Understanding cost competitiveness is vital for early-stage founders working on climate solutions. Techno-Economic Assessment (TEA) provides the necessary toolbox to evaluate the economic potential of a new technology. Yet many founders and investors new to the field struggle with it. In this article, we provide some initial guidance and basic…

As global economies transition away from fossil fuels, we stop to reflect on the often-forgotten utility of CO2 as a valuable feedstock. Could we ironically run short of CO2 in the long run? — Many new technologies, such as sustainable fuels, cement or circular chemicals, rely on a sufficient supply of CO2. But with European greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions being down 24% compared to 1990 and more ambitious targets in sight, we wonder whether we could ironically run short of CO2 in the long…

An introduction to how startups are utilizing precision fermentation as a tool to build a more sustainable and ethical food system — Startups are increasingly recognizing the urgent need to address the environmental impact of food production and consumption. The ecological price of the food industry is immense, with meat consumption alone accounting for ~15% of global GHG emissions and being the biggest single contributor to biodiversity loss. As a result, the…

We mapped out the carbon dioxide removal space in Europe: promising approaches, innovations and necessary developments. — Reducing emissions is not enough anymore. To reach our climate goals, we have to remove Co2 from the atmosphere at a massive scale. Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) plays a crucial role. We shed some light on promising approaches, highlight needed innovation and provide a first comprehensive overview of the…

Introducing Planet A’s Diversity & Inclusion Policy: Diversity is not compliance, but business-critical. A huge share of talented people are still excluded from venture capital, and our planet just can’t afford that. Venture capital has the potential to change our economy. It is one of the most powerful levers to…

Carbon Re is on a mission to accelerate the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate industries. By leveraging AI technologies they are able to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions — starting with the highly pollutive cement industry. Here’s why we decided to join them on their journey. Energy-intensive industries such as cement…

Current approaches to defossilise our planet won’t be enough — it’s time to complement CO2 reduction with CO2 elimination. That is why we decided to back 44.01. While many of our current approaches focus on reducing emissions, new technologies can help us remove existing CO2 from our atmosphere. The latest…

Plastic challenges in the packaging industry are steadily growing. But the innovation process for sustainable alternatives still lacks the necessary acceleration and capital. one • fıve offers companies a fully integrated research and development approach to create market-ready packaging solutions in record time — and we’re here for it. Plastic is still on the rise Before…

What an economy within planetary boundaries will look like remains to be seen, but what is already clear is that it needs a lot more electrical power. Using ultra-deep geothermal energy might be a silver bullet to mass-scaling base-load renewable energy today, not only in 20 years. It is hard…