Good Morning
This week, we wait on the edge of our seats as our elected officials try to increase the debt limit AND launch two huge spending packages that will decide if the US will meet the Paris Agreement. Oh yeah, and the United Nations Climate Change Conference is in a month, so thereās not much more time to waste here if we want to have any ground to stand on to convince other countries to draw down their carbon emissions, too. NPR reports.
In less anxiety-inducing news, a report came out that mentioned that since 2015 (the year the Paris Agreement was adopted), 44 governments have committed to no new coal power, with 40 more well-positioned to make the same pledge soon, Plan A reports. :)
Top Deals of the Week
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DroneSeed has raised $36 million in Series A funding. Social Capital and Seven Seven Six led the round. (TC)
The story: A nearly six-year-old, Seattle-based company, DroneSeed offers a one-stop shop for post-wildfire reforestation. DroneSeed has also acquired Silvaseed, a 130-year-old forestry company.Ā
Why weāre excited about it: Robots, century+ old seeding companies, and carbon storage all in one? Are you kidding me?? The square mileage burnt by fires has doubled in the last 20 years, and unfortunately, the āreforestationā market is only poised to grow. I love the intersection of tried-and-tested and innovative tech that came from the recent acquisition, and that they empower local economies by collaborating to take their properties from wasteland to future forests and carbon storage.
Zola Electric raises $45M in equity and $45M in debt, from investors including TotalEnergies Ventures. (TC)
The story: Zola, a 10-year-old, Amsterdam-based solar energy installer focused on sub-Saharan Africa, builds scalable, distributed solutions.Ā
Why weāre excited about it: More than half of the people in the region lack reliable access to electricity. Zola's small, plug-and-play solutions unlock new hours in the day for learning, working or staying cool.Ā This is part of how countries can raise their citizens out of poverty without raising the global thermostat, and build better grids that ādevelopedā countries can only dream of.
Other Deals This Week
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Plant-based pudding startup Noops raised a $2M round led by Lerer Hippeau (TC)
Climatiq, a months-old, Berlin, Germany-based carbon footprint intelligence startup, has raised $2 million in seed funding led by Cherry Ventures. (SEU).
Urbio, a 10-year-old, Valais, Switzerland-based clean energy software company, has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding co-led by Wingman Ventures and Contrarian Ventures. (VL).
Burro, a four-year-old, Philadelphia, Pa.-based maker of a collaborative farming robot, has raised $10.9 million in Series A funding. S2G Ventures and Toyota Ventures co-led the round. (TC)
Mastercard-backed carbon tracking app Doconomy has raised $17 million in a funding round led by CommerzVentures. (FE)
Dance, a 20-month-old, Berlin, Germany-based subscription-based e-bike business, has raised $19.4 million in new funding led by Eurazeo. (EUS).
New Age Meats, a cultured meat company, raised a $25M Series A led by Hanwha Solutions (TC)
The electric ride-hailing company BluSmart has raised $25 million in Series A funding with BP's venture arm as the lead investor. (ET)
Cleancult, a four-year-old, New York-based cleaning brand focused on plant-based ingredients, raised $25 million in Series B funding. Reynolds Channel and Anchor Capital led the round. (F).
Swedish electric motorcycle maker Cake raised a $60M Series B led by AMF (TC)
Xpansiv, a five-year-old, San Francisco-based marketplace for ESG commodities, raised $100 million from Clean Energy Finance Corp. and others. (GLC).
Semios, an 11-year-old, Vancouver, British Columbia-based company whose wireless IoT network helps farmers assess the yield and grade of their tree fruit, nut, and other crops, raised $100 million in funding. Morningside Group led the round. (GW).
Perfect Day, a seven-year-old, Berkeley, Ca.-based consumer biology company whose best-known product is animal-free milk protein, has raised $350 million in Series D round led by Temasek and CPP Investments. (F).
One Actionable Item
Talk About Climate Change and Your Carbon Footprint
Your individual contribution matters more than you think because your actions influence others. Of course, no one likes a proselytizer - so be nice! But think about what youāre already doing to make the world cleaner and consider collaborating with your roommates, friends and fam.Ā
Green Theory
Climate Action vs. The PatriarchyĀ
Keeping it simple this week, with an essential message on framing climate thinking. Safeguarding and expanding womenās education and access to healthcare ranks high among the most substantial ways to reduce emissions: #2 or #5 out of all of Drawdownās solutions.Ā
From land rights to family planning services, empowering women across the globe must center in climate efforts.Ā In the US, women are more likely to perceive climate risk and desire mitigation policies.Ā
Lifting up women deserves attention and focus regardless of the climate impact.Ā At the same time, those wishing to see a greener future must work to examine and counteract forces of sexism--especially men.
Quick shout to Sam Rubinstein who recommended a terrific podcast episode this week: How Gender Equality Can Save the Planet. Itās a collab between Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, VP at Project Drawdown, and Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, policy expert, conservation strategy, marine biologist, and all-around badass.
The Closer
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CTzdWh4o2OR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
āRay tornadoā(!?) in Baja. I will never get tired of these nature instas.