"Deployed at sufficient scale, their solutions would upend the current destructive economy, and start a journey to a climate-positive path"

1. 50TOWATCH 2020
The Early-Stage Innovators
Leading The Fight Against
The Climate Crisis

2. Sadly, there is no possible vaccine to shield humanity
from accelerating climate change and biodiversity
loss. Our daily lives are increasingly shaped by
wildfires, droughts, hurricanes and pollution.
The path to mitigation includes a complex set
of regulations, behavior changes and the wider
adoption of clean technologies. Large corporations,
despite public pressure, are slow to change their
destructive ways. Governments are dragging their
feet, unable to do more than adaptation - when
they are not in outright denial.
Meeting this worsening crisis, we can see the rise
of a new generation of innovators tackling the
world’s most pressing challenges with increasing
resolve and urgency. These entrepreneurs are
creating new technologies and business models
that could solve the plastics crisis, regenerate soils,
seed new forests, create climate-positive buildings
and end desertification. Last year, we created the
50 to Watch, an annual program designed to
surface and recognize the early-stage companies
fighting to get us back on track. Now in its second
year, the program continues to recognize these
extraordinary trailblazers.
To build this second annual list, we recruited a
panel of 32 early-stage innovation experts from
five continents, including new joiners such as CREO
Syndicate, Drawdown Fund, Fashion for Good,
Kenya Climate Ventures, Rise Ventures and The Yield
Lab. This Expert Panel is representative of the next
generation of entrepreneurs - diverse in geography,
age and background. It remains our first gender-
equal panel. We asked these experts to nominate
and review hundreds of companies, and used their
input to get to the final 50.
THE 50 COMPANIES IN THIS REPORT
PROVE THAT WITH DEDICATION
AND GRIT, IT IS POSSIBLE TO FIGHT
THE GOOD FIGHT WHILE MAKING A
FAIR PROFIT.
Deployed at sufficient scale, their solutions would
upend the current destructive economy, and start a
journey of regeneration to put us back on a climate-
positive path.
FOREWORD
Who’s working on a
climate crisis vaccine?
50TOWATCH
Jules Besnainou
Director, Cleantech Group
Nisa Mirza
Analyst, Cleantech Group
2

3. CONTENTS
Foreword: Who’s working on the climate crisis vaccine? 2
The 2020 50TOWATCH Map 5
Case Studies
Case Study 1: Combating desertification 7
Case Study 2: Building regenerative businesses 9
Case Study 3: Engineering new carbon sinks 11
Case Study 4: Solving the plastic crisis 13
Case Study 5: Reducing barriers to electrification 15
The 2020 50TOWATCH List 17
How we select the 50 28
50TOWATCH
3

4. 50TOWATCH
The 2020
50TOWATCH Map
4

5. The 2020 50TOWATCH Map
50TOWATCH
CIRCULARITY, SOLVING THE PLASTICS CRISIS
CLIMATE-POSITIVE BUILDINGS
WATER SCARCITY
BIO-BASED MATERIALS
CARBON CAPTURE AND REGENERATION
Regenerative agriculture and soil
Forests and oceans
Engineered capture / utilization
ENERGY AND MOBILITY
Renewables for all Mobility
Cooling technologies Storage
FUTURE OF FOOD
Plant-based diets Food waste
5

6. 50TOWATCH
Case studies
6

7. 50TOWATCH
Combating
desertification
Desertification leads to annual loss of 12 million
hectares of land1
, hurts low-income communities and
entails habitat destruction and loss of biodiversity. It
also creates climate change feedback loops due to loss
of vegetative cover.
CASE STUDY 1
1 unccd.int/actions/united-nations-decade-deserts-2010-2020-and-fight-against-desertification
7

