler of waste glass into sand and glass cullet, Glass Half Full led by Franziska Trautmann
Developer of cloud water and fog collection technology, Permalution led by Stefania Di Bartolomeo
Developer of technology that converts CO2 into carbon nanotubes, Cool led by Tatiana Estevez
Request an introduction to the companies by filling this form.
Resources for founders
📅 ClimateRaise Events
Many of you have been sharing the need for broader support in your fundraising journey. In the spirit of deepening our support to founders, you now have the opportunity to connect with investors and experts for a 30 to 45-minute one-on-one chat. Fill in this quick form to connect with experts. Spots are limited, and we will be in touch if we’re able to pencil you in.
→ Pitch Feedback for Founders - Get feedback on your pitch and fundraising strategy with Zoe Perret, Principal at Initialized Capital. Zoe has deep experience in fundraising, complex operations, growth, and strategic planning – previously at BlackRock and in the non-profit space. She is excited to work with ClimateRaise founders in support of their fundraising efforts and pitch practice. Connect with Zoe here.
→ Product Strategy for Founders: book some time with Peter Nocchiero and pick his brain on product strategy, product market fit and product led growth. Peter runs the climate advisory firm Alternate Future where he helps climate founders grow their startups and executives in any sector implement pragmatic climate programs. Prior to Alternate Future, he spent almost two decades as a startup product exec - 7 startups, 3 exits, pre-revenue to $200M ARR, seed to Series E. Connect with Peter here.
🔍 Opportunities
→ Applications are open for #GoBuild2023, a #GreentownGo startup-corporate partnerships accelerator from Greentown Labs and Saint Gobain focused on solutions for circularity and sustainability in the built environment! Due August 1, 2023.
→ Applications are open for the Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First Program, which aims to help founders build responsibly with AI and machine learning from the ground up, for companies based in Europe and Israel. Due July 30, 2023.
→ Applications are open for the inaugural Environmental Tech Lab, a public-private initiative between the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Partnership Fund for New York City to test new technologies to help solve pressing challenges facing the city’s water and wastewater network. This year’s challenges focus on helping DEP better utilize data and technology and improve operational efficiency at New York City’s water and wastewater utility. Early- and growth-stage tech companies with a relevant solution to one of the Lab’s two challenges can apply here. Interested applicants are invited to attend an information session on July 26th at 1pm ET. Due August 23, 2023.
→ Applications are open for the Startup Innovation Challenge as part of the SOSV Climate Summit taking place virtually on September 26th and 27th. SOSV invites all startups focused on Carbon Removal and Carbon Capture Utilization & Storage (CCUS) to participate and pitch live to an online audience of VCs. Due July 28, 2023.
📚 What we’re reading this week
Despite a global slowdown, VC investment in climate technology has remained resilient and climate tech valuations have remained flat or increased, according to SVB’s Future of Climate Tech 2023 report.
Thanks!
~Priya and the ClimateRaise Team
ClimateRaise resources
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📚 Read our past issues.
💡 Consult the list of previously featured companies.
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