💯 Mavericks Using Microbes to Transform Climate Tech

Microbes are quietly reshaping the future of industry, food, and climate solutions.

From turning carbon dioxide into valuable products, to regenerating farmland, extracting metals from polluted soils, and producing next-generation protein, these microscopic powerhouses are proving to be some of the most versatile tools in the fight against climate change and opening a pathway to abundance.

We caught up with 16 experts pioneering the frontier of microbial innovation.

They share how genetically programmable organisms and precision fermentation are enabling scalable, sustainable solutions are unlocking opportunities to decarbonize industries, build circular economies, and transform waste into value.

From climate tech to urban mining, food production to biomining, these leaders reveal how microbes not only support technology, they are becoming the technology itself.

Plus check out a goldmine of 100+ startups working in the space.

Hear from 16 Experts:

Programmable Molecular Chemistry

David Kim at Cyano Capture

What: Cyano Capture uses the world's most efficient photosynthetic organism to turn CO2 into products without needing to grow sugars to feed to microbes.

Asked about the potential of microbes in Climate Tech, David told us:

“Microbes are incredibly powerful because they are genetically programmable. By inserting DNA with instructions, they can synthesise extremely sophisticated molecules that are too difficult to make using chemistry alone, but entirely from simple ingredients. These compounds are expensive and secreted in small amounts. But the small amounts they secrete can be extracted, sold and will subsidise the rest of the process of carbon being sequestered in the form of biomass.”

Microbial Carbon Frontier

Sagi Sheinkman, Co-Founder and CEO at Cooling Crops

What: Cooling Crops’ patented sprayable formulation combines local cyanobacteria with nanotechnology. Their unique technology delivers a dual-action solution: applied to soil, it restores the natural microbiome and boosts nutrient absorption; applied to plants, it enhances thermal resilience and accelerates growth.

Sagi shares his perspective on the role of microbes play in decarbonisation and regenerative solutions:

“Microbes can fix carbon, build soil structure, and replace synthetic materials, and in our case effectively turning degraded soils into nutrient-rich and climate-resillient farmland into carbon sinks. When paired with engineered nanomaterials, they unlock durable biocrust formation and long‑term carbon storage—positioning microbial systems as an overlooked yet powerful frontier in global decarbonisation and regenerative climate technology.”

Microbes for Metals and Mining

Liz Dennett, CEO and Founder at Endolith

What: Endolith is at the forefront of revolutionizing the mining industry by pioneering sustainable mining solutions. Leveraging the power of microbes, synthetic biology, and cloud computing, Endolith aims to transform how copper is extracted, reducing environmental impact and setting new standards for the industry.

Liz shared what inspired the scientific approach behind Endolith’s sustainable mining technology:

“My background in astrobiology taught me that life can thrive in the most extreme environments. At Endolith, we use that same science to harness extremophiles that unlock critical materials from rock while reducing mining’s environmental footprint.”

She added: “I’m so excited to connect in New York soon. HackSummit is always one of my favorite events of the year!”

Turning Waste into Value

Elizabeth Loennborn, COO at Biometallica

What: BioMetallica’s key differentiator is their patented genetically-engineered microbe that produces 70% more biolixiviant than the wild type. This, coupled with their proprietary engineering solutions, enables them move faster and cleaner than previous biomining technologies. For the customer, this means less system downtime, better kinetics, and technoeconomics that actually make sense. For the planet, they are running 6x more energy efficient, reduce chemical usage by 90%, and produce wastewater that is sewer-safe.

When we asked Elizabeth, how microbes can transform pollution and industry for sustainable, circular solutions, she told us:

“Microbes are uniquely powerful allies: They are fundamentally renewable resources, capable of exponential self-replication to scale solutions rapidly. They operate efficiently at ambient temperatures, eliminating energy-intensive thermal processes. And, their specialized biochemistry reduces the dependence on highly toxic and polluting chemicals while transforming waste streams and pollutants into valuable resources – turning environmental liabilities into circular economic opportunities. We believe that microbes are central to developing some of the biggest climate solutions and, coupled with engineering technologies, we have the power to harness and supercharge their potential.”

Microbes Meet Commercialization

André Sobolewski, CEO at Blue Skies Minerals

André first realised the potential of microbes in ClimateTech back in 1990 when he built his first company, as he shares his optimism and realism with us:

“The potential exists, but it won't be realized until the challenges of large-scale application are overcome. Bio-DAC or biomineralization may work in the lab, but large-scale deployment is unlikely. I'm more optimistic about the prospects for biological processes to manufacture useful products, especially using hybrid methods like electro-microbial processes.”

