In 2014, during an extremely challenging phase of my work, I started reflecting upon what I had contributed to society and concluded that it wasn’t very much! I wanted to contribute more and particularly towards mitigating our impact on our environment and the plants and animals with whom we share this planet. So I decided that I would contribute through investment into start-up companies that I believed were focused on genuinely beneficial activities. Here is an overview of those companies which I am supporting, via CrowdCube:
Aardvark Petcare Ltd.
While there has been a rapid growth in plant-based eating habits in the West, pet food has lagged behind. Aardvark is positioned to help create significant change within the pet food sector by developing one of the UK’s first insect-based pet food for both dogs and cats. The protein in the food uses considerably less methane per kg to make when compared to beef and uses far less water and land area. More information here:
Marine Power Systems Ltd.
Marine Power Systems aims to become a world leader in the manufacturing and supply of marine energy extraction hardware. Their technology generates energy from waves and wind, from one offshore floating combined platform. More information here:
Gravitricity
Gravitricity’s has developed an energy storage system which utilises large weights, suspended in unused mine shafts. The system uses weights totalling up to 12,000 tonnes in deep shafts, suspended by cables and winches, each of which is capable of lifting its share of the weight. Electricity is stored in the form of potential energy by raising the weights. Power is then generated by lowering the weights to turn a generator. The technology has been proven to reach full power in less than one second and has a predicted full scale efficiency of between 80% and 90%. More information here:
Daphne Technologies
Daphne Technologies’ platform enables the international shipping fleet to become sustainable. The company offers an efficient process for reducing emissions from all fuels, minimising both air- and sea pollution for the maritime industry. It is a future-proof, plug-and-play solution for all vessels — reducing the global footprint today and in the future. More information here:
Caldera
Caldera manufactures and supplies the Warmstone Heat Battery, which has sufficient power and energy to heat a home and provide hot water with the same level of comfort and convenience as an existing oil or gas boiler. Warmstone is a patented breakthrough in thermal storage that uses a combination of recycled and natural materials. It is non-flammable, non-toxic and safe to use at home. Warmstone supports the circular economy as it is 100% recyclable at end of life. More information here:
Futurepump
There are 500 million one-acre farmers around the world. Rainfall has become very unpredictable due to climate change and fuel for petrol pumps is expensive. Futurepump has designed, manufactures and supplies solar irrigation pumps which are both robust and portable. The company offers smallholder farmers a cheaper, cleaner and more sustainable alternative to costly and polluting petrol or diesel pumps.
More information here:
Clim8 Invest
According to the United Nations, the world needs to invest $2.4 trillion dollars, every year, into clean energy, from now until 2035, to meet the climate change targets. Clim8’s mission is to move billions of pounds of investments into clean energy and truly green, sustainable companies. The company’s platform will provide a simple way to invest into a targeted portfolio of publicly listed companies that are already making an impact in tackling climate change. Sectors covered by Clim8 include clean energy, clean technology, sustainable food, smart mobility and recycling.
More information here:
Antaco
Antaco’s mission is to become the world leader in turning organic waste into carbon-neutral biofuel. The company offers a game-changing solution for organic waste disposal. Supported by the UK Government, they have developed a revolutionary waste processing technology, transforming any type of organic waste into carbon-neutral fuel. Antaco is amongst the highest achieving Cleantech companies in the UK, having been voted top UK and EU Cleantech start-up by Climate-KIC and the European Institute of Technology and Innovation.
More information here:
The GP Service
The GP service provides an Online Doctor service to help diagnose and treat common conditions using their on-line consultation platform. The aim is to provide a safe, discreet and easy journey for patients who are looking for private medical treatment at their convenience and at a cost that people can afford. Their system allows patients to consult with qualified Doctors with a consultation via online assessment questionnaires or through secure video chat. They can then choose to collect their treatment from any Pharmacy registered with our service. The service also allows Doctors at their sole discretion to provide prescriptions where appropriate as well as referral letters and fit notes.
More information here:
Elemental Digest
Elemental Digest Ltd is an innovative Agri-Food technology company that turns an international food and industrial waste problem into value-added end products with impressive nutritional, economic and environmental benefits – a fully circular recovery process with zero waste. The company delivers fast process engineering machines that create a significant income stream for abattoirs and companies that have to manage organic waste. This is done by recovering valuable food extracts and creating a highly desirable organic ‘clean’ phosphate-rich fertiliser for crop and soil enhancement whilst simultaneously delivering significant environmental benefits.
More information here:
Pallite
PALLITE® has created a range of lightweight, strong, clean and recyclable paper pallets that offers a genuine alternative to wood. A British company that manufactures the entire range at their factory in Northamptonshire. In response to concerns raised by their customers about their supply chains, and by working to understand their difficulties, the company has extended the PALLITE® range to include collapsible pallet boxes, insulated pallet boxes, layer boards and pallet feet.
More information here:
Buy Me Once
Buy Me Once is an online retail shop for products which are proven to last a very long time. They are leading a movement against planned obsolescence. BuyMeOnce demands longer-lasting products, more watertight guarantees and responsible manufacturing. By offering only the most long-lived products out there, they want to empower consumers to buy less, and buy better.
