🍀 A Recycling Octopus
(058) No longer hanging Bio String, new rounds let startups Fyto 'nother day
Good Morning
What we’re reading, watching & listening to this week:
NYT The Daily podcast’s ‘The Rise and Fall of America’s Environmentalist Underground’
A Whale Feeding Frenzy in Antarctica Signals a Conservation Success
Which European countries know the least about climate change?
The Obama-narrated “Our Great National Parks,” featuring Monterey Bay, CA
The Greendicator
Top Deals of the Week
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb857bba9-1716-4cd6-90fe-8fdbb311626d_1600x900.png)
XPENG Robotics, the affiliate company of Chinese EV maker XPeng, raised a $100M Series A led by IDG Capital (BW)
Wildcat Discovery Technologies, a developer of new battery materials, raised a $90M Series D led by Koch Strategic Platforms (PRN)
EVCS, a four-year-old startup based in Arcadia, Ca., that claims to operate one of the larger electric vehicle charging networks on the West Coast, with all of its chargers fully powered by renewable energy, raised an $18.8 million Series A funding; investors in the deal included Abdo Partners (E)
Circ, an apparel recycling startup, raised a $30M Series B led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures (AX)
011h, a startup using mass timber to offer sustainable construction, raised a ~$25.4M Series A led by Redalpine (TC)
Blue Ocean Barns, a Hawaii-based startup reducing methane emissions with a seaweed-based digestive aid for cattle, raised a $20M Series A led by Valor Siren Ventures (PRN)
String Bio, a biotech startup that transforms greenhouse gasses into protein ingredients, raised a $20M Series B led by Woodside Energy Group (ET)
Fyto, a startup developing “superplants” that can grow in a wide variety of environments, raised a $15M Series A led by GV (TC)
Sortera Alloys, a two-year-old startup based in Fort Wayne, In., that produces aluminum packages from shredded automobiles, raised a $10 million round led by Assembly Ventures (SE)
Project Eaden, a Berlin startup founded this year that aims to develop "alt beef" products beginning with steak, raised an €8 million seed round led by Creandum (V)
Hors Normes, a French startup that helps organic farmers and producers sell their products directly to consumers when their products are rejected by traditional retail channels, raised a €7 million seed round led by Project A (TE)
Helios, a Tel Aviv-based startup developing technologies to extract oxygen and other materials from the earth and moon for carbon-free iron production, raised a $6M seed round led by At One Ventures and Doral Energy-Tech Ventures (PRN)
Octopus, a new waste management application to efficiently collect and connect waste to the recycling industry, raised a $5M seed round led by Openspace and SOSV (TC)
VECKTA Corporation, an online energy marketplace that connects commercial and industrial energy users with services and equipment suppliers, raised a $3.3M seed round led by VoLo Earth Ventures (PRN)
Aerem, a solar financing platform, raised a $2.5M seed round led by Blume Ventures (ET)
CleanO2 Carbon Capture Technologies, a nine-year-old Calgary startup that converts CO2 captured from natural gas heating system exhaust and uses the resulting stable carbonates to produce soaps, shampoos, detergents, and fertilizers, raised a $2.1 million seed round. Regeneration.VC was the deal lead (PRN)
Pique Action, a two-year-old Los Angeles startup that produces short-form videos to drive consumer behavior towards climate action, raised a $1 million pre-seed round led by Amasia (PRN)
Green Theory
Spark Joy, Not Fires
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2555b33d-d926-42c9-9c38-de39930d32c4_2020x2020.jpeg)
In the Sierras, over 1, 000 firefighters currently coordinate surveillance and suppression of the uncontrolled Washburn fire. At nearby Mariposa Grove, hundreds of 2,000-year-old giant sequoias bear witness to yet another human-caused fire. With US summer temperatures kicking up higher and higher, the fiery, smokey-season blazes back. Hotter, drier summers weaken resilience in the face of fire, not to mention adverse impacts on human health, especially in historically disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Fight Fire With Fire
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88311796-a233-4873-837f-d573396716ef_1322x1008.png)
The old adage “fight fire with fire” speaks to turning your enemy’s tactics against them. When issuing a warning not to let passions escalate, “don’t fight fire with fire” goes alongside “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” Rather than view wildfires as an eye-poking battle between humanity and nature, the modern authorities governing forest lands must take a more holistic view of management. National Geographic’s in-depth coverage of the fire illustrates how recent, planned fires protect certain areas, including the Mariposa Grove. In this way, the recent Washburn fire demonstrates indigenous prescribed burning practices safeguard ancient sequoias. Though the previous two fire seasons claimed nearly 1 in 7 of all old growth giant sequoias, the 500 monoliths in this grove seem safe, for now.
Larger Fires, Larger Fuels
![Points scored](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0666ad11-4437-4b50-9f12-b15c89ad759b_1200x742.png)
While prescribed burns help clear out underbrush that supercharges wildfires, areas left untouched (by forest managers who failed to follow native wisdom) stand vulnerable to even the largest trees’ reduction to ash. Looking at the last 9 seasons, California suffered a dramatic increase in acres burned, especially relative to total unique fires reported. With bigger fires consuming more acres, the depth of habitat destruction worsens, too.
![Points scored](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e737835-b796-4ab9-a347-b9e5d3b48a84_1202x742.png)
A broader view, of all wildfires in the US dating back to the early 80s, shows a similar pattern of higher-acerage fires over time. For Californians, at least last year showed a cooler picture than the devastation of 2020. Halfway through the average annual number of incidents for the 2022 season already, will the number of acres burned repeat the pattern of gradually declining destruction? The Washburn blazes on. With hope, the rest of California’s recently burned areas will help buttress against new fires’ force.
The Closer
Update from Cal Falcons. They grow up so fast. :’)