Third Carbon13 cohort is first to launch with a carbon reduction pitch
Another 12 innovative ClimateTech start-ups have been launched and invested in by the Carbon13 venture builder, bringing Carbon13’s total number of invested ventures to 32 in the last 12 months.
Each start-up has received an investment of £120,000 plus in-kind support to fast-track their development into highly scalable net zero ventures.
Carbon13 prioritises decarbonisation and carbon capture: each venture needs to have the potential to reduce emissions by 10 million tonnes per annum – the threshold for investing.
In this batch of 12 ventures the science-based solutions include textile waste, green chemicals manufacturing, precision fermentation, and biochemistry.
They are:
-17Cicada, which is enabling the switch to petroleum-free plastics;
- Circular11, which turns low-grade plastic waste into building materials and home products;
- Elaniti, which will improve crop health and yield by measuring the soil microbiome;
- Mortar IO, which is on a mission to supercharge and de-risk retrofits in buildings;
- Nium uses nanotechnology to decarbonise chemistry, starting with ammonia;
- Open Hydro, an automated solution to ramp up private capital flows to hydropower development;
- PreOptima is the world’s first AI platform for real-time carbon calculations for buildings and cities;
- ReScope provides investors with the necessary evidence to shift from brown to green investments;
- Sun Bear Bioworks is on a mission to reimagine farming with precision fermentation, starting with a palm oil alternative;
- Sunjul has a decision-making platform designed specifically for agrivoltaics;
- The Battery Recycling Company aims to build the world’s first carbon-negative closed-loop battery recycling system by the end of 2023; and
- ZoriTex, which is on a mission to eliminate textile waste going to landfill or incineration.
The Carbon13 SEIS Fund III is supported by notable investors including ex-Dragon Nick Jenkins, Aron Gelbard (founder, Bloom and Wild), Graham Hobson (founder, Photobox), and Doug Scott (founder, Redbrain).
Carbon13’s founder and CEO Dr Chris Coleridge said: “Delighted to welcome another 12 ventures to the Carbon13 stable. Each team has worked incredibly hard to refine their venture and hit the proof points needed for our investment.
“We invest after working very closely with these teams for over three months, giving us unparalleled insight into how well these teams work together, their resilience in the face of start-up challenges, and their commitment to building truly breakthrough ventures.
“This cohort was also the first cohort that we required to do a ‘carbon’ pitch as well as a business pitch. They presented to us solely on their venture’s potential for CO2e emissions reduction.
“This process ensures that robust thinking on carbon is baked into the ventures’ DNA and sets Carbon13 apart from other more generic accelerators who can’t tap into the same carbon expertise and toolkits that we can.
“Consequently, we’re already seeing strong interest from the ClimateTech investor community and beyond for this cohort’s Showcase Days in autumn of this year.”
Laura van Marrewijk, CSO and co-founder at Sun Bear Bioworks, said: “We are into the final phase of Carbon13 who will be aiding us in growing our business over the coming four months. We’re going to be busy in the lab, office and field as we reimagine farming through precision fermentation.”
The new cohort brings Carbon13’s total number of invested ventures to 32 in the last 12 months.
Each start-up has received an investment of £120,000 plus in-kind support to fast-track their development into highly scalable net zero ventures.
