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☆ This startup converts carbon into chemicals used in everything from cars to furniture. Check out the 15-slide pitch deck ViridiCO2 used to raise $3.5 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

UK startup ViridiCO2 is helping chemical manufacturers cut fossil fuel use with captured carbon. A startup helping chemical manufacturers cut their use of fossil fuels has just raised £3 million (around $3.5 million) in seed funding from EQT Ventures. It is one piece of the carbon capture, storage, and utilization puzzle. ViridiCO2 doesn't capture carbon itself but works with point-source carbon capture companies to do so. "These are big chemical manufacturers and also consumer product manufacturers," Stewart added.

☆ Generative AI tools like ChatGPT will hand power back to smaller companies and away from Big Tech, Accenture data lead says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Generative AI will empower industries beyond Big Tech, according to Accenture's data lead. "It is not just on the onus of a couple of really strong tech companies to unlock it," Teresa Tung said. Generative AI companies have secured over $1.7 billion of venture capital investment over the last three years, according to Gartner. Generative AI can be fed with examples of business documents, proposals, and code, amongst other things, to generate fresh assets. Having the data, [and] having the domain experts becomes more important than having the data scientists."

☆ The $322 billion impact investment market is grappling with a fundamental question: How does it measure how much good it has achieved?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Global impact funds now have over $322 billion in assets under management, PitchBook data shows. Matteo Cera, cofounder at Hogaru, Maria Oliva Farriol of Oryx Impact, and moderator Marta del Castillo, CEO of Social Next. Tasmin Lockwood/InsiderSocial impact measurement is all about the baseline, said Maria Oliva Farriol, impact and ESG manager at Oryx Impact. Oryx Impact is a Barcelona-based fund of funds focused on economic development, climate change, and equality in Africa. To avoid this, Oryx Impact is taking advantage of technology to digitize its impact measurement and management strategy.

☆ This tea-making robot can mimic the movements of a human counterpart in real-time, giving a glimpse into the future of robotics
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Japanese tech firm Docomo showed off a small tea-making robot at MWC 2023. Japan's Docomo showed off a small tea-making robot at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week that was more impressive for its ability to mimic humans than its physical prowess. Docomo's robot relied on the company's motion-sharing technology that enabled it to follow the actions of its human counterpart in real-time. The ability of the robot to mimic human actions could eventually boast an array of real-life use cases that could see menial and repetitive tasks automated. The tea-making robot is just one way in which Docomo demonstrated human augmentation at MWC.

☆ Check out the new Nokia G22 that you can repair at home using a guitar pick and screwdriver — without voiding the warranty
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The new Nokia G22, which was rolled out Feb. 25, is designed to be repaired at home. The Nokia G22 has been designed to cut down on the steps and complexity involved in replacing a battery, screen, and charging port. The Nokia G22 starts at £149.99 (around $179), runs on Android 12, and has a battery life of up to three days. Circular, for example, is a subscription service that ensures Nokia phones are recycled or reused when a customer returns them. The Nokia G22 will be on display at MWC 2023 and rollout began Feb. 25.

☆ OnePlus just unveiled a new concept phone equipped with cryogenic liquid to keep it cool
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chinese tech company OnePlus has unveiled a new concept phone at MWC 2023. The OnePlus 11 Concept boasts a new eye-catching cryogenic cooling system. The new OnePlus 11 Concept pairs PC-grade cooling technology with the design of high-end watches. Tasmin Lockwood/InsiderThere's no doubt that the OnePlus 11 Concept was designed to show off the system. The OnePlus 11 Concept has three camera lenses in the same style as other OnePlus 11 models.

☆ This startup is using precision fermentation to make plant-based food taste better. Check out the 10-slide pitch deck Paleo used to secure $12.8 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Belgian startup Paleo just raised $12.8 million to make plant-based food taste better. A European foodtech startup cofounded by a former Belgian senator has just raised 12 million euros (around $12.8 million) to make plant-based food taste better. The proteins are a form of heme, which has been deemed key in unlocking a meaty look, taste, texture, and aroma for plant-based food. Paleo will sell its products to other plant-based food companies so they don't have to develop it in-house. "The main challenge now in the plant-based food space, it's taste, and that's exactly where we offer a solution," he said.

