❄️ ClimateHack Vol 126: Bear Necessities of Ice Prevention

Hi There,

This week we tracked 160+ pioneers working in CCU, and caught up with 10 Founders converting CO2 into Chemicals, Minerals, Materials, Food and Fuels. As they tell us about their technology’s potential and the pathways to scale.

TL;DR: Scaling CCU requires optimising production efficiency, overcoming high CapEx, securing industrial adoption, and forging strategic partnerships to integrate into entrenched value chains and drive meaningful emissions impact.

It also takes (a lot of) investment to get projects of the ground and to scale them up, so we then caught up with 7 investors who revealed which 20 technologies in Carbon they’re looking to back next.

In this week’s edition:

💥 Supporting European tech startups from early stage to Series B, with a $500 million fund
♻️ Upcycling plastic waste into virgin-grade PET with 0-carbon emissions, 80% less energy
🔥 Scaling thermal energy storage technology to convert renewable electricity into stored heat

The Digest

📈 What’s up? A study published in Nature Geoscience reveals that Greenland's ice sheet is fracturing rapidly, potentially accelerating ice loss and sea level rise, with crevasse formation comparable to the volume of the Great Pyramid of Giza every few days.

🐻‍❄️ Cool: Researchers at the University of Surrey have discovered that polar bear fur’s anti-icing properties, driven by unique lipids in its sebum, could inspire sustainable ice prevention solutions for aviation, renewable energy, and infrastructure.

🩸 Interesting: Why Antarctica's Blood Falls is an intriguing natural phenomena.

👀 Good read: UBS’ report shares what’s top of mind for 156 Founders around the world.

AgriFood x Climate

🔬 Danish biotech Enduro Genetics raised €12 million Series A funding to advance its patented “synthetic addiction” technology, which enhances biomanufacturing efficiency by ensuring only high-producing microbial cells survive, reducing costs and emissions across industries like alternative proteins, enzymes, and pharmaceuticals.

🍓 Edacious secured $8.1 million, in a seed funding round led by Patagonia’s Tin Shed Ventures, to scale its rapid testing and data platform that analyses nutrient density in whole foods and provides insights linking farming practices to nutritional outcomes.

🐟 Barcelona-based KOA Biotech secured €2 million to develop a biosensor system that detects waterborne infections in fish farms before they spread, reducing fish mortality, antibiotic use, and environmental impact through real-time monitoring and early-warning alerts.

🌾 Google’s X “moonshot factory” latest graduate, Heritable Agriculture, raised a seed funding round. It is a data- and AI-driven startup using machine learning to optimise crop growth and reduce agriculture’s environmental impact by transforming vast datasets into actionable insights for farmers.

🐶 UK cultivated meat producer Meatly has partnered with THE PACK to launch Chick Bites, the world’s first pet food made with cultivated meat, into Pets at Home stores in the UK, marking a first for the global alternative protein industry.

Carbon x Climate

🪨 Carbon removal company 44.01 secured an additional $5 million Series A funding, bringing the total to $42 million, to scale its technology that permanently eliminates CO2 by accelerating its mineralisation into rock.

🇫🇷 French startup Mantle8 raised $3.4 million from Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Kiko Ventures to develop AI and imaging tools for locating and assessing natural hydrogen deposits, a potential breakthrough in clean energy.

💡 Opinion: Why $40+ per ton of pollution is the magic number to hit our climate goals.

Construction x Climate

🧱 German startup NeoCarbon has produced its first batch of industry-grade concrete using CO2 captured via its direct air capture technology, reducing the carbon footprint of cement production by 50% through carbon mineralisation.

🇦🇹 Vienna-based sequestra raised €1.1 million pre-seed funding to advance its patented technology platform for permanently binding CO2 in industrial residues like steel slag and demolition waste, enabling large-scale carbon utilisation in construction.

Energy x Climate

🔌 London-based IONATE secured $17 million Series A funding to modernise the electrical grid with its Hybrid Intelligent Transformer and AI-powered Aurora software, designed to provide real-time power control and efficiency for utilities, manufacturers, and data centers.

🔋 Vienna-based renewable energy startup Podero closed its seed funding round with €5.5 million to help utilities reduce energy costs for flexible consumer devices like heat pumps and EV chargers by optimising power trading on energy markets.

💥 Astral Systems, based in the UK, raised over €5.3 million to commercialise its multistate fusion technology, aiming to deliver efficient, cost-effective fusion reactors by the end of 2025 for applications ranging from healthcare to clean energy and space exploration.

🔥 French startup EPYR raised €3 million pre-seed funding to scale its thermal energy storage technology, which converts renewable electricity into stored heat for industrial decarbonisation, with plans to launch industrial-scale pilots across Europe.

🪈 Adia Thermal secured a £300,000 investment from Blackfinch Ventures to advance its patent-pending heat pump retrofit technology, which simplifies installation by reducing time and eliminating the need for extensive pipework.

☀️ WeDoSolar is pivoting to B2B following a minority stake acquisition by Chinese solar giant Genbyte Tech, which will provide infrastructure and expertise to scale operations and expand into new markets.

🤝 Glasgow University spinout Clyde Hydrogen has partnered with PlusZero to deploy and test its decoupled electrolyser technology outside the lab for the first time, aiming to enable safer, scalable, and cost-effective high-pressure green hydrogen production.

🎧 Good listen: Why Deep Tech hardware EnergyTech start-ups with classic FOAK hurdles and new fintech approaches to financing the energy transition are making ground in 2025.

Funds x Climate

💸 Cherry Ventures launched its $500 million Cherry V fund, backed by top entrepreneurs, to support European tech startups from early stage to Series B, aiming to build Europe’s first trillion-dollar company.

Materials x Climate

🧫 MacroCycle Technologies secured $6.5 million seed funding to scale its pilot facilities and expand its patented SolvoGenesis technology, which upcycles plastic waste into virgin-grade PET with zero carbon emissions and 80% less energy use than traditional recycling methods.

👕 London-based biomaterials startup Modern Synthesis raised $5.5 million to expand production and support high-end fashion brands, including the likes of GANNI, with its petrochemical-free textiles made from nanocellulose produced by sugar-eating bacteria and natural fibres.

Community x Climate

📣 Are you a startup developing cleantech solutions to tackle environmental and climate challenges? Don’t miss the opportunity to join Tech4Regen 2025 at EPFL Innovation Park – an 8-month, equity-free program designed to accelerate your impact. Find out more

🇨🇭 Swissnex launched an open call Swiss startups at the swisstech Pavilion to showcase their solutions, offering them the opportunity to connect with potential partners, Brazilian companies, and major investors. Apply Now

🦜 The Nature Tech Summit gathers corporates, developers, investors, large-scale financiers, and tech companies to explore innovative solutions and foster collaboration. Join this single day of high-value content and inspiring discussions will delve into the tools, strategies, and partnerships driving nature-positive outcomes. Learn more

Just for Fun

🐆 As well as “AI experts”?

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Editorial by Laura, Curation by Nicola