The startup untangling the hair extension plastics drawback

Rebundle — a women-led group constructing the primary U.S.-made, plant-based hair extensions model — in early June gained the Circularity 23 Speed up fast-pitch competitors of round economic system startups. 

Ciara Could, founder and CEO of Rebundle, was the primary of 5 entrepreneurs to pitch to over 1,200 professionals constructing round financial enterprise fashions. She gained the viewers vote with the attraction of Rebundle’s two-pronged impression, stating from the principle stage: “As a Black lady who’s been sporting braids all my life, I acknowledged that not solely was [plastic synthetic hair] a well being concern however an environmental justice situation that’s been neglected for many years.”

The hair extensions market is anticipated to almost double to $11.8 billion by 2030, in accordance with some projections. The issue Rebundle seeks to deal with is substantial: 30 million kilos of plastic hair find yourself in landfills every year. 

Rebundle’s patent-pending ReGen Hair Fiber is made, as a substitute, from naturally extracted banana fiber. The fabric is 97 % 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 associate 5 Media, Rebundle mentioned it has recycled 445 kilos of hair thus far. 

From a well being perspective, Could mentioned one in three ladies expertise scalp irritation from plastic artificial hair, which accommodates endocrine-disrupting chemical compounds. Rebundle’s banana fiber extensions eradicate using these toxins, enhancing consolation and well being outcomes, in accordance with Could.

Rebundle was based in 2019 and has raised $2.5 million, not counting the $20,000 it acquired from GreenBiz Group for profitable Circularity Speed up. The startup sells by 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 houses 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 software that helps firms together with Siemens, Mitsubishi and Bayer create a decarbonization technique aligned with science-based goal tips.

Sinai’s software program does this by inventorying and forecasting emissions throughout an organization’s total operations and worth chain, in accordance with the corporate’s web site.

With Siemens, for instance, Sinai moved emissions knowledge assortment processes being cataloged in spreadsheets to a cloud-based platform. This allowed Siemens to create a single supply of fact for its greenhouse gasoline emissions knowledge. That, in flip, will assist the corporate create actionable choices to satisfy its local weather neutrality objectives by 2025 and 2030, in accordance with Sinai.

The corporate has attracted important capital to scale its mission, together with a Sequence A spherical of $22 million final fall to construct out its software program and pursue worldwide partnerships. That funding introduced complete funding for Sinai to $37 million.

NEC, a worldwide chief in superior IT and community applied sciences, was an investor in that newest infusion through its company enterprise capital fund, the NEC Orchestrating Future Fund (NOFF). Sinai is partnering with NEC to supply a complete platform designed to assist firms decarbonize their enterprise operations. Via this partnership, NEC will mix its knowledge assortment experience with Sinai’s emission measuring and reporting capabilities. It will permit the companions to make holistic suggestions to firms looking for to achieve net-zero objectives.

With so many carbon accounting firms out there, what units Sinai aside is its absolutely built-in carbon footprint calculations, together with its means to construct customized methods for carbon pricing and decreasing emissions throughout a whole group.

Finance and tech group as much as clear up flooding

The price of flooding within the U.S. has totaled $850 billion since 2000, comprising two-thirds of the worth from all pure disasters. To make issues worse, most flooding harm isn’t lined by insurance coverage, wiping out 40 % of small companies in its wake. The world wants new instruments to anticipate, monitor and take care of flooding as local weather change makes it extra frequent and widespread.

Enter Floodbase, a female-founded sequence A startup disrupting the insurance coverage and flood-mapping business for owners, companies and authorities. Floodbase affords knowledge options that develop insurance coverage protection whereas enabling policyholders to obtain close to real-time funds within the case of a set off occasion (comparable to a pure catastrophe). This mannequin is named parametric insurance coverage. Usually, 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 supply communities with meals and clear water, for instance.

Floodbase can be reinventing the flood-mapping course of. Historically, to know flood patterns and make predictions, giant quantities of floor tools are required to run simulations. Floodbase flips this mannequin on its head, gathering real-time correct knowledge. As a substitute of simulations, Floodbase trains machine-learning instruments to acknowledge water in satellite tv for pc imagery. The AI identifies pixels within the picture that characterize water, capturing floods in actual time throughout the globe, alerting communities for evacuation functions and in the end correct and quick insurance coverage funds. 

In January, Floodbase raised $12 million in Sequence A funding from Lowercarbon Capital with participation from Collaborative Fund, Floating Level and Vidavo. Its prospects embrace the U.N., FEMA and governments around the globe. 

Liminal is recharging EV battery manufacturing

For those who haven’t heard, the electrical automobile (EV) revolution is upon us. Legislative incentives are championing the acquisition of EVs and breaking down limitations 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 expertise with machine studying to advance battery manufacturing insights. It does this through 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 value targets, whereas guaranteeing their cells meet stringent EV security and efficiency necessities,” mentioned CEO and co-founder Andrew Hsieh to Enterprise Insider.

Liminal acquired $17.5 million in its Sequence A2 spherical in February, led by ArcTern Ventures with assist from Northvolt and Ecosystem Integrity Fund. In Could, the startup was awarded a $2.75 million grant from the California Power Fee to additional develop EchoStat.