⛏️ ClimateHack Vol 125: AI Mineral Discovery Strikes Gold

Hi There,

As January comes to a close we hope you’ll agree its (almost) not to late to share the conversations we’ve been having with leading investors across multiple areas of ClimateTech on where they’re looking to invest in 2025.

So whether you’re prioritising nature-based solutions, on a mission to transform our food and agriculture systems, accelerating the transition to net zero energy or looking at circularity and new materials to close the loop on waste and resource use, you’re likely to find potential investor/s to add to your radar.

ICYMI: This week, we also launched the HackSummit where many of the 80 VCs we spoke to will be headed this May 15-16 to turn their priorities into investments. Join us in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Let’s get into it…

In this week’s edition:

💥 Helion Energy raises $425 million to develop a fusion reactor
💰 Shift4Good closes a €220 million fund to decarbonise global transportation
🛣️ Visibuilt secures €1.1 million for the world’s first fermentation-based binder for pavements

The Digest

📈 What’s up? Scientists at UNSW have set a world record with a 13.2% efficiency for hydrogen-enhanced kesterite solar cells, a promising low-cost and non-toxic material for improving photovoltaic technology.

🔋 Good Read: Planet A Ventures’ Jessica Burley shared her thoughts on battery tech.

🧮 Debate: Yair Reem of Extantia Capital asks, is it easier to raise €220M than €20M?

👀 Interesting: The technology behind a see-through solar panel

👩‍💻 Which AI tools have the best (and worst) carbon footprint, mapped.

AgriFood x Climate

🏭 Liberation Labs raised $50.5 million in its $75 million convertible note round to advance the construction of its 600,000-liter precision fermentation facility, producing bio-based ingredients for food, chemicals, and industrial applications.

🇳🇴 Oslo-based Avisomo raised €5 million, including a €1.6 million grant from Innovation Norway, to advance its “no-hands farming” system, a fully automated vertical farming technology for sustainable large-scale food production.

🧑‍🌾 OneThird raised €3.5 million Series A funding to expand its AI-powered near-infrared technology, which helps farmers, distributors, and retailers reduce food waste by accurately predicting produce shelf life.

💰 The Government of Nova Scotia is investing over 1 million CAD to expand the Verschuren Centre’s fermentation plant, positioning it as the largest precision fermentation provider in Canada and strengthening the country’s biomanufacturing supply chain.

Biodiversity x Climate

🌻 Nala Earth raised €3.8 million in a funding round led by European VC firm IRIS, with participation from KOMPAS VC, Pale blue dot, and Founderful, to enhance its platform for corporate nature and biodiversity management, leveraging data-driven insights to help businesses address nature loss and water scarcity.

Carbon x Climate

🔍 German startup OCELL secured €10 million Series A funding to expand its AI-driven forest digital twin technology, enhancing carbon storage tracking and supporting data-driven climate projects across Europe.

💨 Microsoft is set to purchase over 7 million tons of carbon credits from Chestnut Carbon in a 25-year deal to support the reforestation of 60,000 acres across Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas.

Energy x Climate

💥 Helion Energy raised $425 million, bringing its valuation to $5.245 billion, to develop a fusion reactor, as it works towards supplying Microsoft with fusion-generated electricity by 2028.

🔋 Samotics secured €20 million in financing from the European Investment Bank to accelerate R&D on its AI-driven monitoring technology, designed to boost reliability and energy efficiency in electrical motors.

🏭 Solar startup Niko has raised $8 million in equity and is building Mexico's first virtual power plant by aggregating residential solar and battery storage systems to provide grid services.

💦 Danish startup Hybird Energy secured €2.4 million to scale its AI-powered energy cloud platform, which optimises electricity, water, and heating management in buildings by providing real-time usage insights, automating power control, and predicting equipment malfunctions to enhance efficiency and sustainability.

🌞 UK-based GRYD Energy raised £1 million pre-seed funding to expand its solar hardware subscription model, enabling homeowners to install solar without upfront costs while saving on energy bills.

☀️ Australian energy retailer Amber Electric acquired EV smart charging app Charge HQ to enhance its energy management solutions, enabling EV owners to optimise charging with solar power and real-time grid conditions.

