Next-gen climate tech: meet Undaunted’s Greenhouse Cohort 9

19 ambitious startups, developing tech to tackle climate change, embark on Undaunted’s unique 12-month cleantech accelerator.

Undaunted’s newest Greenhouse cohort comprises 19 early-stage, ‘pre-seed’ startups who are ready to take their tech to the next level: validating their business models, landing pilots, and raising investment.

Every year we see entrepreneurs joining Undaunted’s Greenhouse wanting to make a real difference, find innovation solutions and create new jobs" Natalie Gregoire-Skeete Head of Social Purpose and Head of Sustainability at HSBC UK

These founders are developing tech that spans multiple industries. From advanced materials and processes – such as a biotech-derived wildfire retardant that protects ecosystems and buildings, and liquid cooling for AI data centres – to revolutionising agriculture with safe, sustainable biopesticides. And it’s one of our largest cohorts to date.

"Applications for The Greenhouse are not only increasing cohort by cohort, we’re also receiving more and more really high-quality submissions," says Head of The Greenhouse, Maiko Schaffrath.

"We received 145 applications for Cohort 9, many with strong potential to be accepted onto the programme. This is brilliant," he continues. "These are the founders of the future, who are actively working to make our lives more sustainable, significantly reducing the emissions and waste we produce and envisioning how we can adapt resiliently in the face of climate change."

A healthy innovation ecosystem

Since 2012 the companies that have progressed through Undaunted’s programmes have raised more the £1.33 billion investment and created over 1,600 jobs in 30 countries; by 2030 they are forecast to save 29 million tonnes of cumulative CO₂e, 76 million tonnes cumulative waste and 7.4 million litres total fresh water.

To enable their impact, Undaunted is nurturing a sustainable innovation ecosystem across London, the UK via EarthScale, and globally, so that talented startups can access the support they need wherever they are based to gain investment, tackle climate change and create the sustainable jobs of the future. Greenhouse alumni include:

• Cryogenx, which has raised €1.9 million to tackle deadly heat stress;
• Net Zero Nitrogen, raised $6.6 million to commercialise its sustainable alternative to synthetic fertiliser;
• Brill Power, recently acquired by Palmer Energy Technology, as well as announcing new investment to accelerate UK leadership in battery energy storage;
• Notpla, whose seaweed-based packaging has just been introduced across canteens at Imperial (and who stormed the US last year with a £20 million funding round!);
• DyeRecycle, featured on the London Fashion Week catwalk and in Vogue.

The programme is funded by HSBC UK and CO₂RE: the Greenhouse Gas Removal Hub. It is working in partnership with the Mayor of London.

"We are delighted to support this year’s Undaunted startups. Every year we see entrepreneurs joining Undaunted’s Greenhouse wanting to make a real difference, find innovation solutions and create new jobs," says Natalie Gregoire-Skeete, Head of Social Purpose and Head of Sustainability at HSBC UK. 

"The Greenhouse provides valuable guidance and support for startups at the beginning of their business journey," she continues. "Helping founders to grow, innovate and create the businesses and jobs of the future that support the transition to net-zero and enable a greener future."

Let’s meet Cohort 9

Aeropod is leading the regeneration of humanity's most important resource – soil – through its biodegradable, nature-activated bio-aeration capsules. The capsules, which contain microbial nutrients that break down and improve soil health over time, reducing the need for fertilisers, are designed to activate when soil reaches a critical level of compaction and moisture, reducing the need for chemically and physically intensive methods and climate-proofing farming.

Athena Blue is unlocking finance for projects that fix the ocean. The team is building the data intelligence and market-readiness infrastructure layer to scale the sustainable ocean economy. Blue carbon ecosystems—mangroves, seagrass meadows, and salt marshes—represent one of nature's most powerful climate solutions. Athena Blue is creating the infrastructure for an investable blue carbon pipeline.

BioBright helps ports improve air and water quality with a dual system of algae cultivation and real-time monitoring, potentially saving up to £50 million per port in annual government fines. It delivers real-time data on CO₂ levels and water pollutants while utilising algae-based systems to absorb carbon and purify water, enabling regulatory compliance maintenance, and helping to advance sustainability initiatives.

