News - June 29, 2020
Latest investment deals in Solar Impulse Labelled Solutions
Written by Tristan Lebleu 5 min read
A quick overview of the latest funding rounds closed by Efficient Solutions.
After 5 years of steady growth in cleantech deals and a total amount of investments above $35 billion in 2019, there was a global concern that the pandemic would slow cleantech investments in 2020.
So far, signs show that the situation is still encouraging for cleantech startups, according to some recent funding rounds closed by labelled Solar Impulse Efficient Solutions (and many others, obviously).
“Funds are still very much open for business, although companies and investors should expect that the valuation will change for the next year or so,” said M. Youngman, CEO of Cleantech Group at the Cleantech Interactive session organised on 19-20 May 2020.
Here is a quick overview of the latest deals in our Labelled Solutions.
BiOceanOr raises €1.5M to accelerate worldwide blue economy digitalization!
BiOceanor is the French startup behind the solution AquaREAL, the first underwater weather station. This innovation allows to measure water quality 24/7 and to give forecasts on water quality evolution in the next couple of days. It is dedicated to several markets: aquaculture, fishing, beaches monitoring, industrial pollution monitoring, environmental monitoring (all king of water bodies). BiOceanOr’s ambition is to become a worldwide leader on water quality real-time monitoring and forecasts to prevent health risks.
Following an introduction by the Solar Impulse Foundation, BiOceanor raised €1.5M with the fund Région Sud Investissement advised by Turenne Capital Groupe, Belgian impact fund Inventures Investment Partners, and a club deal of investors organized by Blue Oceans Partners, a new blue economy impact fund.
READ MORE (IN FRENCH)H55 receives CHF5M support of the Canton of Valais in Switzerland
H55, a technological spin-off from Solar Impulse, develops certified electric propulsion solutions to enable the next aviation revolution. The company, which had completed a successful test flight in June 2019, has just announced the Canton of Valais will provide a financial contribution of CHF5M to assist the startup in setting-up research, production and testing facilities in Sion and its integration into the Canton’s Energypolis Innovation Park ecosystem.
ECOncrete raises $5M for its ‘bio-enhancing’ concrete solution
ECOncrete® is an Israeli startup which develops an innovative and environmentally-friendly concrete used in marine constructions, such as piers, breakwaters and seawalls. By using specific materials and science-based designs, it increases biodiversity, floral and faunal communities, while adding strength and longevity to the structures. The company, based in Tel Aviv, has just announced it has closed a $5M funding round led by Bridges Israel.
Qotto completes a €6M round to develop its modular solar kit
Qotto designs a "triple play" offer including a solar kit, access to the internet and financial services, aimed for peri-urban or rural populations with limited or nonexistent access to electrical and telecommunications networks. Mostly active in Benin and Burkina Faso, the company counts 2000 clients.
The startup raised €6M through different channels, including €2.4M through the online impact investing platform SoWeFund.
Lactips, producer of the first soluble bioplastic, raises €13M
Lactips, the French company specialized in producing a soluble bioplastic with zero environmental trace, has raised 13 million euros in new capital. This round was led by Bpifrance’s SPI (Société de Projet Industriel) fund, managed on behalf of the French Government as part of the Investments for the Future Program (PIA), and Diamond Edge Ventures (DEV), the innovation investment arm of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation (MCHC).
The new infusion of capital will enable Lactips to ramp up its product development and industrial facilities. Lactips now has the financial resources needed to drive the development of its innovative and responsible biosourced, biodegradable and water-soluble solution, providing an alternative for numerous industrial plastics.
Written by Tristan Lebleu on June 29, 2020
