⚒️ 25 Solutions Climate Venture Studios are Building Next

Climate Venture Studios offer a launchpad for emerging talent who need a way to rapidly test, iterate and scale.

Their secret weapon?

They can often outpace VCs in spotting new technologies because they actively build startups, not just fund them.

Their hands-on approach, deep market research, and in-house expertise enable them to identify emerging trends and develop cutting-edge solutions to solve critical challenges in Climate.

So who better to ask about up-and-coming technologies than the Founding Partners and Investors behind 9 leading Climate Venture Studios:

• Persistent - Africa’s Climate Venture Builder

• FoodLabs - backing the bold to build iconic companies

• Newlab - a platform for deep tech startups and innovation

• EMpact - supporting agriculture value chains in the global south

• Marble - a DeepTech Venture Studio solving hard climate problems

• Beanstalk AgTech - improving drought and climate resilience for farmers

• Reciprocal - first environmental venture studio in LatAm and the Caribbean

• ZINC - building outsized impact using cutting-edge science and technologies

• TONBO Ventures - working in Energy, Supply Chain, Agriculture and BlueTech

Tip: To better understand what venture studios are and get to know 35 of them working in Climate Tech, head this way

Better still: Join us at Venture Studio, Newlab and meet 300 Climate DeepTech investors, stealth to Series B Founders and industry operators for the HackSummit in New York, December 12-13th.

Ten Founding Partners and Investors Weigh in: Which Climate Technologies are Critical for your Venture Studios to Solve?

Benjamin Tincq at Marble

• Geothermal: Global power demand is due to triple by 2050, and geothermal is one of the only clean firm resources available almost anywhere. We're interested in a broad range of approaches which can improve project economics outside of ideal locations. Those include for instance: supercritical, closed loop, enhanced systems, and novel materials to unlock these use cases. We're looking for a technical Founder in Residence in this space.

• Wastewater: Treatment plants are among the world's most critical infrastructure. However, they serve only ~20% of the world' population, yet use 4% of the world’s electricity, and are responsible for more than 3% of global GHG emissions. The impact potential is vast but the industry is very hard to enter. We're looking for a Founder in Residence to slash methane emissions in wastewater while valorising its energy or carbon content.

• Copper: Overcoming the copper supply gap will require innovation across primary extraction, refining, recycling and substitution. We're particularly interested in novel approaches which could unlock secondary supply in Europe and beyond, in quantities that are vast enough to partially close that gap. We're looking forward to speaking with anyone looking at this particular problem.

Liat Mazor at TONBO Ventures

• Replacing Fossil Fuels with Renewable Energy: Everyone knows that decarbonization is crucial to achieving climate stability. What’s less obvious are some of the more unusual ways and places that ClimateTech solutions are emerging. For example, in the maritime industry, which is responsible for ~3% of global emissions, the quantity of fuel burned by ships could be reduced by up to 30% using new rigid sails. There are also robots in development that clean biofouling from ships' hulls while vessels are in motion, significantly increasing efficiency and lowering emissions. In supply chain transportation, liquid CO₂ is replacing diesel for cooling trucks, also reducing emissions. Meanwhile, in RE production and energy storage, AI-driven SaaS platforms are supporting microgrids, increasing productivity and reducing managerial overheads.

• Food Security Solutions: Smart agriculture, land use & water management solutions are tackling issues of low yield, water scarcity and the lack of fresh, healthy food being grown close to communities. The latest solutions facilitate precise land use and offer monitoring and optimization of effluent projects. At the same time, inland fish farming, in closed circle controlled recirculating aquaculture systems, is helping to secure growing demands for available protein, allowing fresh, healthier, saltwater fish to be delivered in a few hours from farm to table. In agritech, new circular economy solutions are cooling harvests prior to shipment, while they are still in the field in order to extend shelf lives.

• Climate Adaptation Technology: The unfortunate fact is that our climate and environment are already deteriorating. The effects are also being felt in lower crop yields and decreases in fish caught in the wild. Significant efforts are being made to mitigate this. In the world of supply chain solutions (scope 3), the latest innovations are extending the shelf life of goods, and reducing food waste. Temperature-controlled logistics, improved packaging, and predictive analytics are helping to ensure that products reach consumers fresh while minimizing spoilage and resource depletion. In waste management, innovative materials and processes are transforming waste into valuable resources, from biofuels to new construction materials. 

