Issue #64
Wrapping up Earth Month and SF Climate Week with a new website!
We had an amazing Earth Month and SF Climate Week engaging with the community and hope you did too! In celebration, we updated our website - check out the sleek and snazzy site here!
The ClimateRaise newsletter showcases actively-raising, early-stage climate startups led by founders from historically marginalized backgrounds. We connect them with investors and climate ecosystem partners through warm introductions.
📩 Submit companies, opportunities, and resources for the newsletter (or just say hi!) by emailing us here.
This month, we’re featuring six companies:
Offstream - a compliance platform for clean tech project developers
Fortuna Cools - insulation materials from coconut husk waste
EcoHyde - plant-based leather alternatives
Nova Terra Inc. (fka Colorado Earth LLC) - low embodied carbon building materials
ReJoule - diagnostics for EV batteries
Climatize Earth - retail investing for climate projects
Read more about each of them below!
Featured companies
Offstream
A compliance platform for clean tech project developers
Offstream is streamlining compliance for clean tech project developers. Today, compliance is a necessary but painful process for clean tech project developers that costs $500k+ / year. Offstream’s software automates compliance reporting using LLMs to generate technical documentation, tackling the $60B+ market for clean tech compliance.
Since launching their MVP, Offstream has closed ~$100K in ARR within just a few months. Offstream is formal partners with major carbon registries such as Puro.Earth, building trust and creating a strong funnel of customers. The team is advised by carbon experts with ties to DOE, UCLA Institute for Carbon Management, and large carbon removal buyers such as Ripple.
Co-Founder & CEO: Varsha Ramesh Walsh
HQ: Boston, MA & Denver, CO
Current funding stage: Pre-seed
Asks: Connections with PE firms investing in clean tech, green infrastructure developers, and any bioenergy/carbon capture operators.
Fortuna Cools
Insulation materials from coconut husk waste
Fortuna Cools turns agricultural waste into high-performance insulation and consumer products like the Nutshell Cooler. The plastic foam market is primed for disruption: consumers hate it, businesses hide it, and governments ban it. Fortuna keeps ice frozen longer than plastic foam, for the same price. Fortuna swaps petrochemicals for leftover organic fiber, which provides additional income to smallholder farmers, avoids CO2 emissions from husk incineration, and creates new jobs in rural communities.
Fortuna Cools's consumer brand, Nutshell Coolers, was launched on Kickstarter and sold out in just 7 hours. Nutshell has been featured in over 60 publications, including Forbes, Fast Company, Business Insider, and CNN, and is rated 5 stars. Fortuna Cools won the UNDP Ocean Innovation Challenge grant award and has paid pilots with major food, delivery, and pharmaceutical companies, including Grab Food and the Red Cross. Fortuna Cools has converted hundreds of tons of coconut husk waste into six-figure revenue, and are now raising a seed round to take on the $100B plastic foam market.
Co-Founder & CEO: David Cutler
Co-Founder & COO: Tamara Mekler
HQ: New York, US and Cebu, Philippines
Current funding stage: Seed
Asks: Connections with companies seeking to replace plastic insulation in their supply chains with natural materials.
EcoHyde
plant-based leather alternatives
EcoHyde is a plant-based leather alternative that not only eliminates the use of plastic but also addresses environmental concerns by utilizing upcycled fruits and vegetable waste in its production process. With the global leather industry valued at a staggering $500 billion, the need for sustainable alternatives has never been more pressing. By harnessing the potential of plant materials and repurposing organic waste, EcoHyde reduces the environmental impact associated with conventional leather production.
EcoHyde has also secured a letter of Intent from Dolce and Gabbana to create their iconic bag in EcoHyde’s materials and is in conversations with other luxury brands. Founder Rebecca Mink previously founded the first luxury vegan shoe brand MINK, worn by celebrities Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Miley Cyrus, Natalie Portman and more. Co-founder Ahmed Rahim previously co-founded the top tea brand, Numi.
Co-Founder & CEO: Rebecca Mink
Co-Founder: Ahmed Rahim
HQ: Los Angeles, CA
Current funding stage: Seed
Asks: Connections with brand partners and raw material providers.
