Callaghan Innovation’s Post

Congratulations to clever Kiwi cleantech startups NILO, Mushroom Material and Cetogenix, who have been named on the prestigious Cleantech Group  #50toWatch ! 👀 This influential list celebrates the top 50 early-stage companies from across the globe that are creating groundbreaking solutions to address some of the world's most pressing environmental and sustainability challenges. They’ll soon be joined on the New Zealand Cleantech Trek to the USA and Europe by 11 other globally ambitious Kiwi cleantech startups, along with supporters from both the private and public sectors. They’ll be getting in front of potential investors, and global partners who have the connections and capital to help these clever Kiwis help the world, by deploying solutions to address climate change and the world’s toughest environmental challenges. A huge thank you to ASB Bank for sponsoring the Europe leg of the Trek, and to our Cleantech Mission partners NZTE, Ara Ake, and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited. Looks like the Trek is shaping up to be quite the journey, wouldn’t you agree? AZURA Ocean Technology, Hot Lime Labs, Geo40 Limited, UsedFULLY® , Mint Innovation, Basis, Prospero, Solarferm, TasmanIon, Zincovery, Waste To Energy Technologies Limited, Bridgewest Ventures NZ, Motion Capital , Climate Salad. You can read more about the ones to watch here: https://lnkd.in/ei6bKMf #NZCleantechMissionfortheworld.  #NZCleantech 

Great to see Irish Examiner shining a spotlight on Accelerate Green, Bord na Móna’s accelerator programme empowering Irish startups to tackle climate challenges with innovation and sustainability at their core. Since 2022, this initiative has supported over 40 businesses, helping them raise €10 million+ in funding and driving impactful solutions in renewable energy, eco-materials, and sustainable agriculture. Dive into the details and meet the inspiring startups. Applications for Accelerate Green Grow Programme close tomorrow, Nov 22nd. Learn more and apply: www.accelerategreen.ie Elaine Negi, Nicola McDaniel, Resolve Partners #BordnaMóna #AccelerateGreen #sustainability #climateinnovation #AG25

Earlier this month Catalyst Fund’s Venture Builder, Sydney Thiam, attended The Earthshot Prize in Cape Town, where we celebrated an incredible milestone: Keep IT Cool | Earthshot Prize Winner 24 |, one of our portfolio companies, winning the 2024 Earthshot Prize in the "Build a Waste-Free World" category, securing a £1 million (€1.2 million) prize to scale their work! As an official nominator for The Earthshot Prize, we were honored to be part of a week that highlighted the power of innovation and collaboration. Keep It Cool's solar-powered cold storage solutions are revolutionizing East Africa’s food supply chain—extending the shelf life of produce, reducing spoilage, and creating stability for small-scale farmers and fishers. This recognition underscores their transformative impact on climate resilience and why we proudly support their mission. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dY_awG5T Congratulations to the Keep It Cool team and to all other winners and finalists who inspire hope and action towards a sustainable future! Francis N., Abigail Gachigi, Maelis Carraro, Rasima Swarup, Maxime Bayen Javier Linares, Ngetha Mwangi, Valiullah Hashmi, Maureen K., Charles I. Nweke

Is Scotland the Hidden Gem of Cleantech Innovation? We think so! Here are 4 impressive Startups driving Green Innovation. Danu Robotics: AI robotics firm for cost-effective waste management IR Power: company recycling industrial energy waste ReBlade Limited: expert in eco-friendly wind turbine decommissioning Rivtide Power: pre-seed venture harnessing untapped river and tidal power These are impactful, high growth companies, solving some of the most pressing problems of our time. At Greenbackers, we're focused on connecting innovators with the right investors and partners. Whether you're a fund looking for the next big thing in cleantech, a corporation aiming to decarbonise…or just simply someone excited about green innovation - Contact us to find more information about these four outstanding companies and their fundraisings linked below. Robert Hokin, Andrew Smith, John Steedman, Mark Hannigan, Xiaoyan(Amy) Ma, Richard BRADSHAW, Fiona Lindsay, Steven Lindsay, Mike Wilson, Simon Parsons, Martin Valenti, Cameron Campbell, Adrian Gillespie, Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc, Lisa Lambie, Stewart Carlile, MBA, Dr Poonam Malik, MBA, FRSE FRSB, Alex Reid, Alexander Holt, John McNicol, @

𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙉𝙚𝙬𝙨: Future Tech Ventures 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 SeaO2, 𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗢₂ 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿! 💰 Future Tech Ventures has proudly chosen SeaO₂ as its debut investment, backing the carbon capture startup with €350,000 to advance its innovative technology for filtering CO₂ from seawater. With a total seed round of €2 million, including support from NEW-ttt fund, DOEN Participaties, and Carbonfix, SeaO₂ is set to scale and create real environmental impact. 🌊 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 from SeaO₂: • 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: €350,000 from Future Tech Ventures • 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁: Exciting plans underway, with Groningen as the likely spot • 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱: 2021 What’s next? SeaO₂ is getting ready to bring its vision to life, with a pilot plant potentially 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝑮𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒏—a big win for climate innovation and the region alike! Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dmrtyWYY

"These five startups, based in the Philippines or another Southeast Asian country, have a few things in common. First, they are portfolio companies of Wavemaker Partners, Southeast Asia's early stage Venture Capital that, according to its website, 'invests in undervalued companies with innovative solutions to meaningful problems in the region.' Second, they 'are directly addressing the Philippines' need for resilient infrastructure, sustainable energy and emission reduction — all of which are critical to mitigating climate risks and building long-term resilience,' says Paul Santos, Wavemaker Partners founder and managing partner." #VC #climatetech #climateaction

Virta Ventures is a pre-seed climate tech fund investing in companies with equity-light B2B business models that are digitizing and decarbonizing energy, transportation, the built environment and agriculture. Virta intends to back “winners” in the equity-light climate tech space that will make up a meaningful portion of the 300 “decacorn” and 1,000 “unicorn” climate tech companies expected to emerge by 2030. You can read more about Virta Ventures in Toniic's latest blog post and why the firm generated interest and was eventually invested by a member of the Toniic community. #toniic #impactinvesting #climateinvesting #climateaction https://lnkd.in/en2JEnXc

While VC funding for startups has been on a general decline, the proportion of money flowing to climate mitigation and adaptation startups is growing. Since 2019, the sector has raised over $3.5 billion. In 2024 H1, the sector received 45% of the $325 million raised by African startups, reflecting the growing interest in the area. Climate tech firms offer solutions for water and sanitation, renewable energy, carbon removal, and land restoration. Read the article on TechCabal https://lnkd.in/dBbeYa4u