☆ Carbon-related tech raised a record-breaking $4.2 billion in 2022 as VCs poured into direct air capture and carbon accounting startups despite wider slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Emissions removal and management startups raised $4.2 billion last year, up from $3.6 billion in 2021. Carbon-related startups raked in $4.2 billion from venture capitalists globally last year across 204 deals, according to a new report from PitchBook. PitchBook's carbon tech categorization also includes fintech and analytics companies such as Coatue-backed carbon accounting firm Sweep. "We can't contain the climate crisis to an acceptable degree of global heating without actively addressing carbon capture and sequestration." While carbon tech is defying the wider venture-capital slowdown, which has seen valuations and deal counts plummet in the face of the war in Ukraine and fears of recession, the wider carbon and emissions tech category has remained flat.

☆ VC firm Counteract just reached first close on its $42 million carbon removal fund. We got an exclusive look at the 11-slide LP deck it used to secure cash from The Grantham Foundation.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

VC firm Counteract has reached first close on its inaugural £35 million fund. It plans to back 40 global companies across all elements of carbon removal. London-based firm Counteract, founded in 2021, has just reached first close on its inaugural £35 million, about $41.9 million, fund. Direct air capture is one of the best-known carbon removal technologies thanks to Swiss company Climeworks. Isaacs stressed the importance of exploring all potential technologies as carbon removal evolves alongside policy, making it inherently risky.

☆ Leonardo DiCaprio's Regeneration VC fills $1.6 million funding gap in AI recycling startup Greyparrot after key investor falls short on commitment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Leonardo DiCaprio's Regeneration VC has plugged a $1.6 million funding gap in Greyparrot. But Una Terra, one of its key backers, was unable the fulfill the entirety of its promised investment. Leonardo DiCaprio-backed fund Regeneration VC has plugged a $1.6. million funding gap in recycling analytics startup Greyparrot after one of its key backers fell short on a promised investment. The founder expects continued growth in waste data, analytics, and reporting as industries are forced to green up.

☆ Scientists can spike startup bets in Planet A's new $172 million climate tech fund even if they have a good business case. Check out the 20-slide LP deck it used to raise the fresh cash.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

German VC Planet A has just closed its first 160 million euros (around $172 million) fund. Planet A, a European venture capital firm, has just closed its inaugural 160 million euros (around $172 million) fund to back startups doing just that. Founded in 2020, Planet A is looking for market-ready tech startups with significant impact potential in climate change mitigation, waste reduction, resource savings, and biodiversity protection. The early-stage investor will write checks of between 500,000 euros to 3 million euros to startups in Europe, the UK, and Israel. The Planet A team intended to raise 100 million euros, Detzner said, so the fund was oversubscribed.

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☆ This startup helps McDonald's and Starbucks cut down on food waste and energy use. Here's the 12-slide pitch deck Therma used to raise $19 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Therma helps restaurants like McDonald's reduce food and energy waste via fridge management. A startup helping restaurants like McDonalds and Starbucks save money on food and energy waste has just raised $19 million in a Series A round. San Francisco-based Therma, which was founded in 2019, uses IoT devices to turn "dumb" fridges and freezers into smart devices where temperature management can be automated. The company's tech can also monitor for any issues that could lead to food waste, which could be as simple as someone leaving the door open for an extended period. Meanwhile food waste is responsible for 10%, per WWF.