8. The Solution
TURN DESERTS INTO ARABLE LAND
Desert Control converts sandy soil into fertile land by spraying a liquid mixture
of clay and water (Liquid NanoClay, or LNC) to help lock soil, and retain more
water and nutrients in just seven hours.
50TOWATCH
How it Works
A mixture of LNC is created tailored to the
properties of the soil, using locally sourced water
and clay. The mixture is irrigated into the soil
where it attaches to sand particles. Nutrients and
water collect around these particles, drastically
reducing seepage. In time, vegetation creates a
positive loop of re-greening and soil creation.
Potential Impact
LNC can boost food security by increasing access
to farmable land, promote sustainable agriculture
by reducing the amount of water and nutrients
and prevent contamination of water sources
through leaching.
Ambition
The plan is to increase the rate of production
and application to treat 50 hectares of land in
a day. Eventually, the aim is to scale production
and bring the solution cost down from $20,000
per hectare to $2,000 per hectare.
“DESERT CONTROL’S SCALABLE LNC
SOLUTION HELPS POPULATIONS IN
DRY AREAS WORK THEIR LAND AGAIN,
USE LESS WATER AND REGAIN GREEN
AREAS ON THE PLANET.”
Pedro Vilela,
Rise Ventures
Up to 50%
reduction in water consumption.
15 to 25 tons
of CO2
captured per hectare
8

9. 50TOWATCH
Building regenerative
businesses
The past decades have widened the gap between
environmentally-destructive, for-profit companies and
regenerative, non-profit organizations. The race to carbon
neutrality creates opportunities to promote regenerative
practices while empowering local communities.
CASE STUDY 2
9

10. 50TOWATCH
How it Works
Ejido Verde enters into a 20-30 year contract
with local farmers and provides them with
nursed seedlings with optimal resin production
capabilities. Plantations can expect to produce
resin after ten years, with Ejido Verde receiving
10 – 15% of production value for ten years.
Potential Impact
This business model reduces systemic
deforestation, creates a significant carbon sink,
and provides a source of income and training
to rural communities. The global pine industry,
valued at $10 billion, puts sustainably-sourced
resin in high demand.
Ambition
The aim is to have 12,000 hectares of plantation
under management, with over 6 million tons of
carbon sequestered by 2030. Another goal is to
enage at least 6,000 family farms in regenerative
farming practices and bring $1 billion in
transformative wealth to Mexico’s Michoacan
rural farmers. Scale to other regions of Mexico,
Latin America and Africa. There are also plans to
complement pine resin revenues by monetizing
ecosystem services and agricultural products.
The Solution
COMMUNITY-FOCUSED
REGENERATIVE AGROFORESTRY
Ejido Verde partners with local farmers in Michoacán, Mexico to grow native
pines to regenerate forests and harvest resin. It designs plantations on
degraded land to maximize resin production, and provides assistance and
training to local communities.
“EJIDO VERDE’S IS A WONDERFUL
IDEA WITH MUCH IMPACT ON
THE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS
THE ENVIRONMENT.”
Demetrius Yuen,
SOW Asia
4,262 hectares
under management.
2,145 jobs
above the minimum living wage
10

11. 2 UN Environment Programme, Resource Efficiency and Climate Change - Material Efficiency Strategies for a Low-Carbon Future, 2019.
50TOWATCH
Engineering new
carbon sinks
Emissions from the production of materials have more
than doubled from in the decade to 2015, reaching 11
Gigatons CO2e in 2015. Close to half of those emissions
were caused by the construction industry2
, but personal
cars and consumer goods are also high on the list.
CASE STUDY 3
11

12. 50TOWATCH
The Solution
CREATE BUILDING MATERIALS FROM
ATMOSPHERIC CARBON
Made of Air has developed a carbon-negative biochar-based plastic alternative
for use in buildings, interiors, floors, furniture and other applications.
How it Works
Agricultural waste biomass is baked in an oven to
produce biochar and heat. The biochar is mixed
with a binder to form pellets suitable for use in
most plastic production systems. The material is
carbon-negative as the biomass used captures
CO2
from the air in its lifetime, which is then
sequestered in the end product.
Potential Impact
Made of Air’s material can eliminate the use of
fossil-based plastics and the associated carbon
and environmental footprint. It also creates a
sustainable carbon loop, as the material can be
recycled back into pellets and therefore more
products.
Ambition
The aim is to reach cost parity with fossil-
based plastics in the next five years and
bring manufacturing in-house to increase
production flexibility.
“MADE OF AIR HAS BUILT A SOLUTION
THAT PERMANENTLY SEQUESTERS CO2
IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND IN
PRODUCTS THAT WE USE EVERY DAY.”
Alexandra Harbour,
Powerhouse Ventures
1.95 kg of
net captured CO2
per 1 kg of Made of Air material
126 kg of
CO2 savings
per square meter by not
using traditional plastic panels.
12

