Green manufacturing attracting interest from investors
Segments of note include batteries, transportation, building materials, and metals.
In a recent column for Crunchbase News, Joanna Glasner writes about a renewed interest from both founders and investors in green manufacturing.
“The space emerged as a popular theme, even amid a toned-down funding climate last year, with more than $10 billion invested globally across the larger rounds, per an analysis of Crunchbase data,” she observed. “Upon closer examination, it looks like a few sectors and investment themes dominate much of the list.”
They are:
- Battery funding which Glasner writes has been on a tear in recent quarters, driven by the growth of electric vehicle adoption. It seems like everyone wants to fund a start-up that develops technology for batteries that are longer-lasting, cheaper and easier to produce, or more environmentally friendly.
- Transportation where a number of funded start-ups are also working on more environmentally friendly modes of and components for transportation.
- Building and materials which she cites as being “one of the most carbon-intensive activities we engage in.”
- Metals, particularly steel, which Glasner says “has not historically been an eco-friendly metal.”
She concludes with this prophetic observation: “While software may reign supreme in the start-up world, until you can drive, live in or eat the stuff, someone will still need to manufacture things. If we can figure out how to do that without unduly polluting our planet, the rewards will far outweigh the upfront risks.”
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