The article highlights the Forbes 2026 30 Under 30 Manufacturing & Industry list, showcasing young entrepreneurs developing innovative, sustainable technologies across sectors like food waste reduction, materials, robotics, and environmental protection, emphasizing their impact on creating a safer and more efficient future.
Google Ventures has invested in Danish climate tech startup Again, which has raised $43 million in Series A funding to develop technology that converts carbon dioxide emissions into valuable products like plastics and paints. Founded in 2021, Again aims to begin operations by 2025 or 2026, leveraging research from top universities to scale its carbon capture and conversion technology.
More than 20 venture capital firms, including Tiger Global and Union Square Ventures, have formed the Venture Climate Alliance (VCA) to increase commitments to climate tech and ensure net-zero emissions by 2050. The VCA will guide portfolio companies on how to decarbonize their operations and require generalist VC firms to align their early-stage startup bets with net-zero goals. The UN has approved the VCA as part of its Race to Zero campaign, and the alliance will fall under the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ). The VCA aims to amplify efforts by tech startups and their venture backers to combat the climate crisis with new technologies.
The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the second-largest bank failure in US history, has left a "massive hole" in the climate tech startup ecosystem, according to investors. SVB was known for its relationships and expertise in climate tech, and its collapse has left companies and their VC backers uncertain about whether they will be able to access specialty banking services that cater to early-stage companies not yet turning profits. While climate tech funding has tapered off, it is holding up relatively better when compared to the decline in broader VC funding, which fell 53% globally year over year.
The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was shaped by government handouts to climate-tech and sustainability startups, which skewed the bank's clients in one direction, according to The Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference to correct a misleading narrative about book bans, while President Biden's "forever war" approach to Ukraine is misguided, argue Mark Toth and Jonathan Sweet at The Hill. The Federalist's David Harsanyi blames Biden for SVB's collapse, saying he dismissed warnings of inflation and signed off on trillions in new spending.