☆ LGBTQ+ founders face extra challenges when fundraising, with 75% hiding their sexual or gender identity, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

LGBTQ+ founders face extra barriers when fundraising, and many feel the need to conceal their identities. A new report tracking the experiences of LGBTQ+ founders and investors in the UK startup and venture capital ecosystem paints a dire picture. LGBTQ+ founders — especially those who identify as women and nonbinary — face additional barriers when fundraising, the report found. Cisgender refers to a person whose gender identity is the same as the sex assigned to them at birth. Funds could also commit a proportion of investment to diverse founders, including LGBTQ+ founders, the report's authors said.

☆ This startup helping fashion cut down on fossil fuels with dyes made of vegetal waste just raised $3.7 million. Here's the 15-slide pitch deck Ever Dye used to raise the cash.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A startup hoping to help fashion cut its reliance on fossil fuels just raised $3.7 million. Take a peek at the 15-slide pitch deck Ever Dye used to raise the funds from Nordic firm Maki.vc. Traditional, synthetic dyes rely on chemicals that are derived from fossil fuels, take hours to apply, and require high temperatures. Ever Dye's process also uses less water because it doesn't require as many washes in between, Palacci added. The company uses minerals for its colors, starting with black, red, and blue.

☆ This Y Combinator-backed startup wants to help scale the nascent insect protein sector. Check out the 15-slide pitch deck Entocycle used to raise $5 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Insect protein could displace 20% of the UK's annual soy imports for animal feed by 2050. We got an exclusive look at the 15-slide deck Entocycle used to raise the Series A round. A Y Combinator-backed startup that has developed insect farming technology to help scale the nascent sector has just nabbed $5 million from European climate tech fund Climentum Capital. Insect protein has long been tipped as a way to alleviate pressure on the food system amid a growing population that is also grappling with climate change. Global insect protein startups raised just $146 million in venture capital in 2022, compared with $200 million the year prior, according to PitchBook.

☆ This startup that connects conservation projects with funders just raised $8 million. Check out the 30-slide pitch deck Lemu used to secure the fresh capital.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A startup hoping to channel more cash into conservation via its app just raised $8 million. Chilean startup Lemu is developing a marketplace that ranks conservation projects on priority and impact. A Chilean startup connecting conservation projects with funders just raised $8 million. It plans to list and rank high-priority and high-impact conservation projects in the hope that the app's users will donate money, or "invest," in them. It will have two ranking features: LemiImpact, a local-level impact ranking based on potential project outcomes, and LemuRank, which is a global ranking of high-priority conservation efforts.

☆ Climate and social impact startup OnHand just raised $4 million for its gamified employee app. Check out the 20-slide pitch deck used to secure the cash.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

OnHand, a B2B environmental and social impact platform, has just landed $4 million. Check out the 20-slide pitch deck OnHand used to convince investors to back it. A platform that encourages employees cut their environmental footprint and volunteer in the community has just raised $4 million from London venture capital firm 24Haymarket. The Newcastle, UK, company started in the charity space as a location-based, on-demand and consumer-focused volunteering app before pivoting to employee sustainability. As well as calculating emissions reductions for employees, OnHand still offers on-demand charity work.

☆ We got an exclusive look at the 18-slide pitch deck Living Carbon, a startup developing 'supertrees' for CO2 removal, used to raise $21 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Climate startup Living Carbon has developed trees that grow faster to ultimately store more CO2. Carbon removal typically sits in two buckets: engineered – or technological – removal and nature-based removal. Living Carbon, founded in 2019, reported its engineered trees grow 50% faster and soak up 27% more carbon than traditional trees. Living Carbon is also running its own carbon removal projects and is currently partnering with landowners in Pennsylvania and Georgia, who get a percentage of the carbon credits generated from the projects. Check out the redacted 18-slide pitch deck Living Carbon used to secure the funds below.

☆ This startup turning human waste into fertilizer just raised $7.5 million. Here's the 17-slide pitch deck Wasted used to raise the fresh funds.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Wasted is making fertilizer out of urine and just raised $7.5 million in fresh funding. Wasted, which he created alongside Taylor Zehren and Thor Retzlaff, is redesigning the porta-potty to ultimately turn human waste into agriculture fertilizer. At least 40 wastewater treatment plants were damaged as a result of the 2017 hurricane Harvey, which saw raw sewage spill out onto streets. Nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium are common fertilizers found in human waste but are typically extracted from the earth for use. There is a long history of some countries using untreated or partially-treated human waste as fertilizer.

