The startup untangling the hair extension plastics downside
Rebundle — a women-led workforce constructing the primary U.S.-made, plant-based hair extensions model — in early June received the Circularity 23 Speed up fast-pitch competitors of round financial system startups.
Ciara Might, founder and CEO of Rebundle, was the primary of 5 entrepreneurs to pitch to over 1,200 professionals constructing round financial enterprise fashions. She received the viewers vote with the enchantment of Rebundle’s two-pronged affect, stating from the principle stage: “As a Black girl who’s been carrying braids all my life, I acknowledged that not solely was [plastic synthetic hair] a well being concern however an environmental justice problem that’s been neglected for many years.”
The hair extensions market is anticipated to just about double to $11.8 billion by 2030, based on some projections. The issue Rebundle seeks to deal with is substantial: 30 million kilos of plastic hair find yourself in landfills annually.
Rebundle’s patent-pending ReGen Hair Fiber is made, as an alternative, from naturally extracted banana fiber. The fabric is 97 p.c bio-based and compostable, making Rebundle the primary hair extensions firm to earn the USDA Certification for Biobased Product Label. The startup, based mostly in St. Louis, additionally facilitates a recycling program to repurpose plastic hair into out of doors furnishings and decking, diverting it from landfills. With the assistance of its recycling accomplice 5 Media, Rebundle mentioned it has recycled 445 kilos of hair to this point.
From a well being perspective, Might mentioned one in three ladies expertise scalp irritation from plastic artificial hair, which comprises endocrine-disrupting chemical substances. Rebundle’s banana fiber extensions eradicate the usage of these toxins, bettering consolation and well being outcomes, based on Might.
Rebundle was based in 2019 and has raised $2.5 million, not counting the $20,000 it obtained from GreenBiz Group for successful Circularity Speed up. The startup sells via its web site and plans to promote on to salons and big-box retailers.
Different startups that competed in Circularity Speed up included Molg (round manufacturing for electronics firms utilizing robotics); Fortuna Cools (turns farm waste into insulation and textiles); Samsara Eco (enzymatic breakdown of plastics for reuse); and Azure Printed Properties (3D printing of properties with recycled polymers).
This software program helps Siemens, Bayer and Mitsubishi handle net-zero objectives
San Francisco-based software program firm Sinai Applied sciences sells an utility that helps firms together with Siemens, Mitsubishi and Bayer create a decarbonization technique aligned with science-based goal pointers.
Sinai’s software program does this by inventorying and forecasting emissions throughout an organization’s whole operations and worth chain, based on the corporate’s web site.
With Siemens, for instance, Sinai moved emissions information assortment processes being cataloged in spreadsheets to a cloud-based platform. This allowed Siemens to create a single supply of reality for its greenhouse fuel emissions information. That, in flip, will assist the corporate create actionable choices to fulfill its local weather neutrality objectives by 2025 and 2030, based on Sinai.
The corporate has attracted vital capital to scale its mission, together with a Collection A spherical of $22 million final fall to construct out its software program and pursue worldwide partnerships. That funding introduced whole funding for Sinai to $37 million.
NEC, a world chief in superior IT and community applied sciences, was an investor in that newest infusion by way of its company enterprise capital fund, the NEC Orchestrating Future Fund (NOFF). Sinai is partnering with NEC to offer a complete platform designed to assist firms decarbonize their enterprise operations. Via this partnership, NEC will mix its information assortment experience with Sinai’s emission measuring and reporting capabilities. It will permit the companions to make holistic suggestions to firms looking for to succeed in net-zero objectives.
With so many carbon accounting firms out there, what units Sinai aside is its totally built-in carbon footprint calculations, together with its capacity to construct customized methods for carbon pricing and lowering emissions throughout a complete group.
Finance and tech workforce as much as resolve flooding
The price of flooding within the U.S. has totaled $850 billion since 2000, comprising two-thirds of the value from all pure disasters. To make issues worse, most flooding harm isn’t lined by insurance coverage, wiping out 40 p.c of small companies in its wake. The world wants new instruments to anticipate, monitor and cope with flooding as local weather change makes it extra frequent and widespread.
Enter Floodbase, a female-founded collection A startup disrupting the insurance coverage and flood-mapping business for householders, companies and authorities. Floodbase affords information options that develop insurance coverage protection whereas enabling policyholders to obtain close to real-time funds within the case of a set off occasion (corresponding to a pure catastrophe). This mannequin is named parametric insurance coverage. Sometimes, affected communities obtain funds from insurance coverage firms weeks or months after the catastrophe. This delay hinders fast entry to financing, which is essential throughout emergency responses to offer communities with meals and clear water, for instance.
Floodbase can also be reinventing the flood-mapping course of. Historically, to grasp flood patterns and make predictions, giant quantities of floor gear are required to run simulations. Floodbase flips this mannequin on its head, gathering real-time correct information. As an alternative of simulations, Floodbase trains machine-learning instruments to acknowledge water in satellite tv for pc imagery. The AI identifies pixels within the picture that symbolize water, capturing floods in actual time throughout the globe, alerting communities for evacuation functions and finally correct and quick insurance coverage funds.
In January, Floodbase raised $12 million in Collection A funding from Lowercarbon Capital with participation from Collaborative Fund, Floating Level and Vidavo. Its prospects embrace the U.N., FEMA and governments all over the world.
Liminal is recharging EV battery manufacturing
For those who haven’t heard, the electrical car (EV) revolution is upon us. Legislative incentives are championing the acquisition of EVs and breaking down boundaries that beforehand hindered charging infrastructure improvement throughout the nation. And as demand for EVs grows, so does demand for EV-compatible battery manufacturing. That’s the place Liminal is available in.
California-based startup Liminal is a battery cell manufacturing intelligence supplier that mixes ultrasound know-how with machine studying to advance battery manufacturing insights. It does this by way of EchoStat, a high-speed ultrasound inspection answer designed for use all through the battery manufacturing course of. EchoStat detects and corrects anomalies in actual time, stopping accelerated deterioration or system failure as soon as put in within the EV.
“Our merchandise assist battery producers hit their aggressive manufacturing quantity and price targets, whereas making certain their cells meet stringent EV security and efficiency necessities,” mentioned CEO and co-founder Andrew Hsieh to Enterprise Insider.
Liminal obtained $17.5 million in its Collection A2 spherical in February, led by ArcTern Ventures with help from Northvolt and Ecosystem Integrity Fund. In Might, the startup was awarded a $2.75 million grant from the California Vitality Fee to additional develop EchoStat.
