March Climate & Sustainability Investor Deal Share by 4WARD.earth ⚡♻️ 🌱 💧
10 Climate Startups Worth a Call: March Deal Share is Here
4WARD Editor’s Note
Welcome to this month’s climate deal flow roundup by 4WARD.earth. We’ve identified 10 promising climate and sustainability startups across key sectors that may be actively raising funds or considering a raise in the coming months, which might be worth reaching out to. We’re also excited to introduce a new section this month: a curated list of recently closed funding rounds worth keeping on your radar :)
🚀 Startups Possibly Looking to Raise
Sector: Energy & Grid Infrastructure ⚡
🇺🇸 Nira Energy (Seed / Series A) Denver-based Nira Energy provides software that maps available capacity at every interconnection point on the US electrical grid, helping renewable developers find optimal sites and cut interconnection costs. Customers like AES and Cypress Creek report up to 100x faster project prospecting. Profitable since year one.
🇩🇪 Ucaneo (Seed — €6.75M raised to date) Berlin-based Ucaneo has developed a biomimetic Direct Air Capture (DAC) system inspired by the human lung, using renewable electricity and a novel solvent to remove CO2 at room temperature, with no heat required. Backed by IBB Ventures and Aramco Ventures, targeting below €300/ton with a clear path to sub-€100/ton at scale.
Sector: Circular Economy & Advanced Materials ♻️
🇨🇦 ALT TEX (Seed — YC-backed) Toronto-based ALT TEX turns food waste into the world’s first biodegradable, carbon-neutral fabric — 70% stronger than cotton and fully compatible with existing polyester manufacturing lines. YC-backed with $1M in signed letters of intent from fashion brands; targeting a market where polyester accounts for 60% of global fashion.
🇲🇽 Boomera (Seed, last activity 2023) Mexico City-based Boomera collects, processes, and upcycles hard-to-recycle plastics — turning waste that would end up in landfills or the ocean into raw materials for new products. Operating across Mexico with a social impact model that engages informal waste pickers. One of the few circular-economy startups in Latin America with a proven collection infrastructure and a B2B materials sales model.
Sector: Carbon Removal & Soil Health 🌱
🇧🇷🇩🇪 InPlanet (Seed — €5.6M raised to date) Sao Paulo/Berlin-based InPlanet applies Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) on Brazilian farmland to permanently sequester CO2 while boosting soil fertility, delivering the world’s first independently verified ERW credits in 2025 (A-rated by BeZero Carbon) and a 28,500-tonne offtake signed with Microsoft through 2028. Operating across 12,000+ hectares with a structural advantage from Brazil’s tropical climate, which accelerates weathering far beyond temperate benchmarks.
🇨🇦 CarbonRun (Early Stage) Dartmouth-based CarbonRun restores acidified rivers by adding crushed limestone, enhancing rivers’ natural capacity to carry CO2 to the ocean for storage lasting thousands of years, while reviving salmon and shellfish ecosystems. Signed the world’s first River Alkalinity Enhancement (RAE) carbon removal deal ($25.4M offtake with Frontier buyers, including Stripe and Shopify) and issued the first verified RAE credits in January 2026.
🇺🇸 Yard Stick PBC (Series A — $18M raised to date, last: Nov 2023) Cambridge-based Yard Stick makes a handheld probe that measures soil carbon instantly and affordably, cutting traditional measurement costs by 70–90% and unlocking soil carbon credits at scale. Backed by Toyota Ventures, Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, Lowercarbon Capital, and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, deployed across hundreds of thousands of acres across 26 US states with $17M+ in multi-year contracts secured.
Sector: Water & Climate Adaptation 💧
🇨🇱 Kran Nanobubble (Seed — $1M raised to date) Puerto Varas-based Kran uses nanobubble technology to improve water and energy efficiency in agriculture, aquaculture, and food processing, cutting energy use by 16%+ and chemical inputs by up to 70%. Deployed with AB InBev and Nestlé Mexico; recognized by the World Economic Forum. Early-stage but commercially validated across Latin America, now expanding into the US.
🇦🇷 Kilimo (Series A — $7.5M, June 2024) Córdoba-based Kilimo uses AI, satellite data, and soil sensors to deliver precision irrigation recommendations to farmers, reducing water use by up to 20% while maintaining or improving yields. Active in seven countries across Latin America, 120,000+ farmers trained.