Toukam Ngoufanke and Tobias Ruckstuhl at Persistent

• Battery and Charging Technology for 2/3 Wheeler Electric Mobility: Favourable technological and price developments will enable more business models. And further reduce the upfront investment requirements, and how we need to think around battery swapping. This will further accelerate the transition to a more inclusive, cleaner and more sustainable mobility.

• Solar Generators: Driven by both market learnings as well as technological developments, product-market fit is being achieved for more and more market segments. This will accelerate both decarbonization (diesel generator replacement). And increase (reliable) energy access. This will create new markets and business models.

• Productive Use Appliances for (Small-Holder) Agriculture: There is a massive opportunity to increase agricultural productivity in a green way: think solar milling, solar processing, solar irrigation and so on. We follow developments in this area closely.

Meet the Climate Deep Tech Community IRL

Come and join us at the HackSummit in New York (12-13th December).

300+ industry mavericks and disruptors behind novel climate tech solutions are heading to New York next month for two days of networking and deal making across all things climate deep tech.

Ready to discover more? Head this way to see who’s speaking and what’s planned.

P.S. Code HOLIDAYS30 gets you 30% off your pass. Valid until EOD Monday 2nd December.

Ann-Cathrin Schulz at FoodLabs

• Next-gen Biomanufacturing: A new generation of companies is emerging to address the growing demand for scalable biomanufacturing processes to make products more sustainably and efficiently. We’re excited to find current technologies being leveraged for new mid- to high-value targets, but also to see biomanufacturing innovations in cell-free culture, microbial strains, and molecular farming. This is unlocking high yields, metabolic complexity, and scale respectively, bringing about price parity for more products and supporting the replacement of chemicals in industry for a renewable and carbon-neutral future.

• Future Crops: Despite there being tens of thousands of edible plant species, we rely on only 3 for 50% of our calories (rice, wheat, and maize) and just 30 species for 90% of the food that we eat globally. This lack of diversity makes our food systems fragile, especially in the face of climate change. With recent advances in breeding technologies and new genomic techniques, we believe that under-utilised crops with exceptional traits can be leveraged to develop the crops of the future. Rather than focusing solely on improving our major crops, this will bring about a more sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture that will also support geopolitical security.

• Biodiversity: Biodiversity is the cornerstone of life, encompassing everything from genes and microbes to entire ecosystems like coral reefs and forests. It is a product of over 3 billion years of evolution, shaped increasingly by human activity, providing numerous benefits to our economy and society, including food, medicine, energy, clean water, and clean air. ‍Unfortunately, biodiversity and nature are in crisis. Earth’s wildlife population has declined by 70% over the past 50 years, with up to a million species at risk of extinction today. Over a third of the world’s forest area and topsoil have been degraded and by 2030 global water supply is expected to fall short of demand by 40%. Regulatory tailwinds such as the CSRD, TNFD, and SBTN are pushing new solutions for monitoring & data collection, data analysis, and end-use applications such as reporting, credits, or insetting.

Alex Prather at Newlab

• Carbon utilization for petrochemical-analog precursors: With CBAM going into effect in the EU and emerging carbon removal incentives moving forward in the US, there are strong tailwinds emerging for carbon management. With an emerging Gulf Coast partnership focused on creating a carbon management hub, we’re particularly excited about innovations that decarbonize the petrochemical industry that can replace traditional materials without disrupting existing supply chains. 

• Urban Decarbonization and Retrofitting Innovation: Regulations like NYC’s Local Law 97 are making emissions from the built environment a critical pain point. We’re seeking innovators who can radically simplify retrofitting or energy auditing processes, making compliance a smoother path for building owners while delivering real emissions reductions. The US housing crisis is going to be hitting all time highs, so our eyes are also set on game-changing technologies to increase new-build efficiency while reducing emissions.

• Offshore Ocean Energy and Grid Integration: Offshore energy is hitting headwinds—literally and figuratively—with rising opposition to wind developments and persistent challenges in grid integration. This also presents opportunities for innovation in the space. We’re particularly interested in technologies addressing storage, novel offshore systems, grid connectivity, and are open to exploring other ocean tech innovations in tandem.