13. 3 Hannah Ritchie (2018) - “Plastic Pollution”
50TOWATCH
Solving the
plastic crisis
Reducing the 275 million tonnes3
of annual global plastic
waste will take a combination of bolder regulation,
behavioral change and innovation. While developing
alternatives to single-use plastic is important, reusable
containers offer both environmental and social upsides.
CASE STUDY 4
13

14. 50TOWATCH
How it Works
Using both mobile and stationary carts, popular
consumer brands are distributed around
neighborhoods in bulk containers with precise
dispensing technology. Customers in Indonesia
can bring their own containers or buy reusable
ones from the cart. This provides a cheaper
alternative to ubiquitous plastic sachets.
Potential Impact
The need for non-recyclable single-use plastic is
reduced, leading to less pollution. It also decreases
per-unit cost of product for consumers while
creating local jobs.
Ambition
The company aims to have refill stations set up in
stores around Indonesia and to create secondary
revenue sources by developing consumer insights
for FMCGs. Partnerships with FMCGs can allow
direct purchase of products, reducing cost and
environmental footprint.
The Solution
PROVIDE ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS IN
REUSABLE CONTAINERS
Siklus sells consumer goods such as shampoo and detergents directly to
customers in reusable containers. Micro-entrepreneurs manage refill vending
carts and get a share of the revenue.
“SIKLUS IS EXECUTING ON A BRILLIANT
IDEA, PROVIDING A CONVINCING
SOLUTION TO A REAL PROBLEM.”
Pat Sapinsley,
NYU Urban Future Lab
Low-income consumers pay
30%+
more to buy in sachets than in bulk.
14

15. 4 ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_chapter8.pdf
50TOWATCH
Reducing barriers
to electrification
Mass electrification of personal vehicles and fleets is
taking place, but at a slower rate than needed to curb
the 23% of energy-related CO2
emissions caused by the
transportation sector4
. Range, charging time and cost
remain roadblocks to faster adoption.
CASE STUDY 5
15

16. 50TOWATCH
How it Works
Fast battery charging rate is enabled using an
adaptive pulse charging algorithm that neither
raises temperature nor degrades the battery. The
software employs AI to better gauge and predict
optimal charging profiles.
Potential Impact
Drastic reduction in charging times of EVs and
other battery-enabled commercial products can
promote their adoption and scalability. Longer
cycle life of batteries can reduce product cost and
disposal waste.
Ambition
The plan is to deploy its technology in electric
vehicles as well as in a battery manufacturing.
The Solution
FASTER BATTERY CHARGING
GBatteries has developed an active battery management system that enhances
Li-ion battery cycle life and charging speed, without changing its chemistry or
manufacturing process.
“GBATTERIES COULD HAVE A HIGH
IMPACT IN REDUCING THE
DEGRADATION OF BATTERIES,
FOCUSING ON A VALID AND RELEVANT
ROADBLOCK IN FAST CHARGING.”
Nakul Vijay Naphade,
NTU Ecolabs – Centre of Innovation for Energy
10 minutes
target charging time for off-the-shelf
Li-ion batteries.
16

17. 50TOWATCH
The 2020
50TOWATCH list
17

18. B2B marketplace for food and beverage manufacturers
to buy surplus produce directly from farmers
United Kingdom
Reforestation company helping smallholder farms
produce sustainable pine resin
Mexico
Produce subscription allowing households to build a
direct relationship with their regenerative farmer
India
Developer of cultured breastmilk to offer a more
nutritious and sustainable option for feeding babies
United States
Provider of pollination services to farmers that increase
yields sustainably
Argentina
Developer of a process to convert sandy soil into fertile
land by spraying a combination of clay and water
Norway
AGRICULTURE FOOD
The 2020 50TOWATCH List
50TOWATCH
18

