For the past few years, we have seen influential names in various industries announce bold statements of significantly reducing their carbon emissions in an effort to save the planet from the ongoing climate crisis.
Last January 2020, Microsoft stated plans to aid in the global sustainability movement to help the world move towards a cleaner environment for the future generation. They pledged to remove their entire carbon footprint emissions, dating back to 1975, in a staggering cycle over the next 30 years.
Uber also raised $800 million for their project to transition their drivers into fully electric vehicles or EV by 2025 which are kinder on the environment. Nowadays, more and more tech giants are coming together to raise awareness for the state of the world and acting out concrete plans to mitigate its risks.
Even as Big Tech has an affluential role in building a cleaner and greener future, there are a rising number of start-ups who want to do good by the world by offering their eco-friendly services.
1. Fuergy
Based in Slovakia, this startup was founded in 2018 and made a name for itself by fashioning themselves as the “Airbnb of clean and renewable energy”. Fuergy aims to transform household renewable energy-sharing into reality, developing a mechanism that lets home owners who generate surplus solar or wind power sell their extra energy to their neighbours instead of feeding it back to the grid as is the norm.
The same people behind Fuergy also developed brAIn, a supplementary and proprietary hardware that utilises AI tools in order to “optimise energy and consumption and maximise the efficiency of renewable energy sources”.
2. Facedrive
This 2016 startup developed by Imran Ali Khan was founded in Richmond Hill, Toronto. The Canadian startup operates as a ride-sharing and food delivery service, much like Uber and Lyft, except with a focus on sustainability. They describe themselves and their brand as a “people-and-plant-first” venture that provides commuters with an environmentally-friendly alternative for their transportation.
Facedrive drivers are reported to earn as much as 90% of their fares and all of the tips, with those who drive hybrid or electric cars earning more. This ride-sharing service is currently available in 10 cities: Toronto, Hamilton, Burlington, Ottawa, and London. Worth mentioning too is how the food delivery leg of their platform is the first of it’s kind to have a green service in all of Canada.
3. Goterra
Goterra was founded in Canberra, Australia by Olympia Yarger. This unique startup offers convenient waste management infrastructure by collecting clients’ food waste on behalf of waste collectors, as well as support independent business looking for ways to recycle their food waste. It is a modular waste management system that makes use of robots and insects to process the waste by turning it into high-protein stock feed and natural soil fertilizer, the company describing their system as “robots filled with maggots”.
The Australian startup is in it for something bigger: they want to address the rising issue concerned with mishandling of food waste. In turn, they built a convenient solution for this by offering their clean organics from processing, kitchen waste, and pre-consumer waste streams down to post-customer restaurant and household waste.
4. Iron Ox
Developed by Brandon Alexander and Jon Binney in 2015, Iron Ox is a unique start-up in that it specialises in agricultural robotics technology, aiming to perfect a fully functional vertical farming system. This venture has managed to secure various fundings from well-known investors such as Y Combinator, Tuesday Ventures, At One Ventures, and Pathbreaker Ventures. To date, it has managed to raise a total of $45 million.
Given their recent funding, the company has expressed its plans to go global and bring their expertise all the way to the national scale. By delivering grown vegetables beyond California, it will allow various businesses to purchase locally grown vegetables, which then will help the reduction of carbon footprint tenfold.
Conclusion
It is safe to say green startups have a rocky road ahead of them, filled to the brim with additional challenges brought about by the erratic world order and their own internal logistic problems. These budding entrepreneurs have to consider their bottom line, social responsibility, economic value, and environmental impact altogether. But nevertheless, once they channel in their passion for the environment and motivation to succeed, these ventures will be instrumental in protecting the Earth long-term.
From ride-sharing applications to energy trading, the sky is the limit when it comes to envisioning your plans for a greener future. The green startups listed here today are in the right path to using their platforms for a cleaner, greener world.