Sector: Water & Climate Adaptation 🌾
🇳🇱 Farmless (Seed — €6M, last raised December 2023) Amsterdam-based Farmless brews carbon-negative protein using CO2, hydrogen, and renewable electricity, bypassing agricultural land entirely and producing up to 5,000x less land use than beef protein. Backed by World Fund and Vorwerk Ventures, building its pilot protein brewery in Amsterdam, and with active regulatory approval, well-positioned for its next raise.
📣 Recently Closed Funding Rounds
Companies that have just announced closing a raise, worth tracking as they scale and build their teams.
Sector: Grid Infrastructure & Energy Transition ⚡🔌🏗️
🇺🇸 Heron Power (Series B - $140M) builds solid-state transformers that replace legacy electrical gear connecting solar, batteries, and AI compute directly to the grid. Co-led by Andreessen Horowitz and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, founded by ex-Tesla executive Drew Baglino. Building a 40GW U.S. manufacturing facility to meet customer demand that already exceeded 40GW before this raise.
🇺🇸 Infravision (Series B - $91M) uses proprietary drones to string and install transmission lines dramatically faster and at a lower cost than conventional methods, directly accelerating grid buildout. Round led by GIC with Hitachi Ventures and Energy Impact Partners; scaling across North America through 2026. One of the most capital-efficient grid infrastructure plays in the market right now.
Sector: Emissions Monitoring & Carbon Accounting 📊🛰️💨
🇺🇸 LongPath Technologies (DOE Loan - $162M) Deploys laser-based quantum sensing nodes across U.S. oil and gas basins to provide continuous, real-time methane monitoring at scale. First DOE loan disbursement confirmed February 2026; targeting 2.4M acre coverage across nine major producing states in H1 2026. Expected to prevent 6M+ metric tons CO2e annually, with strong implications for scope 1 emissions compliance across the oil and gas sector.
🇫🇷 Greenly (Series B - $52M) provides carbon accounting and emissions management SaaS to SMEs and mid-market businesses navigating EU CSRD and U.S. SEC emissions reporting requirements. Round led by Fidelity International Strategic Ventures with HSBC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Energy Impact Partners; $10M+ ARR already achieved. Actively expanding into the U.S. market with regulatory tailwinds accelerating demand.
Sector: Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems 🌾🌱🔬
🇺🇸 Nitricity (Series B - $50M) makes organic nitrogen fertilizer from recycled almond shells, air, water, and renewable power, replacing synthetic nitrogen and reducing agricultural emissions at the farm level. Co-led by the World Fund and Khosla Ventures, with Chipotle’s Cultivate Next fund, field trials show up to a 30% yield increase, and all current production is pre-commissioned. First production facility in Delhi, CA, comes online in 2026 with a 100x capacity increase.
Sector: Carbon Removal & CDR Infrastructure 🌍🪨♻️
🇮🇳 Alt Carbon (Seed - $12M) Deploys enhanced rock weathering by spreading volcanic basalt on agricultural fields to permanently remove CO2 while improving soil health and crop yields for farmers. Largest climate tech seed round in India; backed by Lachy Groom, with a strategic partnership with Mitsubishi Corporation already in place. Sits at the intersection of carbon markets, sustainable agriculture, and the Global South, a rare combination for early-stage CDR.
🇳🇱 Brineworks (Seed - $8M) Developing ultra-low-cost Direct Air Capture technology targeting sub-$100/ton CO2 capture alongside hydrogen co-production for e-fuels using a brine-based electrochemical process. Round led by SeaX Ventures with Pale Blue Dot and EIC Accelerator grant support. Sub-$100/ton DAC is widely seen as the unlock for large-scale carbon removal, and this is one of the more credible technical approaches in that race.
Sector: Circular Economy & Sustainable Materials ♻️🧪🌿
🇫🇷 Calyxia (Series B - ~$35M) Makes biodegradable microcapsules that replace conventional microplastics in industrial products across manufacturing, agriculture, and personal care. Round led by Lombard Odier and Bpifrance; B Corp-certified, targeting profitability in 2026 with a new Paris production facility scaling. Strong tailwinds from the EU microplastics regulation coming into force across multiple product categories.
🇩🇪 Level Nine (Seed - $4.6M) Uses nanozyme catalysts to convert biomass and organic waste into industrial chemicals, replacing fossil-based feedstocks across multiple industries. Round led by Visionaries Tomorrow with Zero Carbon, Rockstart, IBB Ventures, and Better Ventures, announced March 18, 2026. Very early stage but technically differentiated, worth tracking as they move toward industrial offtake partnerships.
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