For the third year running, Swedish impact foundation Norrsken has today released its annual list of the 100 most promising impact startups across the world. This year almost half, 49, are based in Europe.
The list was compiled from around 1,200 nominations from 40 leading VCs, including Atomico, a16z, Breakthrough Energy, Balderton Capital, Khosla Ventures, Norrsken VC, Obama Foundation and Northzone.
Making the cut are an eclectic mix of early-stage startups, which have raised up to €100m in funding.
“By putting these companies on the radar today,” Norrsken founder Niklas Adalberth said, “we can offer VCs either already working in the impact space, or looking to enter it, a list of the leading early-stage impact companies which are likely looking for funding in the near future.”
Norrsken defines ’impact tech’ companies as those focused on any of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals — such as economic growth, healthcare and social justice.
European climate tech startups and scaleups, which make up a large chunk of impact tech, have so far this year raised a whopping €15.8bn, including debt financing, according to Sifted data. The UK and Germany are home to more startups on the list than anywhere else in Europe.
The 49 most promising impact startups in Europe
Cleantech
Dioxycle, developed a system that turns carbon dioxide into chemicals such as ethylene (France)
Enerdrape, which uses underground spaces as hidden power sources by capturing geothermal and wasted heat (Switzerland)
Fabric Nano, which has developed a cell-free way of manufacturing alternatives to fossil fuel-based plastic and chemicals (UK)
Flower, which is balancing the energy system with a virtual power plant (Sweden)
Greenlyte Carbon Technologies, doing direct air capture using a patented liquid (Germany)
Makersite, which uses deep-tier supply chain data to help businesses create sustainable products (Germany)
Pili, which replaces toxic, non-recyclable ink with a greener, cleaner alternative (France)
Sourceful, which provides a sourcing and supply chain platform that helps businesses find environmentally sustainable packaging for their products (UK)
Sweep, which collects carbon and ESG data into one platform (France)
Syre, a textile recycling startup (Sweden)
Traceless, which turns conventional plastic into a fully sustainable alternative (Germany)
Vaayu, real-time software for carbon footprint tracking (Germany)
Energy
Blykalla, which is developing small modular nuclear reactors (Sweden)
Electricity Maps, which tracks users’ electricity carbon footprint in real-time (Denmark)
Elyos Energy, tech to teach buildings to use less energy (UK)
Granular energy, clean energy trading and management (France)
H2SITE, which is bringing renewable hydrogen to small and medium businesses (Spain)
Magnotherm, which is cooling the planet with new magnetic cooling technology (Germany)
Metris Energy, smart solar-powered systems for commercial buildings (UK)
Healthtech
Alchemab Therapeutics, which designs antibodies that stop hard-to-treat diseases (UK)
Clexbio, lab-grown tissues to treat diseases (Norway)
Axmed, a delivery solution for life-saving medicines to remote areas (Switzerland)
Idoven, which prevents heart attacks using AI (Spain)
Inbrain, which uses AI-powered neural interfaces to treat brain disorders (Spain)
MiiCare, an AI-tool to keep elderly people safe and supported (UK)
Ochre Bio, which is developing RNA therapies for chronic liver diseases (UK)
Relation Therapeutics, which merges machine learning and human genetics into life-saving therapies (UK)
Transportation
Beyond Aero, a hydrogen-powered electric aircraft startup (France)
Heart Aerospace, a hybrid 30-seater aircraft developer (Sweden)
Hived, a zero-emission parcel delivery service (UK)
Nitrovolt, which is developing a system to create green fertiliser on-site (Denmark)
Shipzero, software to help global freight transport get to net-zero (Germany)
Construction
011h, which designs blueprints and constructs sustainable buildings (Spain)
CemVision, which develops cement from recycled industrial waste (Sweden)
Ecoworks, factory-built solutions that make old houses energy efficient (Germany)
Recycling
Cylib, battery recycling with green tech (Germany)
Recycleye, reinventing the economics of recycling (UK)
To zero, which recycles lithium-ion batteries to recover vital materials (Germany)
Fashion
Material Exchange, which is digitising textile sourcing (Sweden)
Resortecs, which melts seams to unleash garment recycling at scale (Belgium)
Smartex, which is using AI to make fabric factories less wasteful (Portugal)
Others
Planet A Foods, which uses a proprietary fermentation process to create “cocoa” products (Germany)
Oxyle, which develops tech that destroys the toughest contaminants in water (Switzerland)
The Bubble Barrier, which cleans up river rubbish with water bubbles that acts like a high-tech vacuum (Netherlands)
Opna, which enables companies to finance prospective carbon removal projects (UK)
AirForestry, which thins forests from above with zero-emission drones (Sweden)
Wild Bioscience, a proprietary genetics platform which is enhancing wild plants to mass produce wheat (UK)
Ceezer, which is turning carbon credits into a data-driven path to net-zero (Germany)
MeVitae, which eliminates bias from hiring processes (UK)