More information here:
Safe Solvents
Safe Solvents is the inventor and manufacturer of Ambimization, which is disrupting traditional processes across the parts cleaning industry. Ambimization replaces hydrocarbon solvents and heated detergents with water-based fluids that work at ambient temperature with biodegradable, safe detergents that are no more harmful to people or the environment than washing-up liquid. And because Ambimization occurs without heating there is no emulsification, while the fluid’s natural splitting properties drastically reduce the volume of recycled waste.
More information here:
Drone Ag
Drone Ag is making farming more productive through practical, hassle-free drone automation and simple AI tech. They are a UK based team of farmers, agronomists, drone pilots and software engineers that provide drone training courses and easy to use software solutions. They company passes their knowledge to their clients through training and uses it to build unique software, making Drone Ag the best option to stay at the forefront of practical drone use in precision agriculture.
More information here:
Small Robot Company
The Small Robot Company has designed and create a range of sustainable farming robots and is reimagining farming with robotics and artificial intelligence. The company’s vision is to make food production sustainable, reducing farming’s impact on the environment and increasing farm outputs globally. Our farmbots Tom, Dick and Harry will plant, feed and weed arable crops autonomously, with minimal waste.
More information here:
Manufacture 2030
Manufacture 2030 is a software platform on a mission to halve resource use in global manufacturing by 2030. They have built a unique cloud-based tool called M2030 bee that helps manufacturers use less energy, water and materials, cutting operational costs and environmental impacts.
More information here:
Strawberry Energy
Strawberry energy is developing solar powered urban furniture for smart and sustainable cities. Their mission is to enhance people’s experience in public spaces and provide them with energy and connectivity on the go. Strawberry’s smart street furniture brings the Internet of Things to outdoor public spaces that people visit daily, improving urban living by making cities smarter and more convenient to live in.
More information here:
PolySolar
Polysolar is a developer, designer and installer of architectural solar solutions. They have developed a number of transparent photovoltaic glazing materials for integration into an extending variety uses, such as canopies, carports, facades and other bespoke applications.
More information here:
Recycling Technologies
Recycling Technologies has created modular technology which can be mass-produced to recycle plastic waste into feedstock for new plastic production. The solution can be installed at existing waste sites anywhere on the globe to help divert plastic waste away from landfill, incineration and leaking into our environment.
More information here:
Celixir
Celixir has developed breakthrough stem cell medicine that regenerates heart muscle damaged as a result of heart attack or heart failure. This potential to regenerate damaged heart tissue in situ, is beyond conventional medical treatments and was discovered and developed in-house the company.
More information here:
Credentially
Credientially is an HR technology platform for the medical services industry, that handles hiring, onboarding and compliance. It’s the tool that turns paper into data, automates evidence, and tracks and trains staff.
More information here:
Street Stream
Street Stream tech start-up that is disrupting the same-day and on-demand delivery industry. Street Stream’s couriers offer customers competitive rates without compromising on a high level of customer service. Couriers are individually reviewed by the Street Stream team and rated by customers.
More information here:
Molecular Warehouse
Molecular Warehouse is working to re-engineer the most successful personal diagnostic system, the glucose monitor, which millions of diabetic patients use every day, to be able to detect many other diseases. Their first tests focus on helping kidney disease patients but they are expanding to multiple other applications, such as chronic stress and heart disease.
More information here:
birdsong
Birdsong is an online clothing shop which uses the untapped skills of women’s organisations as their supply chain – from elderly knitters to migrant seamstresses. Until now, those groups faced significant barriers to selling online. With Birdsong’s support they are able to reach a fast growing ethical market. Birdshop has been breaking ground with their no sweatshops, no photoshop policy since day one. The founders are their target market; millennials who want to look and feel great, but not at any cost.
More information here:
iolight
ioLight has invented a portable microscope, with a resolution of better than 1μm, which produces beautiful pictures of animal and plant cells and displays them directly onto your tablet or mobile phone. This is the first truly portable precision microscope and it allows scientists, students and enthusiasts to take a precision microscope out of the lab or classroom to anywhere that science is and to share images or paste them into documents instantly.
More information here:
Pavegen
Pavegen is the global leader in converting footfall into off-grid power and data. They supply both permanent installations and experiential activations and can power off-grid applications such as lighting, data capture and transmission, and environmental monitoring. Each footstep on a Pavegen walkway generates 2 to 4 joules of off-grid electrical energy or around 5 watts of power for the duration of a footstep. Bluetooth beacons in the system connect to smartphones, rewarding users for their steps and generating permission-based analytics.
More information here:
Shoot
Shoot is a web based service, enabling anyone to plan, create and then care for their garden. They will tell budding gardeners what can be planted, where it can be planted, and how best to care for it so it will thrive. The site includes an online planner as well as a wealth of information about plants, gardening methods and other useful information.
More information here:
Plan Bee
Plan Bee offers beehive adoption, management & educational services. They produce a range of honey, honeygar, beer, mead and bee by-products. As an ethical, sustainable eco-innovation business they provide a solution for organisations to enhance their sustainable responsibilities through their fully managed beehive service. The company’s client list includes high profile brands such as Highland Spring and Balfour Beatty
More information here:
The New Craftsmen
The New Craftsmen is creating a market place for talented crafts people in the UK who create high quality hand-made products. They have created an online market through their own web shop and also have a showroom in Mayfair in London.
More information here:
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