💨 160 Carbon Utilisation Startups to Know

Two sustainable aviation fuel startups made headlines last week as INERATEC and Lydian Labs secured major backing — Lydian Labs with a DARPA award to advance its CO₂-to-fuel process, and INERATEC with €70 million to build Europe’s largest e-fuel plant in Frankfurt, Germany.

We’ve already taken a Deep Dive into Sustainable Aviation, but what about the technology powering some of these fuels in the first place?

Carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) isn’t just about reducing emissions — it’s about turning CO₂ into valuable products, from chemicals and fuels to food and raw materials.

With over 160 startups in the space and growing investor interest, is carbon utilisation tech finally having its moment?

This week we dive into the opportunities and scalability challenges hearing from 10 Founders at the forefront of CCU, build a go-to list of 160 Startups in the space and catch up with 7 Investors who are looking for their next investment in Carbon.

Keep reading for…

• 120 startups mapped as the sector’s ‘ones to watch’

• 160-strong airtable list of CCU startups worldwide

• 7 carbon investors reveal where they’ll invest next

• 30+ Partners who joined the 2024 HackSummit stage

💨 160 Carbon Utilisation Startups

We need to remove up to 9 billion tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere per year, to stay on track with the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target. One way to accelerate progress is by transforming CO₂ into a resource.

Enter Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU), the process of separating out CO₂ from one (industrial) process or captured directly from the air and reused as an input stream for another industrial application.

Startups are utilising CO₂ to create new materials, fuels, chemicals, foods, minerals and more, so we caught up with these 10 Founders working in the space and put together a list of 160 Carbon Utilisation Startups. Enjoy.

With insights from the Founders of: Bloomineral, NeoCarbons, CERT Systems, Regenesis, Oxylus Energy, Carbon Upcycling, Green-On, Terramatter, Farmless and CO2llect.

💸 20 VC-Backable Carbon Technologies

Following on from last week’s flurry of VC Predictions for 2025, this week we take a peek inside the minds of investors from around the world, looking for their next investments in Carbon.

Katharina Frie of eCAPITAL highlights the growing demand for durable carbon removal credits and the necessity for accurate carbon accounting frameworks to ensure genuine net-negative removals.

Koshu Kunii of Lifetime Ventures sees carbon fintech as key to trusted MRV systems, improving transparency in carbon markets while Andrew Gray of Tillia Impact Ventures highlights decentralised platforms that lower barriers for SMEs and individuals to participate in carbon trading.

Juan Pablo Garavaglia of ARCHE emphasises designing products to be carbon-negative from inception, utilising nature-derived materials and innovative supply chain strategies.

Discover all 20 emerging trends in Carbon according to Lifetime Ventures, Holocene Ventures, eCapital, ARCHE, Kinjani, Tillia Impact Ventures and Audacy.

💰 Top Climate VCs at the HackSummit

30+ Partners representing $4bn+ in AUM (Assets Under Management) took to the 2024 HackSummit stage in Lausanne, Switzerland, with 100s more investors in attendance.

Plans for this year’s edition are moving fast as we confirm big names and most importantly key decision makers behind some of the top funds globally active in climate, ready to meet their future portfolio companies.

If you’re fundraising (or soon to start), now’s the time to get your pass and meet 1-1 with the decision-makers who can unlock the next stage of your startup’s growth.

Early Bird Tickets to the HackSummit in Lausanne are now on sale - Reserve your place today to lock in the best rates and come join us, with 850+ others on May 15-16th as we gear up for 2 days of productive networking, deal-making and fun.

Tip: Use code HACKREADER for an extra 20% off the early bird price - valid until Friday.

Let’s make the future happen,

Laura at Hack

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