19. Transforming mycelium into protein that has the taste,
texture and nutrition of meat
United States
Developer of an integrated environmental and economic
management tool for farmers to de-risk implementation
of regenerative agriculture practices
Belguim
Developer of microbes and soil amendments to improve
crop yield and sequester carbon
United States
Developer of an app that lets businesses donate surplus
food while tracking waste analytics
United States
Developer of technology that transforms CO2
into
protein products
United States
The 2020 50TOWATCH List
50TOWATCH
AGRICULTURE FOOD
19

20. Developer of a smart battery management technology
that provides improvements to li-ion battery cycle life,
charging speed and calendar life
Canada
Developer of waterless toilet system converting human
waste into natural gas and fertilizer
United Kingdom
Developer of energy efficiency computing technology
for data centers
Netherlands
Developer of the Solartainer (50 kW) system to provide
energy access in African regions considered hard-to-reach
Mali
Platform to grow renewable energy-based micro-grids
from the ground up
United States
The 2020 50TOWATCH List
50TOWATCH
ENERGY POWER
20

21. Developer of sound wave technology for the heating
and cooling of buildings
Netherlands
Developer of low-carbon natural refrigerants
United States
Producer of hydrogen while capturing and storing
carbon dioxide
Canada
Provider of off-grid solar as a service in West Africa
Burkino Faso
Developer of advanced hydrogen PEM fuel cells, as well
as integrated fuel cell solutions and life-cycle services for
unmanned vehicles
Singapore
The 2020 50TOWATCH List
50TOWATCH
ENERGY POWER
21

22. Developer of an energy efficient coating that can
be applied to the exterior and interior of existing
building walls
United States
Mycelium-based material that can be used in fashion
accessories to replace leather and in interior architecture
as building blocks and tiles
Indonesia
Provider of technology for cost-competitive
deconstruction of lignocellulosic biomass to replace
petroleum in chemicals
Switzerland
Manufacturer of bamboo building materials to lower
construction and operating costs and make building
more sustainable
United States
Developer of a gas separation technology to reduce the
cost of CO2
removal for a range of applications
United States
The 2020 50TOWATCH List
50TOWATCH
MATERIALS CHEMICALS
22

23. Producer of organic biomass for fish feed, fertilizer and
solar applications from effluents using micro-algae
Sweden
Developer of biodegradable, compostable and all-natural
sanitary pads made from banana fiber
India
Developer of a pineapple-based material substituting
leather and bringing new income to subsistence farmers
United Kingdom
Developer of multifunctional construction materials
to increase energy efficiency, comfort and durability
of buildings
United States
The 2020 50TOWATCH List
50TOWATCH
MATERIALS CHEMICALS
23

24. Provider of reforestation services with a
cost-competitive fleet of drones that reduce costs
and reliance on manual labor
United States
Provider of refurbishment services to develop
CO2
-neutral buildings
Germany
Developer of coral farms to breed endangered coral
and restore degraded reefs
United States
Developer of sustainable recycled plastics
India
Developer of ecologically positive concrete sea defenses
to prevent coastal flooding while fostering biodiversity
Israel
RESOURCES ENVIRONMENT
The 2020 50TOWATCH List
50TOWATCH
24

25. Provider of digital solutions and incentives for informal
waste collection actors in India
India
Developing an efficient and easy-to-use technology to
capture microfibers at the source
United Kingdom
Developer of black pigments from wood waste, capable of
significantly reducing water use at the mill
United States
Developer of a system providing tax credits for Brazilian
corporates in exchange for higher recycling rates
Brazil
Developer of carbon-negative biochar-based material
for use in construction
Germany
The 2020 50TOWATCH List
50TOWATCH
Developer of software to connect and store digital
identities of apparel, enabling circularity
United States
RESOURCES ENVIRONMENT
25

26. Developer of geospatial analytics technology to help
sustainable forestry operations and reduce risks of
forest fires
United States
Provider of bulk shopping services for low-income
populations
Indonesia
Developer of a material capable of harvesting water from
the air without energy
Netherlands
Developer of an electrochemical process that recycles
CO2
into chemicals and fuels
United States
Developer of reusable packaging for online shopping
Finland
The 2020 50TOWATCH List
50TOWATCH
Developer of a marketplace for removing CO2
from the
atmosphere, fostering regenerative agriculture
United States
RESOURCES ENVIRONMENT
26