☆ This startup is taking on Tesla with its integrated solar roof tiles. SunRoof used this 9-slide pitch deck to raise $14.6 million from investors.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Solar panel startup SunRoof just raised 13.5 million euros (around $14.6 million) in fresh funds. The Swedish company, founded in 2013, is taking on Tesla's Solar Roof energy system. We got an exclusive look at the 9-slide pitch deck SunRoof used to raise the extension round. A startup taking on Tesla's Solar Roof has just raised a 13.5 million euros (around $14.6 million) extension round to fuel its growth. Swedish company SunRoof provides integrated solar roof tiles to offer homeowners as a slick alternative to mounted solar panels, which it claims are also more efficient and environmentally friendly than those of its competitors.

☆ Energy startups touting everything from solar-powered cars to next-gen nuclear reactors are red hot right now. Here are 32 to watch in 2023, according to VCs.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's invasion of Ukraine thrust energy companies into the spotlight in 2022. We asked European investors to name energy startups poised to take off in 2023. European energy companies raised a record $3 billion in 2022, a marked increase on the $1.96 billion secured in 2021, according to PitchBook. Insider asked investors which European startups were ones to watch in 2023. Here are the 32 companies investors named, in alphabetical order.

☆ Founders growing meat in labs raised a huge $600 million in 2022. Check out the pitch deck used by Multus to raise $9.5 million to make slaughter-free growth serum.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Lab-grown or cultivated meat is real meat grown from the cells of an animal in a controlled environment, as opposed to rearing and slaughtering said animals. It is now honing in on specific use cases to help cultivated meat manufacturers nail the taste and texture of their products. It expects to bring a range of products to market in 2023, including a growth media specifically for beef. The end goal is to also provide growth media for lab-grown dairy and leather. As well as off-the-shelf products, Multus takes advantage of data and automation to discover new growth media ingredients and formulations.

☆ This Y Combinator-backed startup uses robots to clean wind turbines. Check out the 12-slide pitch deck Aerones used to raise $30 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A startup developing robots to clean and inspect wind turbines has just secured $30 million. We asked the company's CEO to walk us through the 12-slide pitch deck he used to raise the cash. A Y Combinator-backed startup developing robots to clean and inspect wind turbines has just secured $30 million. Latvian company Aerones has developed service robots to clean, inspect, and repair wind turbines. Wind turbines have a typical lifespan of 20 years, but better maintenance and efficiency could prolong this.

☆ This startup that makes green hydrogen more efficient and safer just raised $26 million. Check out the 20-slide pitch deck Hystar used to win over investors.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The company has developed technology to help create green hydrogen more efficiently and safely. A startup helping others make hydrogen more efficiently and safely just raised $26 million in a Series B funding round. The process is a chemical reaction that splits water into oxygen and hydrogen; hydrogen created this way is known as green hydrogen, in order to differentiate from other production methods. There is strong momentum for green hydrogen from both politicians and the public, Hystar CEO Fredrik Mowill told Insider. "Almost all of the losses in electrolyzers are a result of that resistance across that membrane," Mowill said.

☆ Meet 22 women who made partner in 2022 in Europe's male-dominated VC ecosystem where men outnumber women by 6 to 1
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

We profiled 22 women to watch this year that were made partner at VC firms in 2022. Around 70% of women GPs have carried interest, a report by European Women in VC found last year. This effectively means that women GPs carry less firepower than their male counterparts, she added. We have profiled the women who climbed the ranks in Europe's male-dominated ecosystem, and were made partner in 2022. Due to the scale of Europe's VC sector, we no doubt missed out on some first-time partner promotions during 2022.

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