So what’s holding startups back from scaling, we asked André:

“Many proposals I see are research projects, not investable prospects. They will require longer incubations in research labs before being ready for commercialization. Applications like bioleaching have a long history and are being deployed commercially. Learn from them and build on their successes to address the credibility gap.”

Microbes as Natural Engines

Julia Mensa, CEO and Co-Founder at Nunatak Biotech

What: Nunatak designs microbial solutions inspired by life in extreme environments, starting in Antarctica. Their Extreme Bioinput Platform develops stress-resilient and stackable biologicals that work seamlessly with existing biological and chemical inputs. From this science came Yamana, their first bioinput, proven to enhance crop performance under salinity and cold stress while maintaining full compatibility with current practices.

We asked Julia how microbial technologies can be scaled responsibly to maximize their decarbonization potential while minimizing ecological risks:

“Microbes are natural engines for decarbonization, they can capture CO₂, rebuild soil organic matter, remediate contaminants, and help plants thrive in degraded lands. Their self-replicating nature and ability to integrate into existing systems make them a scalable and cost-effective tool in the climate technology portfolio.”

Precision Biofactory Frontier

Benjamin Howard, COO and Co-Founder at Vertus Energy

What: Vertus’ bio-transformation platform enables us to control bacteria behaviour in anaerobic environments with minor electrical stimulation for the production of green chemicals. Their flagship product, BRIO, uses our proprietary bioelectrodes to harness the entire consortium of microbes that are used in the anaerobic digestion process to produce 30-60% more RNG; 3 times faster than is currently possible. 

We caught up with Benjamin on how he sees the next frontier in microbial innovation and its potential impact on climate technologies:

“The intersection between the utilisation of microbes and precision applied machine learning is the next frontier for, not just, Climate Technologies but how the world will operate. Microbes have limitless potential to bring us back into equilibrium. They’re the natural supercomputers that are woven into the very fabric of how the earth and every living thing on it operates and functions.

It’s imperative to deeply understand how different microbes work and then apply them with precision and speed at the most difficult challenges we’re facing because they will achieve so much more than we can currently imagine.”

Engineering with Microbes

Dali Rashid, Co-Founder and CTO at GenoMines

What: Genomines develops genetically enhanced plants and their native microbes to recover valuable metals directly from heavily polluted soils, turning degraded land into carbon-negative biorefineries. By combining synthetic biology with plant–microbe ecology, they transform metal extraction into a regenerative process that restores ecosystems instead of depleting them.

We asked Dali if and how microbes can transform mining and materials industries, here’s her perspective:

“Microbes are nature’s most scalable engineers. They can recycle metals and make them bioavailable, capture carbon, and help plants thrive where nothing else can. By designing with microbial systems rather than against them, we can rebuild critical industries (from mining to materials) on circular living foundations that regenerate rather than emit.”

Bringing Microbes to Market

Eyal Afergan, Co-Founder and CEO at ImaginDairy

What: ImaginDairy’s uniqueness lies in using AI to unlock the full potential of microbes, enabling us to enhance protein functionality and achieve key food properties, like excellent gelation and texture, while maintaining great taste. It’s the same protein, optimized for superior performance in real food applications.

Eyal tells us why microbes are such a promising alternative to traditional animal-based production, and what milestones they have achieved to prove this potential:

“The potential is enormous, since microbes offer a far more efficient biological system than animal-based production. What excites us most is our successful market launch, one of the first worldwide, that proves this vision is not just theoretical but is real and it is achievable.”

Microbes for Bio-Ingredients

Prateek Mahalwar, CEO at BIOWEG

What: BIOWEG’s platform combines side streams as media and bacterial cellulose production with proprietary functionalisation into tailored, high-performance bio-ingredients. Unlike plant celluloses, BIOWEG materials are optimised at the microstructure level for rheology, suspension, sensory feel and texture, supported by formulation comparisons, LCA data and pilot-scale production milestones.

We asked Prateek how microbial materials reduce fossil polymer use and environmental impact, he shared with us:

“Fermentation enables biobased, biodegradable polymers that replace fossil materials, lower embodied carbon, and cut energy use. BIOWEG’s RheoWeg®, MicBead®, and SeedWeg® lines offer drop-in, microplastic-free alternatives for thickeners, extrusion aids, and coatings to combine circular feedstocks, mild microbial processes, and enzymatic catalysis to decarbonize, comply with EU rules and valorize waste streams.”

Targeted Non-Toxic Biocapsules

Mili Romana, Co-Founder and CEO at Vexxel

What: Vexxel is developing biodegradable smart biocapsules that let nature decide when to act. Their technology delivers active ingredients only when needed, cutting chemical use by up to 90%. They are making farming cleaner, more efficient, and scalable, proving that sustainability and profitability can grow together.

