All articles tagged with #breakthrough energy ventures
Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures is investing in Fourth Power, a startup that uses liquid tin to store renewable power as heat for future use. The thermal battery technology converts heat to electricity through thermophotovoltaic cells, potentially addressing the intermittency issues associated with renewable energy sources.
Start-up Graphyte, incubated by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, claims to have developed a simple and cost-effective method for removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. The company uses plant waste, such as wood chips and rice hulls, to create carbon-laden blocks that can be buried underground for hundreds of years. This approach could store a ton of CO2 for around $100, a significant milestone in affordable carbon removal. While other methods like direct air capture are more complex and expensive, Graphyte's plant-based approach offers a simpler and potentially more scalable solution to combat climate change.
Unearthly Materials, a startup founded by scientists who claimed to have created a room-temperature superconductor, has raised $20 million in a Series A funding round, with investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Open AI's Sam Altman. The company claims to have prominent investors, including Union Square Ventures' Albert Wenger, Spotify's Daniel Ek, Dolby chairman Peter Gotcher, and Wise co-founder Taavet Hinrikus. However, the startup is not tracked on PitchBook and doesn't appear on Crunchbase.