CleanTech has emerged as a trending sector in Europe where companies are developing cost-efficient renewable energy solutions, introducing environment-friendly mobility solutions and reducing energy usage in order to bring about sustainability.
In this article, we highlight the Top 10 CleanTech startups in Europe that are working vigorously to save our climate and the planet Earth:
1. VOI Technology
Founders: Adam Jafer, Douglas Stark, Fredrik Hjelm and Keith Richman
Founding Year: 2018
Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden
Funding received: US$ 257.9M
Investors: Balderton Capital, LocalGlobe, Project A Ventures, Creandum, Kreos Capital, Justin Mateen, Raine Ventures, JME Ventures, Spencer Rascoff, VNV Global, Inbox Capital, Jeffrey Wilke, Cristina Stenbeck, Nicolas Brusson and 11 other investors
VOI Technology operates an electric scooter marketplace for urban commuters in Stockholm. More than 4 million users use Voi in their daily commute or to explore new cities.
It offers a greener, faster and more affordable way for people to travel around. VOI is on a mission to provide sustainable and wide-ranging last-mile mobility solutions, empowering people to move freely while at the same time helping cities reach their 2030 climate goals.
2. Zola Electric
Founders: Erica Mackey, Joshua Pierce and Xavier Helgesen
Founding Year: 2012
Headquarters: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Funding received: US$ 239.1M
Investors: Idinvest Partners, Omidyar Network, Western Technology Investment, International Finance Corporation, Vulcan Capital, Aster, GE Ventures, Total Carbon Neutrality Ventures, FMO, DBL Partners and 16 other investors
ZOLA Electric builds renewable energy solutions powered by the latest solar, battery and power electronics technology. ZOLA Electric’s solar systems can be purchased using PAYGo micro-finance leasing and mobile money payments.
ZOLA Electric supplies electricity to more than 180K homes and enterprises across Tanzania, Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. ZOLA Electric has been bestowed with the UN Momentum for Change Award, the Zayed Future Energy Prize and is also a member of the Global Cleantech 100.
3. Climeworks
Founders: Christoph Gebald and Jan Wurzbacher
Founding Year: 2009
Headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland
Funding received: US$ 124.28M
Investors: Venture Kick, Zürcher Kantonal Bank
Climeworks is a cleantech startup that captures CO2 from air through marketable carbon dioxide removal technology. Its plants capture CO2 with a filter, using mostly low-grade heat as an energy source. The pure CO2 gas is then retailed to customers in key markets, as well as commercial agriculture, food and beverage industries, the energy sector and the automotive industry.
Clients can utilize this atmospheric CO2 in carbonated drinks or to produce carbon-neutral hydrocarbon fuels and materials. Furthermore, the startup empowers customers to achieve their climate goals by reversing their emissions and securely storing the captured CO2.
4. Skeleton Technologies
Founders: Oliver Ahlberg and Taavi Madiberk
Founding Year: 2009
Headquarters: Tallinn, Harjumaa
Funding received: €87.7M
Investors: EASME – EU Executive Agency for SMEs, European Investment Bank, InnoEnergy, FIRSTFLOOR CAPITAL, Harju Elekter Group, Adven, Estonian Venture Capital, UP Invest, MM Grupp
Skeleton Technologies produces and develops high energy and power density ultracapacitors based on original curved graphene material, also known as nanoporous carbide-derived carbon. It delivers high power, high energy, steadfast, and long-lasting storage solutions across industries. With the help of its patented curved graphene, Skeleton has achieved major revolutions in ultracapacitor performance.
The startup’s ultracapacitors deliver double the energy density and 4 times the power density offered by other manufacturers. Its current roster of clients includes global engineering companies, the European Space Agency, and multiple Tier 1 automotive manufacturers.