Prateek Shrivastava at EMpact

• Plant and Soil Health: IoT sensors are critical for farmers and the communities they work with because they provide precise, real-time data that enhances decision-making and resource management. Soil based sensors, by monitoring critical soil parameters such as moisture levels, pH, and nutrient content, can enable farmers to optimize irrigation, fertilization, and pest control efforts, leading to healthier crops and higher yields. Plant-based sensors can monitor plant health indicators and detect stress signals or disease onset before they become visible, enabling timely intervention. This proactive approach helps farmers prevent crop loss, reduce the need for chemical treatments, and even potentially cure diseases through targeted remedies. These not only boost farmers' productivity and income but also promote more sustainable farming practices that conserve water, reduce chemical usage, and minimize environmental impact. For the broader community, this means greater food security, improved local economies, and a more resilient agricultural system that can better withstand the challenges of climate change and resource scarcity. 

• AI Driven Voice-Based Chat-Bots: AI-driven voice-based chatbots can greatly enhance the productivity of farmers with limited literacy by providing accessible, real-time guidance and personalized recommendations. These chatbots allow farmers to interact using spoken language, eliminating the need for literacy, and enabling instant access to crucial information about crop management, pest control, weather updates, and market prices. They offer tailored advice based on the farmer's specific situation and can deliver educational content through interactive voice instructions, making learning and application of best practices easier. Additionally, chatbots can automate routine tasks like sending reminders for irrigation or fertilizer application, reducing cognitive load and improving efficiency. They simplify communication by eliminating the need for written materials and offer valuable data-driven insights that aid in decision-making. By integrating advanced voice recognition technology, collaborating with local agricultural experts, and ensuring offline functionality, these chatbots can provide practical support to farmers, ultimately boosting their productivity and farming experience. Given the types of communities of workers in the field, the key is to solve for chat-bots that work with low-resource languages, i.e. not mainstream languages.

• Bio-Pesticides and Bio-Fertilizers: Biotechnology enhances sustainable farming by improving crop yields, reducing environmental impact, and promoting resource efficiency. Techniques like genetically modified crops can increase resistance to pests and diseases, leading to higher productivity and less reliance on chemical pesticides. Bio-pesticides and bio-fertilizers, derived from natural sources, target specific pests and improve soil health without harmful side effects, while enhanced nutrient uptake reduces the need for excessive fertilizers and minimizes environmental pollution.

Gabriela Carrasco at Reciprocal

• Land Use Change in the Amazon: Latin America's greatest source of GHG's is surprisingly not the burning of fossil fuels - it is land use change. The Amazon rainforest is home to 10% of the world’s biodiversity and stores around 123 billion metric tons of carbon, making it a critical natural ally in combating climate change. Yet, due to deforestation and unsustainable land-use practices, the Amazon has begun to emit more carbon than it absorbs in some regions, according to a 2021 study in Nature. This transition risks exacerbating climate instability, as the rainforest edges closer to an ecological tipping point. Between 2000 and 2018 alone, the Amazon lost approximately 17% of its forest cover, mainly due to agricultural expansion. At Reciprocal, we aim to champion ventures that combat these trends through sustainable agroforestry, non-timber forest products, and enablers of reforestation and land restoration. By aligning innovation with community-led initiatives, we aim to preserve the Amazon’s ecological integrity and global climate-regulating capacity.

• Soil (but it's not just carbon!): Yes, soils act as a massive carbon reservoirs, storing approximately 2,500 gigatons of carbon—more than the atmosphere and all plant life combined. Yet, agricultural activities release about 24% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with soil degradation contributing significantly to this figure (IPCC, 2019). Practices such as over-tilling and suboptimal cropping patterns disrupt soil structure and microbial health, leading to not only carbon release, but reduced yields and resilience to climate shocks. Regenerative agriculture techniques offer a powerful countermeasure, but they need to be farmer-focused. For instance, cover cropping can sequester up to 1.5 metric tons of CO2 per acre annually, according to the Rodale Institute. Reciprocal supports technologies and innovators that help unlock enhanced soil health through solutions ranging from biochar — capable of storing carbon for hundreds of years — and soil monitoring systems, to silvopastoral approaches, biological crop solutions, and more. These innovations can reduce emissions while boosting yields and buffer against extreme weather, making them a win-win solution for both farmers and the planet.