Nova Terra Inc. (fka Colorado Earth LLC)
low embodied carbon building materials
Nova Terra manufactures, designs and builds with natural waste materials from quarries, providing a low embodied carbon structural building material that is fireproof, soundproof, bugproof, bulletproof, breathable, biodegradable, mold resistant, and non-toxic. Construction costs are soaring, and the cement industry is one of the primary producers of carbon dioxide. With sustainability on the rise, we offer a building product that has the potential to make a positive impact on the health of our planet, and people.
Nova Terra is part of West Gate, a Lab Embedded Entrepreneurship Program with the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), an accelerator program sponsored by the Department of Energy. Nova Terra has worked with over 60 customers to date in a range of services resulting in over $1M in sales.
Co-Founder & CEO: Lisa Morey
HQ: Golden, Colorado
Current funding stage: Seed
ReJoule
diagnostics for EV batteries
ReJoule has developed a diagnostic platform that quickly assesses the health of electric vehicle batteries so that automakers can maximize value across the life of the vehicle. The platform helps their customers to reduce battery waste by making it faster and easier to determine if a battery is good enough for the road, to be repurposed, or should be recycled.
ReJoule's technology has already been deployed across three continents. Their customers include major automakers with a global presence and they have begun expanding to serve repair shops, dealerships, and auction houses. ReJoule has raised over $20M in funding with $19M in public grants from organizations like the NSF, DOE, and CEC. ReJoule has also received funding from Black & Veatch as well as CAR group (formerly carsales.com).
Co-Founder & CEO: Steven Chung
Co-Founder & CFO: Zora Chung
HQ: Signal Hill, CA
Current funding stage: Pre-Seed
Climatize Earth
retail investing for climate projects
Climatize makes it simple to invest in renewable energy projects across the US starting with as little as $10 and earning up to 10% annually, connecting retail investors to a marketplace of climate projects. Climatize offers debt investments and is expanding to offer tax credits.
Climatize Earth has secured membership with FINRA and the SEC. Climatize has over $3,400,000 invested in the 1st year since launch.
Co-Founder & CEO: Will Wiseman
Co-Founder & COO: Alba Forns
HQ: Santa Cruz, CA
Current funding stage: Pre-Seed
ICYMI - They are still raising
it’s electric - curbside EV charging for cities
Genuine Taste - improving alternative meats with cultivated fat
MycoFutures - leading mycelium textile innovation
NeoCtech - recycling permanent magnets to produce rare earth metals
Solaires - innovating photovoltaic solutions for a cleaner world
Lite-1 Bio - creating new colorants grown by microorganisms
Harvest Systems - a harvesting and recycling waste heat
Request an introduction to any of the current or recently featured companies by filling this form.
Is ClimateRaise useful to you?
Resources for founders
🔍 Opportunities
Village Capital, in partnership with Dream.org and with support from Salesforce, has launched Dream Climate Tech Launchpad 2024. This equity-free, milestone-based accelerator program will support 10 Black & Latinx-led startups building climate tech solutions in the following verticals: energy, the built environment, and electric transportation & infrastructure. All participating companies will receive small grants, access to our investment-readiness curriculum, on-demand coaching from an investment analyst, and mentorship from investors and climate-focused subject matter experts in our network. Applications are open until April 30 - to learn more and apply, click here!
Enduring Planet has launched a Fractional CFO platform! They specialize in helping climate startups with bookkeeping/accounting, FP&A, and strategic finance and fundraising advisory services at every stage. Plans start at $750/month, and ClimateRaise subscribers can get a discount of $250 when they sign up!
Thanks!
Natalie and the ClimateRaise team
~
ClimateRaise resources
📅 Check out our event calendar.
📚 Read our past issues.
💡 Consult the list of previously featured companies.
🤝 Request warm introductions to featured companies.
💽 Request first access to the 500+ climate tech ecosystem players database when it’s released.
🙋 Forward this email to a founder to get them featured.
📣 Enjoying ClimateRaise? Share our newsletter with your network!
Share button
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.
 | A guest post by
|