Next-Gen Whey

Hélène Briand Co-Founder and Chief Innovation and Commercial Officer, Verley

What: At Verley we are harnessing the power of microorganism to produce the most important protein for nutrition and muscle recovery: whey protein. To achieve this we have developed a proprietary precision fermentation technology allowing us to produce purer and more functional whey proteins.

Next Gen Biological Crop Nutrition

Elizabeth Gallegos, CEO at Pluton Biosciences

What: Pluton has discovered sunlight-powered microbes that pull nitrogen and carbon from the air, temporarily storing those nutrients, and releasing them as crops need them throughout the season—while improving soil health along the way. Our product will give growers a more sustainable option that delivers essential nutrition and builds long-term soil resilience.

We asked Elizabeth how microbial solutions can help reduce the carbon footprint of modern agriculture, she told us:

“Microbes offer a practical path to decarbonizing agriculture. They supply nitrogen biologically, reducing reliance on fossil-fuel-based fertilizers; they help retain nutrients, lowering nitrous oxide emissions; and their biomass contributes to soil organic matter, storing carbon. Because they fit within existing farming practices, microbial solutions have a credible route to scale.”

Decarbonising Food with Microbes

Katelijne Bekkers, Co-Founder and CEO at MicroHarvest

What: MicroHarvest has developed the fastest known fermentation process (24h) that turns nature’s most efficient protein factories, microbes, into nutritious ingredients at an industrial scale (proven at 15kt per year). Their MICROVIA™ technology combines speed, sustainability, and simplicity to create high-quality protein anywhere in the world, independent of the climate or seasons.

We asked Katelijne why microbes are a promising solution for feeding a growing population with minimal emissions, she revealed:

“Microbes offer a powerful route to decarbonise and scale food production. As an unlimited natural resource, they can grow on existing agricultural side streams, transforming by-products into nutritious protein with minimal land, water, and energy use. This efficiency cuts CO₂ emissions by over 95% and enables truly circular, climate-resilient food systems to feed a growing global population.”

Gas-Based Bio-Preservatives

Sebastián Zaera, CEO at BioBlends

What: BioBlends harnesses the natural ability of beneficial bacteria to produce volatile antifungal molecules — compounds that plants themselves naturally use to defend against pathogens. They selectively screen these volatiles and apply them to extend food shelf life through the gaseous phase, leaving no residues and enabling clean, natural preservation.

Sebastián shares how microbial technologies contribute to creating a more sustainable and low-carbon food system:

“Microbes are nature’s most efficient biofactories, converting substrates into functional molecules with minimal energy input. By replacing petroleum-derived chemical preservatives and reducing food waste, microbial technologies like ours contribute directly to decarbonising the food system and building truly sustainable production models.”

 Redefining Urban Mining

Alexandra Levesque, Head of Innovation and Business Development Manager at PX Group

What: PX Group’s approach stands out for its use of microbes in a biological extraction process to recover metals like gold and others from urban waste. This innovation not only addresses resource scarcity but also promotes circular economy and green chemistry. As a key part of the collaborative PX Urban mining initiative, PX transforms waste into resources at the source, turning cities into modern-day gold mines—with microbes as the miners.

Alexandra explains why microbes are important for the circular economy:

“Microbes have ability to operate at ambient conditions and self-replicate makes them ideal for scalable, decentralized solutions—from bioleaching critical metals for clean tech. In short, microbes offer anature-powered toolkit for building a circular, climate-resilient economy. More, it opens new avenues for processing low-grade or complex materials. By tapping into these tiny living organisms, we are paving the way for a cleaner circular economy that redefines urban mining for future generations.”

Microbes in the HackSummit Spotlight

Liz Dennett is on a mission to make mining more sustainable by harnessing the power of microbes. As CEO and Founder of Endolith, she and her team of geomicrobiology and biotechnology experts are developing innovative ways to extract valuable minerals like copper and lithium from low-grade ores.

Their approach leverages microbes to increase recovery rates while reducing chemical use and cutting carbon emissions, helping make mining cleaner and more efficient.

Recognized for her leadership in climate tech and translating advanced science into real-world solutions, Liz uses biology and data-driven techniques to transform how essential materials are sourced.

This December, Liz joins Deborah Zajac, General Partner of SOSV for a fireside chat at the HackSummit in New York (December 10–11) to discuss Endolith’s biotech journey, and the potential for microbes to power the future of sustainable mining. Plus, get the inside track on SOSV’s 60 “first-check” pre-seed investments, up to $550K each, made every year, along with 150 follow-on investments.

100+ Microbe Startups to Know

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