The need to reduce our collective environmental impact has never been greater. As entrepreneurs and small business owners invest in green startups, we are beginning to see a shift towards businesses that take sustainability seriously.
And today we salute those innovators who strive to make the most out of their resources–seriously pushing boundaries as they lead the way for more sustainable business practices. In this article, you’ll learn all about the newest green startups changing the game in 2023.
From planting urban gardens to revolutionizing public transportation, these groundbreaking enterprises are leading us into a more conscious future.
Let’s explore!
Biome Makers
Biome Makers, a Silicon Valley biotech startup founded in 2015 by Alberto Acedo and Adrián Ferrero, has one goal.
Biome Makers wants to improve the world’s soil health — one farm at a time.
Making sure that the soil to grow grains, fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural products that feed humanity and industry is healthy is key to our survival. Healthy soil will play a big role in a more sustainable future.
Biome Makers has always prioritized recovering soil health by supporting farmers globally. Detailed reporting and analytics provide farmers with soil fertility, biodiversity, and health information. They can use this to improve their business and their product.
This takes the form of an AI-powered virtual farming assistant.
Algenesis
Plastic pollution is a massive global issue. There has been talk of calling our time period ‘The Plastic Age.’ Currently, at least two known massive patches of microplastic debris are floating off the coasts of California and Japan.
And this only scratches the surface of the global contamination we face. Algenesis, a green startup founded in 2016 by Dr. Stephen Mayfield, is working to address this global environmental catastrophe.
With their patented Soleic™ technology, Algenesis produces fully biodegradable plastic derived from algae. Unlike traditional plastic, this a renewable product.
This algae-derived plastic replacement is also a high-performance material. This makes it comparable to plastics currently in use for many different applications.
Right now, Algenisis produces footwear and hard material for surfboards. In the future, they plan to expand to include more products.
Heliogen
Heliogen is a startup attempting to end our reliance on fossil fuels with a number of solar-powered products and projects. Their renewable energy tech products include:
HelioHeat: a carbon-free high temp heater that can power industrial processes that produce steel, cement, and petrochemicals.
The startup also has HelioPower and HelioFuel. HelioPower uses sunlight to create power. This process uses supercritical CO2 turbines that can help power up data centers and mining operations.
HelioFuel uses green hydrogen to power various industries. This includes transportation, heavy equipment, and household heating as well.
It is truly fascinating to see all of the ways we might use solar power in the future!
Bluapple
Food waste is a big problem in the US, but innovative startup Bluapple wants to change this by making sure that fresh produce lasts longer!
According to RTS:
While the world wastes about 2.5 billion tons of food every year, the United States discards more food than any other country in the world: nearly 60 million tons — 120 billion pounds — every year. That’s estimated to be almost 40 percent of the entire US food supply, and equates to 325 pounds of waste per person.
Bluapple wants to make sure that the produce in your fridge lasts with their technology that gives produce longevity. It does this by absorbing the ethylene gas that produce releases as it ages.
All users have to do is put their product in their fridge to get more life out of their fruits and veggies! According to Bluapple:
Ethylene gas is given off naturally by fruits and vegetables as a signaling mechanism in order to coordinate uniform ripening. However, once concentrated in your refrigerator or other storage areas, the presence of ethylene gas continues to speed up ripening and hasten spoilage.
This innovative Utah-based startup was founded in 2009!
Entomo Farms
In recent years, there has been a lot of debate about how we can eat more sustainably. Some people opt for vegan or vegetarian diets or try to only eat locally produced foods for sustainability reasons, for example.
However, as eating in these ways can be quite expensive, depending on where you live, these are not choices that many people can afford to make. However, there is one globally popular and incredibly affordable protein source that many in the US often overlook: bugs.
In 2014, brothers Jarrod, Darren, and Ryan Goldin set out to change the food industry by introducing an affordable and sustainable protein source. Their startup, Entomo Farms, creates products made out of an unlikely protein — crickets.
While this might be shocking for some, according to Entomo Farms’ website, crickets are an incredibly nutrient-dense and sustainable solution when it comes to feeding the planet.
Cricket powder delivers essential nutrients for optimal growth, development and daily performance. Cricket powder is a natural nutrition powerhouse.
-Contains all nine essential amino acids
-Has twice as much protein as beef
-Is a rich source of iron and calcium
-Offers more than 4x the amount of B12 than beef
This startup creates cricket powder and flour which can be used in all sorts of foods and even in pet foods.
AMP Robotics
While many countries don’t have recycling programs at all, even many of those that do have them are not actually recycling at a high level. The US, rather than recycling all of its plastic waste, sends about a million tons a year overseas to countries that lack environmental and human rights regulations or the military power to refuse.
This includes countries like Vietnam, Turkey, Bangladesh, Laos, Ethiopia and Senegal.
AMP Robotics wants to change that. Founded by Matanya Horowitz in 2015, AMP Robotics is essentially a robot recycling startup.
In many countries, workers are paid about $5 a day to sort through dangerous piles of foreign waste. This is not only an environmental issue, but an issue of widescale human exploitation.
AMP Robotics has developed AI technology that correctly identifies and sorts recyclables. This will make sure that everything that can be recycled is actually recycled.
There are numerous potential benefits here. If it becomes easier to recycle, more products can be made from recycled materials, instead of having to constantly generate new materials. This is definitely a startup to watch!
Cirrus
According to Earth.org, the world is in dire straits when it comes to access to water, due to climate change.
Only 3% of the water on the Earth’s surface is freshwater. Less than 0.5% of that is accessible for consumption as drinking water. If no urgent action is taken, an increasing number of cities worldwide are expected to experience severe water shortages. Recent analyses by the BBC ranked cities such as Beijing, Tokyo and London among those most likely to run out of drinking water in the near future.
While this crisis is largely the fault of industries and not a product of individual choices, it makes sense that individuals want to do what they can to reduce their water consumption.
Cirrus is a French startup that allows people to take more eco-efficient showers. Founded by Pierre Regnault in 2017, the company claims that users can reduce water consumption by up to 75%.
This is not only eco-friendly but potentially offers users significant savings in both their water bill and energy bill, as they would use less energy to heat the water as well.
Final Thoughts on the Most Innovative Green Startups in 2023
As we’ve seen, there are a variety of innovative green startups making waves in 2023. These new companies represent the future of sustainability and environmental progress.
Their successful models encourage more and more entrepreneurs to tackle global issues with their own unique sustainable business ideas.
With such momentum backing the idea of sustainability as an economic strategy, there’s no doubt that we’ll see even more amazing advances from these green startups in the near future!
If you want to learn about more ethical startups, take a look at our blog post on social impact startups!
What do you think? Comment below.
Since 2009, we have helped create 350+ next-generation apps for startups, Fortune 500s, growing businesses, and non-profits from around the globe. Think Partner, Not Agency.
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