• Ocean Health & Our Blue Economies: We owe a lot to the Global Ocean. Not only do they regulate our weather systems and provide a primary food source for billions, but our ocean is also the largest carbon sink on Earth. It absorbs about 25% of all human-caused CO2 emissions and producing over half of the planet’s oxygen. However, ocean acidification—a 30% increase since the Industrial Revolution—is diminishing this capacity, disrupting marine ecosystems, and threatening biodiversity (NOAA, 2022). Combined with climate change, overfishing, and pollution, these are the biggest drivers of declining ocean health today. An estimated 8 million tons of plastic entering oceans each year, and fisheries are in rapid decline from historic norms. At Reciprocal, we are exploring circular economy solutions incorporating sustainable grown seaweeds. We also believe in integration of systems - asking the question: How can renewable energy, food systems, and coastal restoration play hand in hand to combat intersecting crises? The Blue Economy is an especially complex global system that needs to receive far more attention, especially in LAC, and Reciprocal is focused on shining a light on opportunities in the space in 2025.

Luke Charbonnier-Bevan at Zinc VC

• Solutions for Industrial High-Temperature Heat: Industrial processes that require high-temperature heat are some of the most challenging sectors to decarbonise. Some industries, such as cement and glassmaking, require temperatures that go beyond what electrified solutions like heat pumps or resistance heating can provide. Solutions in this space may involve plasma technologies, thermal energy storage (TES), and hydrogen. We are excited to work with founders to build highly modular solutions to plug into existing industrial processes.

• Electrochemical Routes to Low-Carbon Fertilisers: The production of fertilisers is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions due to its reliance on ammonia produced from fossil-fuel-derived hydrogen and the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process. Electrochemical methods offer an exciting alternative by using renewable electricity to produce ammonia and other fertilisers. At Zinc, we are keen to talk to founders thinking creatively about producing these chemicals, which are critical for the survival of humanity.

• Supply Chain Solutions for Novel Fuels: The decarbonisation of aviation and maritime sectors is essential but challenging due to the long lifespan of capital-intensive infrastructure and the need for new energy-dense fuels. These industries are seeing the beginnings of transitions to new fuels such as E-Fuels, SAF, Green Ammonia and methanol. Outside the core technologies that will be used to produce these fuels, we see a need for solutions focussed on the supply chains that will support these new industries. We are excited to work with founders thinking deeply about the fundamentals of these industries like the sourcing of input feedstocks required (biomass, H2, CO2), the certification and management of environmental performance and other ancillary solutions.

Cal Archibald at Beanstalk AgTech

• Supercooling Technology for Food Preservation: Imagine if you could keep a fresh lettuce, peach or whole tuna for months and months and even take a fresh slice every day. Now think about the global food miles saved, and profitability for farmers if these perishable, un-freezable foods could be stored and sold locally all year round. By cooling food to sub-zero temperatures without forming damaging ice crystals, supercooling helps maintain the texture, taste, and nutritional value of fresh produce, meats, and seafood whilst extending shelf life and preventing spoilage.

• Affordable IVF and Genetic Gains in Livestock: It is no secret that livestock has a significant methane and biodiversity impact globally, and the world's demand for protein is increasing. The ability to accelerate genetic improvement in livestock through affordable IVF is a game-changer for the agriculture industry. This technology allows farmers to enhance traits such as feed conversion efficiency think (carbon footprint), disease resistance (think antibiotics), and environmental resilience (think drought) at a fraction of traditional costs. By making genetic advancements more accessible, this category of innovation can drastically improve the efficiency of livestock farming while also reducing its environmental footprint.

•  Microbial Soil Health Enhancers: The green revolution was driven in large part by the game changing, but incredibly energy intensive Haber-Bosch process for producing synthetic fertilisers. Microbial soil enhancers are transforming the way farmers manage soil fertility by leveraging the power of naturally occurring microbes to improve nutrient availability. These bio-stimulants, utilizing specific nitrogen-fixing microbes, naturally fix atmospheric nitrogen into a plant-available form, and can replace or supplement traditional chemical fertilizers. The result is a lower carbon farm system that boost soil health of our precious top soils.