#72. Announcing our September Showcase Speakers + Alternative Protein
Understory newsletter on climatetech and sustainability
We are excited to announce our speaker lineup for the next ‘Startups Driving Sustainability’ Showcase on September 15th.
Lex Kiefhaber will share how United by Zero is helping consumers find truly sustainable clothing.
Hamoun Karami will talk about making garbage smarter and reducing waste with Smartbin.io.
David Wei will explain how SolarKal makes solar energy accessible to businesses.
Alexander Bulkin from A100x Ventures will discuss investing at the intersection of disruptive technologies and impact.
Join us to hear these stories about doing good through business.
📚 Worth Reading
Last week’s episode of The Understory Podcast with Big Idea Ventures introduced us to the world of investing in foodtech, particularly alternative protein. A recent analysis from McKinsey & Company further highlights the opportunity for cultured meats, estimated to be a $25 billion industry by 2030.
Technology innovations have made it possible to replicate the taste, feel, smell, and look of regular meat. The industry attracted $350 million of investment in 2020 and an additional $250 million in the first half of 2021. But scaling production is still a massive challenge requiring billions of additional investment. How do we get there? McKinsey recommends 1) building out the supply chain for raw materials, 2) streamlining the manufacturing process, and 3) creating modular factory designs.
📽 Worth Watching
Bonus section! Don’t miss the recording of Understory’s recent panel talking all things ESG at Fintech South. We are joined by BlackRock and PwC who talk about current trends; reporting, evaluation, and aligning with your company’s strategy; leading practices for building ESG goals, plans, and processes; and utilizing technology to drive innovation and transparency.
🚀 Funding and Congrats!
Lululemon made an undisclosed investment in Genomatica. The company produces nylon made of plants, rather than petroleum. Lululemon plans to start using the material in its products as soon as possible.
EV company Rivian filed paperwork to go public via an IPO targeting an $80 billion valuation.
Alternative protein company Melt & Marble raised a €750 million seed round.
Form Energy, which produces rechargeable ion-air batteries, raised $240 million from the TPG Rise Climate Fund and ArcelorMittal.
Cherry Street Energy, a solar energy company, raised $50 million from The Forest Road Company.
LevelTen Energy, a provider of renewable transaction infrastructure, raised $35 million in Series C funding.
Oddbox, a sustainable food waste reduction platform, received a £16 million primary and secondary investment from Burda Principal Investments.
Echion Technologies, a developer of next generation materials for lithium-ion batteries, raised £10 million in Series A funding.
💡 Startup Spotlight
Wasteless helps supermarkets reduce waste of perishable items through dynamic pricing powered by artificial intelligence.
👀 Quick Hits
Maersk placed an order for 8 vessels operated by carbon neutral methanol, accelerating fleet decarbonization.
GM paused production on the electric vehicle Chevy Volt and issued an additional safety recall of existing cars due to risk of battery fire.
Cambridge University launched an Aviation Impact Accelerator to pursue true net zero flights.
The FAA announced $20.4 million in grants for airports to buy zero-emissions vehicles and reduce ramp emissions.
Climeworks landed a $10 million contract for carbon capture services from Swiss Re.
Corteva is teaming up with Indigo Ag to expand its agricultural carbon credits program.
The SEC is investigating Deutsche Bank’s DWS Group for overstating ESG claims.
NOAA published its State of the Climate in 2020 Report, confirming numerous records. (tldr summary article here).
Everyone can join the movement to plant 1 trillion trees.
🎧 Podcast
Abby Lyall of Big Idea Ventures: investing in foodtech
Climate Neutral: certifying climate claims
AeroShield: a clear (and energy efficient) window to the future
The Understory Podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Google Podcasts.
⚙️ Jobs
Find and share your open positions on the Understory Slack channel.
VP / Director of Marketing at Cloverly
Software Engineer at Joulea
Climate Data Analyst at CO2HERO
Multiple Roles at Patch
Chief of Staff, Sustainability at JPMorgan
Director, Strategic Initiatives (Circular Economy) at Walmart
Senior Product Manager, Re-commerce at REI
Senior Legislative Counsel at Earthjustice
Head of Product at KEY ESG
Marketing Associate at Big Idea Ventures
Marketing Director at THIS
Communications Manager with Climate Neutral
Head of Product, Bus Dev Director, Engineers at Nitricity
Developer roles at Gybe
Project Manager, ESG at Techstars
Chief of Staff at ReGen Ventures
Senior Manager, Growth Strategy at R-Zero
Numerous Roles at CarbonCure
VP, Sustainability at Macy’s
Sr. Program Manager, Net Zero Carbon & Sustainability for Grocery at Amazon
Marketing Manager at Goodr
Director, Energy & Sustainability Services at JLL
Circular Economy Specialist at Rubicon
Senior Vice President of Impact at Bombas
Director of Social Impact at Minecraft / Microsoft
Open Innovation Sustainability Segment Lead at Accenture
🗓 Events
September 15: Startups Driving Sustainability - September Showcase (REGISTER NOW!)
October 21: Startups Driving Sustainability - October Showcase
October 28-30: Sustainable Fashion Week Atlanta
December 1: Startups Driving Sustainability - December Showcase
Nominate a speaker or apply today to present at one of our showcases. We are currently working on exciting lineups for our end of year events.
📧 Stay in Touch!
You don’t have to wait for our weekly newsletter for all the latest content. Join us on Slack or follow along on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter to see real-time updates.
Until next week!