BlazeBalm is a circular, bio-based wildfire-protection membrane that prevents ignition, suppresses flames and shields buildings and ecosystems. Grown off-grid using food-grade biotechnology from upcycled agricultural and aquaculture by-products, it’s PFAS-free, plastic-free and compostable—biodegrading safely after use.

Blue Neptune is developing next-generation aerogels that deliver extreme thermal insulation and protection for the world’s hottest environments. Their unique coatings and composites enable significant fuel, emissions, and maintenance cost reductions across aviation, space and other heavy industries.

Cooled Motors reduce the size, cost and magnets in conventional electric vehicle motors by 30-70% using its Coolshaft and next-gen stator cooling system, as well as developing the world's first plug and play magnet-free motor.

Demeter Bio is developing a bio-based alternative to PFAS in cosmetics, coating and packaging applications. Its mission? To replace harmful everyday chemicals in the materials industries with sustainable, high-performing alternatives.

ElectroPET is unlocking value from plastics by upcycling the unrecyclable.

Greenleaf develops safe, sustainable biopesticides to help farmers protect arable crops from bacterial diseases.

Infiniflux is developing advanced liquid cooling for 2D and 3D processor chips for AI data centres. By using its tech in new data centres, and retrofitting it into existing ones, their overall energy and water consumption can be stabilised whilst they continue to expand capacity.

ISONIK empowers reliable wind energy generation with ultrasonic ice prevention technology. Its tech can be retrofitted inside the blades of turbines, enabling wind power to work reliably when it's needed most, and potentially unlocking new geographies with higher wind potential previously inaccessible due to icing – all whilst saving a significant amount of CO2 emissions.

Mater-AI uses physics-based artificial intelligence to design next-generation thermoelectric materials that transform waste heat into clean electricity and advanced cooling across automotive, industrial systems, and IoT applications.

Modjoule is developing smart gensets for cold chain power.

Neela Biotech is developing a scalable, carbon-negative aviation fuel from waste using AI and synthetic biology. Its process transforms food, agriculture, and seaweed waste into drop-in jet fuel at cost parity with fossil fuel by leveraging existing biogas plant and refinery infrastructure.

Ocean Balance is developing electrochemical technology for ocean based carbon removal and marine restoration at scale.

Protonera is turning waste plastics into clean hydrogen and other platform chemicals, making waste valuable.

SolarSub enables solar panels to thrive in the sun using its passive cooling system to boost energy yields and unlock the next generation of heat-sensitive solar innovations.

Temperate is building a radically efficient cooling system, designed for a hotter world, where access, affordability, and sustainability aren’t trade-offs. A new type of cooling that works like a split AC, using just 5% of the electricity, and none of those toxic refrigerants.

TeraBora is a worm-inspired digging robot for ground source heat pump installation: an innovative underground drilling robot to enable cheap, non-disruptive installation of ground source heat pump systems to make sustainable heating accessible and affordable.

The Greenhouse

The Greenhouse is Undaunted's 12-month accelerator based at Scale Space in London's White City Innovation District. It offers cleantech, fintech and deeptech startups tackling climate change a unique programme of mentorship and workshops, up to £20k equity-free grant funding and access to Imperial’s world-class facilities, expertise and networks.

The programme culminates with Demo Day, where the founders pur what they've learned over the year into impressive pitches to investors, after which the startups become Undaunted alumni: we continue to provide resources and support to help them continue their journeys so that they can go on to have successful impact on climate change. 

The programme is funded by HSBC UK and CO₂RE: the Greenhouse Gas Removal Hub. It is working in partnership with the Mayor of London.

Undaunted

Undaunted is a partnership between Imperial's Grantham Institute and The Royal Institution, powering early-stage climate innovation across London, the UK and beyond. We envision a world with a healthy, global climate innovation ecosystem, with diverse innovators leading businesses of all sizes that are delivering significant emissions reductions and climate resilience sustainably and at scale.

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