27. Developer of a hydrogen-based powertrain to enable
zero-emission aviation
United States
Provider of carpooling services for commuters
France
TRANSPORTATION LOGISTICS
The 2020 50TOWATCH List
50TOWATCH
Developer of battery anode materials to enable ultrafast
charging for electric vehicles
United Kingdom
27

28. 50TOWATCH
The bold investors
making the
50 possible
28

29. To surface the most promising of this new
generation, we started from the ground up.
WE ASSEMBLED A DIVERSE
PANEL OF MORE THAN 30
EARLY-STAGE INVESTORS
AND EXPERTS FROM FIVE
CONTINENTS.
These investors prove that positive change is
possible and financeable. They boldly support
this new crop of innovators every day with
finance, expertise and guidance. We first asked
them to nominate the companies they are most
impressed with, focusing on high-impact solutions.
We combine that with our own nominations and
research on early-stage awards.
THIS AMOUNTS TO MORE THAN
500 NOMINATIONS IN TOTAL.
We then put these 500 through qualitative and
impact filters. We weigh all nominations according
to their relevance, trying to keep a sectoral and
geographical balance, narrowing the list down to a
shortlist of 150 companies. The Expert Panel then
reviews and scores this shortlist to arrive at the
final 50.
Meet the experts who made this list possible:
This program started in 2018 with a simple observation: an increasing
number of talented entrepreneurs were putting all their energy into
trying to solve the climate crisis. Some did so with high tech, others with
relatively simple innovation and smart business models. All did it with a
laser-focus on solving a specific global issue.
50TOWATCH
The bold investors
making the 50 possible
29

30. Alexandra Clunies-Ross
Artesian
Asia Pacific
Laurie Menoud
At One Ventures
North America
Jelena Markovic
BayWa r.e. Energy Ventures
Europe and Israel
Daniel Matross
Creo Syndicate
North America
Erik Snyder
Drawdown Fund
North America
Yann Lagalaye
Demeter IM
Europe and Israel
Lou Schick
Clean Energy Ventures
North America
Iain Meager
Carbon Trust
Europe and Israel
Heba Aguib
BMW Foundation
Europe and Israel
Johanne Sévigny
EcoFuel Accelerator
North America
50TOWATCH
Tomas Haglund-Flemström
Formica Capital
Europe and Israel
Kathleen Rademan
Fashion for Good
Europe and Israel
The experts
30

31. Victor Ndiege
Kenya Climate Ventures
Africa
Tyler Hamilton
MaRS
North America
Kim Anders Odhner
New Crop Capital
Europe and Israel
Wade Bitaraf
Plug and Play
North America
Heloisa Salgado
Provence Capital
Latin America
Alexandra Harbour
Powerhouse Ventures
North America
Pat Sapinsley
NYU Urban Future Lab
North America
Nakul Vijay Naphade
NTU Ecolabs -Centre of Innovation for Energy
Asia Pacific
KateMoore
NREL
North America
50TOWATCH
Klaus Oberbauer
SecondMuse
Asia Pacific
Freerk Bisschop
Rockstart Accelerator
Europe and Israel
Pedro Vilela
Rise Ventures
Latin America
The experts
31

32. Victoria Smaniotto
Solar Impulse Foundation
Europe and Israel
Miki Yokoyama
TechFounders
Europe and Israel
Demetrius Yuen
SOW Asia
Asia Pacific
Maureen Le Baud
Via ID
Europe and Israel
Sunyoung Suh
United Nations Industrial
Development Organization
Europe and Israel
Nicky Deasy
The Yield Lab
Europe and Israel
Baptiste Le Clerc
Telos Impact Investing
Europe and Israel
50TOWATCH
Pippa Gawley
Zero Carbon Capital
Europe and Israel
The experts
32

33. San Francisco
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San Francisco, CA 94108
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info@cleantech.com
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