Kicking Off 2025 with Innovation & Impact: Greenbackers’ Climate Investment Showcase What a fantastic way to start the year! Today, I attended the Greenbackers Investment Capital “Climate Investment Showcase” at Sustainable Ventures in Lambeth—an event that has well and truly set the bar high for 2025. For those unfamiliar, Greenbackers Investment Capital is a leading platform connecting climate tech start-ups with the funding they need to scale. Their mission is to accelerate the transition to a net-zero economy by matching investors with some of the most exciting innovators in the space. Sustainable Ventures, meanwhile, is Europe’s largest climate tech hub, providing entrepreneurs with the workspace, funding, and support to turn sustainable ideas into reality. Today’s showcase was an inspiring demonstration of climate innovation in action. A packed room of investors and industry leaders had the chance to hear from ventures that are shaping the future with bold, forward-thinking solutions, including: 🔹 Neol Copper Technologies 🔹 Ecomar Propulsion 🔹 Hemspan 🔹 IR Power 🔹 Inyanga Maritime Energy Group 🔹 Modular Solar Technologies 🔹 Horizon Bridge 🔹 Sundew 🔹 Inition 🔹 Triton Energy 🔹 RBW EV Cars 🔹 Oomph EV Power 🔹 Flybox 🔹 Balance Eco 🔹 Angara Global 🔹 Reblade 🔹 Cuantec 🔹 Nafici Environmental Research 🔹 Camfridge 🔹 Proteum Energy The breadth of innovation on display—from next-generation energy solutions to sustainable materials and EV technology—was truly impressive. It was inspiring to see so many game-changing ventures presenting to an audience eager to invest in climate-positive solutions. A huge thank you to the Greenbackers Investment Capital team—Andrew Smith, Robert Hokin, Mark Hannigan, and Annika Borrmann—for organising such a brilliant event. And of course, gratitude to Chris Morris, Andrew Wordsworth, Joseph Seal-Driver, Lauren Pilgreen, Charlotte Clift, and the entire Sustainable Ventures team for hosting in such an inspiring space. I’m excited to see the positive outcomes that stem from today’s conversations. If this event is anything to go by, 2025 is going to be an incredible year for climate investment! #ClimateTech #NetZero #Sustainability #Innovation #Investment #Greenbackers #SustainableVentures Joseph Seal-Driver Lauren Pilgreen, MBA Christopher Morris Andrew Wordsworth Rupert Lee Greenbackers Investment Capital Sustainable Ventures

🌍 🌳 Last week was eventful and prosperous for many climate tech companies in terms of funding.  Key sectors that secured funding include energy transition, decarbonization, sustainable food value chains, the circular economy, and more. Here’s the Climate Insider’s weekly report on funding: 👉 Minister Jonathan Wilkinson has announced $11 million in funding for Canadian energy technology projects.  👉 Seaya closed Seaya Andromeda, Southern Europe’s first Article 9 climate-tech fund, at €300 million.  👉 Polestar Capital successfully closed its Circular Debt Fund at €240 million.  👉 Tall Grass Ventures (TGV) announced the successful close of its inaugural fund at $32 million. 👉 Group14 Technologies has secured a $300 million deal with German battery cell company CustomCells . 👉 Libattion has secured €14 million in funding led by A&G Energy Transition Tech Fund, with contributions from Teknia and others. 👉 Carbon Equity closed its third fund at €60 million. 👉 Aether Fuels announced that it has raised $34 million in a Series A financing round, led by AP Ventures. 👉 A $30 billion fund has been launched by the United Arab Emirates with the declared goal of funnelling billions of dollars into climate finance.  👉 UNCAGED Innovations has raised $5.6 million in a Seed investment round, co-led by Green Circle Foodtech Ventures and Fall Line Capital. 👉 Invesco Ltd. announced the launch of the Invesco MSCI Global Climate 500 ETF (KLMT), with a $1.6 billion investment by Finnish pension insurer Varma.  👉 Miami’s ‘climate tech hub’ receives $19.5 million from federal funds, with a focus on reinforcing the coast. 👉 The European Union recently approved Swedish state aid amounting to 3 billion euros. 👉 Adani Group is reportedly planning a $9 billion investment in manufacturing and transportation infrastructure for the first phase of its green hydrogen venture. 👉 IBISA NETWORK has recently raised $3 million to advance its growth initiatives across Africa and Asia. This funding round was led by the Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund (ARAF) and Equator. 👉 The York Region (The Regional Municipality of York) is receiving a federal investment of $76 million to help build an electric bus fleet and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.  👉 Polystyvert has secured $16 million to revolutionize polystyrene recycling. Infinity Recycling led the round, followed by SWEN Blue Ocean, and Earth Foundry, an existing shareholder.  👉 KC8 Capture Technologies has raised $10 million. The startup received backing from local energy giant Woodside Energy and the venture capital arm of Mexican cement producer Cemex, among others. #ClimateTech #Funding #CarbonManagement #DataAnalytics #ClimateRisk #ClimateTechFunding #ClimateTechInvestment #ClimateInvestment #ClimateAction #ClimateChange #StartupFunding