Category: Start-ups

Behind Do Good Foods’ mission to lower livestock emissions through upcycling

Read the full story at Food Dive.

The co-founders of Do Good Foods — brothers Justin and Matt Kamine — grew up on a farm in New Jersey. They would routinely take food leftovers and feed them to their chickens, pigs and pets, which they said helped the animals grow strong.

Several years later, the brothers took that as inspiration for their company where they collect unused food like fruit and bagels from grocery stores, process it with typical feed ingredients such as corn and soybeans, and then feed it to their chickens.

Meet the climate startup turning a 5,000-mile stretch of seaweed from a plague of coastal communities into a giant carbon store

Read the full story at Business Insider.

Brown seaweed — known as sargassum — causes havoc for coastal communities. But it could also provide an opportunity to build massive carbon stores at the bottom of the ocean. London-based Seaweed Generation is one such startup dedicated to seaweed sequestration. This article is part of “Gains in Green Tech,” a series showcasing some of the most transformative solutions to the climate crisis. For more climate-action news, visit Insider’s One Planet hub.

Instead of working for a B Corp, I decided to build one

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

Sustain.Life CEO and co-founder Annalee Bloomfield shares why her startup started working on B Corp certification before it was even incorporated.

Why this startup wants to help build a seaweed industry in Alaska

Read the full story at Fast Company.

Macro Oceans turns seaweed into a replacement for petrochemicals used in everything from cosmetics to packaging.

Satellite monitoring helps utilities manage risk, boost biodiversity

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

AiDash is working with utility companies to help them turn their land from a hazard into a carbon sink and biodiversity hub.

‘Alexa, how much food do I have left?’ Fighting food waste with ‘smart’ container tech

Read the full story at Food Navigator Europe.

Israeli start-up Silo has developed a vacuum sealing container system capable of extending food freshness for at least twice as long. And it has Alexa built-in, explains founder and CEO Tal Lapidot.

Mondelēz International invites start-ups to apply to CoLab Tech

Read the news release from Mondelēz International.

Mondelēz International, Inc. (Nasdaq: MDLZ), today opened applications for CoLab Tech. The innovative accelerator program is designed to help start-up companies address key challenges in food technology and sustainability. CoLab Tech builds on the successful collaboration and partnership principles of the company’s SnackFutures’ CoLab program, launched in 2021, which provides snacking entrepreneurs and emerging brands with resources, networking opportunities and information to help them grow their businesses.

CoLab Tech seeks to find and collaborate with emerging food technology start-ups offering disruptive solutions and the potential to scale through the company’s core chocolate, biscuit and baked snacks businesses in three critical areas:

  • Sustainability: Technologies that support regenerative agriculture, low carbon dairy ingredients and renewable/more efficient energy sources
  • Innovative Ingredients: Technologies that can deliver cleaner labels, lower carbon footprints, improved sensory experiences, and improved nutrition profiles
  • Process: Technologies that can increase manufacturing flexibility, enhance automation, and allow us to explore more modern, advanced heating and cooling options

The 12-week program includes in-person workshops, hands-on experiences and virtual curriculum sessions, along with 1:1 mentorship and access to Mondelēz International experts and the company’s partners across the globe.

Applications for CoLab Tech are open now. The program will begin in autumn 2023. CoLab Tech is open to U.S. and European-based start-ups who have reached a minimum viable product in their development process and a minimum of five employees. Start-ups with diverse and minority board members will be a plus for selection.

Solar panel recycling startup SOLARCYCLE raises $30 million to scale capacity

Read the full story at ESG Today.

Solar industry-focused recycling startup SOLARCYCLE announced today that it has raised $30 million, including equity and infrastructure financing, with proceeds aimed at scaling the company’s solar panel recycling capacity, and expanding its materials remanufacturing capabilities.

VC dealmaking in climate tech slows dramatically

Read the full story at PitchBook.

VC funding for climate tech startups has slowed to its lowest pace in nearly three years, a worrying sign for an industry which had, until recently, brushed off the tech market downturn. 

In Q1, climate tech startups raised $5.7 billion across 279 VC deals, according to PitchBook data. That’s a 36% decline in deal value and a 31% decline in deal count from the previous quarter. From its peak in Q3 2021, quarterly deal value has fallen more than 50%. 

Sonomaceuticals upcycles Chardonnay pomace into health benefits

Read the full story at Food Navigator USA.

Two wine industry veterans are channeling research and leftover grape pomace into a superfood ingredient chocked full of bioactive compounds for gut and heart health.