💰 ABB is acquiring Dutch energy management company Sensorfact, which provides AI-driven SaaS solutions with plug-and-play sensors to help SMEs reduce energy consumption and costs.

ESG x Climate

🔢 London-based climate market intelligence platform Sightline raised $5.5 million to expand its research, sector coverage, and AI-driven insights, helping businesses and governments make data-informed climate decisions.

Funds x Climate

💶 French impact investment fund Shift4Good closed its first fund with €220 million, exceeding its target to back Series A and B startups developing scalable solutions for decarbonising global transportation.

💰 Algebris Investments launched its first venture capital fund, Algebris Climatech, securing an initial €60 million to invest in climate and deep tech startups across sectors such as energy, materials, industrials, and food.

🌮 Lever VC closed the first $50 million of its Fund II to invest in early-stage agrifoodtech startups, backing companies like novel fats maker Gavan Technologies, sweet protein producer Oobli, and plant-based ingredient company Mush Foods.

💷 London-based VC fund NextSTEP will allocate €1.6 million for 16 new investments in 2025, focusing on renewable energy, sustainable mobility, circular economy, and other green innovations.

Materials x Climate

⛏️ Mining exploration startup Earth AI raised $20 million Series B funding to advance its AI-driven mineral discovery technology, supporting the growing demand for raw materials in the green energy transition.

🧱 Keey Aerogel, based in France, raised €18 million Series A funding to scale its eco-friendly silica aerogel, produced from construction waste using a closed-loop, low-impact process.

🫗 Another French startup, Le Fourgon, secured $8.5 million to expand its reusable glass deposit system across France, promoting sustainable consumption and reducing plastic waste.

🛣️ Visibuilt closed its pre-seed funding round with €1.1 million to advance visiBIT, the world’s first fermentation-based binder for pavements, designed to disrupt the conventional asphalt industry.

🌬️ Swedish startup Adsorbi secured €1 million to scale its cellulose-based air purification material, which captures pollutants like nitrogen oxides and will be used in air filters, odour removal, and museum preservation.

🦠 MetaCycler BioInnovations' startup, Velocity, is developing a biodegradable plastic alternative using bacteria to convert dairy industry waste into polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), offering a flexible, sustainable solution to plastic pollution.

Methane x Climate

🪸 CH4 Global launched what it claims is the world’s first commercial-scale Asparagopsis seaweed production facility in South Australia, making methane-reducing livestock feed supplements commercially viable without subsidies.

Mobility x Climate

⛽️ INERATEC secured a €70 million funding package from the European Investment Bank and Breakthrough Energy Catalyst to support its carbon-neutral e-fuel plant in Frankfurt, set to be Europe’s largest when it opens in 2025.

🔌 Tallinn-based Gridio raised €2.4 million to expand its smart charging platform across Europe, helping EV owners and energy users optimise consumption, reduce costs, and support a more resilient electricity grid.

☀️ Belgian startup Pleevi secured €1 million to expand its AI-driven smart EV charging technology across Europe, integrating solar power, batteries, and predictive forecasting for smarter energy management.

✈️ Lydian Labs has developed a process to produce aviation fuel using only carbon dioxide and electricity, enabling fuel production wherever these inputs are available, and has received a DARPA award to further develop its technology.

🚲 London’s largest e-bike operator, Lime, announced a £20 million action plan to tackle e-bike parking issues, including 2,500 new spaces, AI-powered parking enforcement, and a larger on-street team.

Water x Climate

💦 Swiss startup Oxyle secured $15.7 million to scale its breakthrough wastewater treatment technology, which destroys over 99% of PFAS chemicals using an energy-efficient, real-time monitoring system.

💧 Belfast-based StormHarvester raised €9.7 million to expand its AI-driven wastewater management platform into new markets. It uses predictive analytics to help utilities improve their sewer operations, prevent pollution, and comply with environmental regulations.

🧪 Scientists at The University of Manchester have developed metal-organic cages, a new material designed to trap and remove harmful chemicals from water, reducing pollution from common products.

🌳 An Oversight? The Amazon’s most vital function.

Just for Fun

An unconventional transition into HardTech

Meme x Climate

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Editorial by Laura, Curation by Nicola