5. Sono Motors
Founders: Jona Christians, Laurin Hahn and Navina Pernsteiner
Founding Year: 2016
Headquarters: Munich, Germany
Funding received: US$ 71.9M
Investors: Yoma James Kukor, Wi Ventures
Sono Motors is a cleantech startup on a mission to become a recognized provider of sustainable mobility, by concentrating on manufacturing electric vehicles with alternative power technologies and advanced sharing services. Its first prototype will be an affordable electric car called “Sion” that has photovoltaics in the framework, with a range of 250 km and a retail price of €16K. This electric car will provide a range of solutions for the future of e-mobility and urban transport.
6. Otovo
Founders: Andreas Bentzen, Andreas Thorsheim, Lars Syse Christiansen and Simen Fure Jorgensen
Founding Year: 2016
Headquarters: Oslo, Norway
Funding received: US$ 38.9M
Investors: StartupLab, D-Ax Corporate Venture Capital, Nysnø,
Agder Energi Venture, Akershus Energi, OBOS Forsikring, EMOS, KLP Liv
Otovo provides a marketplace for customers for residential solar energy-powered installations. It mainly helps people to get solar panels on their roof and add other clean energy-based devices in their homes. It has offices in Oslo, Stockholm, Paris and Madrid.
Otovo strives to put clean and local energy in every home in Europe.
7. The Ocean Cleanup
Founders: Boyan Slat and Charles-Eric Gascon
Founding Year: 2013
Headquarters: Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Funding received: US$ 35.4M
Investors: Founders Fund, Marc Benioff, Lynne Benioff
The Ocean Cleanup builds technologies to extract, prevent, and stop plastic pollution. The main idea behind the working of The Ocean Cleanup is to let the ocean currents do the work. An installation of U-shaped screens drives the floating plastic to a central point. The gathered plastic can then be extracted and transported to the shore for recycling into durable products.
8. NAWATechnologies
Founders: Ludovic Eveillard and Pascal Boulanger
Founding Year: 2013
Headquarters: Rousset, France
Funding received: €24.5M
Investors: Bpifrance, Paca Investissement, Demeter Partners, InnoEnergy, CEA Investissement, Demeter, Supernova Invest, Région Sud Investissement, CAAP Creation, Kouros, Davaniere Capital Partners
NAWATechnologies is developing new solutions such as its ultra-fast carbon battery technology that enhance energy conversion, storage, conveyance and efficiency by utilizing carbon as the material of choice since carbon is profuse, accessible and naturally occurring. The startup intends to reduce the ecological impact of their manufacturing processes and improve the life cycle of their products, by reusing, recovering and recycling.
Today, NAWATechnologies has its own experimental production line and produces new interface materials and a pioneering generation of ultracapacitors and battery electrodes.
9. Submer NextGen Data Centers
Founders: Daniel Pope and Pol Valls Soler
Founding Year: 2015
Headquarters: Barcelona, Spain
Funding received: US$ 17.2M
Investors: EASME – EU Executive Agency for SMEs, Alma Mundi Ventures, Norrsken VC
Submer operates and constructs sustainable and efficient data-centers. It has developed a highly resourceful, ultra-dense and environment-friendly, computing immersion cooling technology that saves 50% of the electricity, 85% of the real estate, and can be deployed anywhere, even without the use of expensive buildings. Its technology can also be used in low latency applications and edge-computing as well.
Data centers and cloud providers consume 6% of the global electricity and in turn, generate 4% of the global CO2 emissions and are expected to consume 20% of the electricity worldwide by 2025. Submer intends to solve this problem and in order to secure a sustainable future for all of us.
10. Spotless Water
Founders: Tim Morris
Founding Year: 2016
Headquarters: Basingstoke, Hampshire
Funding received: £550K
Investors: Blackfinch Ventures
Spotless Water offers the UK’s first self-service, extremely-pure water distribution network that is available 24/7. Presently, its network provides quick-fill, ultra-pure water at a number of easily accessible filling stations across the UK.
Over the next three years, Spotless Water will be supplying ultra-pure water from more than 450 self-service locations across the UK, providing expediency, reliability and quality at a viable price.
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