How 5 start-ups help to tackle the climate crisis

Creative and disruptive ideas from start-ups are our high hopes when it comes to winning the race to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Munich Re and ERGO are currently supporting five start-ups as part of the Climate-KIC accelerator that are active in the field of carbon removal, where they are making an important contribution against global warming. In an interview series with next columnist Markus Sekulla we present the 5 young companies with big ambitions in the upcoming weeks: NeoCarbon, Reverse Carbon, Silicate, Treeconomy and Ucaneo Biotech.

Reverse Carbon: “We turn CO2 into biochar”

Reverse Carbon is a Swedish climate tech company that aims to enable the removal of carbon dioxide in developing countries. //next columnist Markus Sekulla spoke with Jenny Fellenius, co-founder of Reverse Carbon, about how the start-up removes CO2 from the airair, turns it into biochar and thus provides development aid at the same time. 

Treeconomy: Make forests and reforestation investable

The London-based start-up Treeconomy uses technology to more accurately value natural assetsand to use this value to drive finance into restoration and regeneration of natural ecosystems. //next columnist Markus Sekulla spoke with Harry Grocott, CEO of Treeconomy, about their data-first approach.

Silicate: “We are removing CO2 from the air and locking it away”

It's getting warmer on our planet. Sustainable Start-ups have dedicated themselves to pulling CO2 and other greenhouse gases out of the air to slow down this trend. After Reverse Carbon and Treeconomy, we now present Silicate as the third part of our new article series: This Irish start-up uses “enhanced weathering” to capture CO2. An innovative approach that //next columnist Markus Sekulla wanted to know more about from co-founder Maurice Bryson.

Ucaneo: “We are reversing climate change through biotechnology”

“Net zero” is repeatedly cited as the major goal in addressing the climate crisis. There are many approaches to pulling greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere, with Direct Air Capture probably the biggest and best known. But start-ups have developed many other options. Like Ucaneo from Berlin, which works with a catalytic membrane. Sure enough our //next columnist Markus Sekulla wanted to find out more.

NeoCarbon: “We are sequestering carbon using cooling towers”

There are many approaches to removing CO2 from the air. And – fortunately – there are more and more. Direct Air Capture is carried out in plants, on cooling towers or even on shopping malls and office buildings. NeoCarbon, a start-up from Berlin specializes in the latter. In an interview with one of the co-founders, our //next columnist Markus Sekulla found out more about the challenges and potentials of this promising technology.