Meet the founders shaping a more resilient future: The Greenhouse Cohort 11

The climate transition is in a critical phase. The next wave of innovation means tackling sectors that are notoriously difficult to decarbonise: industry, materials, chemicals, buildings, food systems and resilience.

A new cohort of climate entrepreneurs has joined The Greenhouse, Undaunted's flagship accelerator. Selected from a highly competitive application process, the founders in Cohort 11 are developing solutions to some of the world's most urgent sustainability challenges, aiming to build scalable businesses at the same time. Unlike sector-specific programmes, The Greenhouse backs solutions with the highest impact potential. This approach allows it to support ventures working across the full spectrum of climate challenges, including technologies that do not fit neatly into established investment categories.

Supporting startups since 2012, the result is a thriving network of over 200 alumni companies that reflects the complexity of the climate transition and those at the forefront of tackling climate change, including: Naked Energy, that recently announced £8.875 million investment, led by Great British Energy; Ki 13, that raised $5 million to develop affordable synthetic fuels; Shellworks, now expanding into the US and Europe off the back of a $15 million Series A round; and Nanomox, that’s raised £2.4m to scale sustainable ionic liquid platform for advanced materials and critical minerals.

Opening opportunities

Over the next 12 months, Cohort 11 will work alongside mentors, investors and industry experts to test their tech, sharpen their business models and accelerate their route to impact, supported by up to £20k grant funding, specialist workshops and access to Imperial's world-leading innovation ecosystem. Founders on The Greenhouse are now also eligible for the new Opening Opportunities Fund, an initiative that extends HSBC UK’s funding of the accelerator to enable founders who face financial barriers to commit to the programme full-time.

"Data from recent Greenhouse applications rounds revealed a stark statistic, with more than half of the founders unable to commit full-time to their startup because of financial pressures," says Natalie Gregoire-Skeete, Head of Societal Purpose and Philanthropy at HSBC UK. "In response, we’ve built on our support for The Greenhouse with the Opening Opportunities Fund, as part of our commitment to creating opportunities that support the most ambitious, talented cleantech founders."

Investing in the future

Deeptech ventures often require longer development timelines, specific technical expertise and more patient capital; they also represent some of the most compelling opportunities for long-term climate impact.

The Greenhouse sits within one of the world's leading ecosystems for scientific discovery, engineering innovation and tech commercialisation... a unique environment for founders tackling technically complex climate challenges. Maiko Schaffrath Head of The Greenhouse, Undaunted

"What stands out during every application cycle is the ambition of the founders and the diversity of approaches they're taking to climate innovation," says Maiko Schaffrath, Head of The Greenhouse. "From transformative technologies to practical solutions that can be deployed today, these ventures demonstrate the breadth of talent emerging in the climatetech sector.”

“The prominence of science and engineering-led ventures in Cohort 11 is no coincidence,” continues Maiko. “Embedded at Imperial, The Greenhouse sits within one of the world's leading ecosystems for scientific discovery, engineering innovation and technology commercialisation. This proximity to cutting-edge research creates a unique environment for founders tackling technically complex climate challenges, helping them bridge the gap between breakthrough science and real-world deployment.”

Imperial was ranked first in the UK for research outputs and research environment in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, with a greater proportion of world-leading research than any other UK university. It was also named the Outstanding Entrepreneurial University at the 2025 Times Higher Education Awards.

When they graduate next year, Cohort 11 will join a growing community of Greenhouse alumni that have gone on to secure investment, launch commercial pilots and scale climate solutions in markets around the world. Together, they demonstrate the vital role early-stage innovators play in driving the transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.

If you’re an investor keen to back early-stage innovation, sign up for the Imperial Investor Network. And why not join us for the afternoon at our next Greenhouse Demo Day, when Cohort 9 will take to the iconic Royal Institution stage to pitch for investment.

Meet Cohort 11

&SISTERS 

&SISTERS is developing BioSAP: a bio-based, biodegradable superabsorbent polymer - a drop-in replacement for petrochemical superabsorbent polymers.

Anthera Remediation Technologies 

Anthera Remediation Technologies has developed a technology to make "forever" chemicals be gone forever!

Bioloon 

Bioloon is an Imperial College London spin-out commercialising biodegradable latex. The team is tackling latex waste, starting with the 20 to 25 billion balloons made every year. Follow Bioloon on LinkedIn.

HexSeed 

HexSeed aims to reduce the energy consumption and use of critical materials in power electronics. By using synthetic diamond to improve thermal management in power semiconductors, the company is on a mission to make data-centre power conversion more efficient, reduce cooling demand and enable future growth in computing with lower environmental impact. 

"Gallium Nitride, which is a semiconductor, enables higher power density in the devices used to convert and control electrical energy in data centres, telecommunications and wider electrification," says the team. "Yet even the most advanced devices are limited by the waste heat that is produced at high switching loads. Diamond, acting as a heat spreader, has long been recognised as the solution, but practically the use of it has been complex, yield-limited or difficult to scale.  HexSeed is developing the means to grow synthetic diamond directly on the surface of a device to draw heat away from the hot spots and transfer it to the heat sink to enable devices to run cooler and last longer."

"The novelty of the technology lies not in the use of the diamond but in the way we grow it. We use CO₂, albeit a very small amount, as the main ingredient in the recipe of gases used to grow the diamond."

Follow HexSeed on LinkedIn.

Ironic Metals 

Ironic Metals is creating cost effective green iron from mine and manufacturing waste. Follow Ironic Metals on LinkedIn.

Juto Bio 

Juto Bio closes the loop between distilleries and its farms, growing microalgae on whisky waste to make affordable biostimulants. Follow Jute Bio on LinkedIn.

Marmot Energy 

Marmot Energy shifts industrial processes with energy prices; unlocking a novel load to balance the energy grid. Follow Marmot on LinkedIn.

Miou 

Miou is converting concrete waste to ocean restoration materials. Follow Miou on LinkedIn.

R2A Labs

R2A Labs is teaching computers how to make biodegradable materials that replace synthetic, persistent ones, starting with intentionally added microplastics.

"Across 20 years of combined scientific and commercial experience, we noticed the same problem from opposite ends," say Co-founders Dr Mark Bajada and Henry Tyler. "Working with consumer brands and businesses across the agri-value chain, Henry saw sustainability ambitions turn into green claims that didn’t hold up in reality, which led him to exit his business and tackle the problem where it starts: in the materials themselves. In his research career, Mark saw that the conventional bio-based chemistry used to create biodegradable materials is slow and uncertain, and that even when these materials start from clean feedstocks, they are often produced using harsh, energy-intensive processes."

"R2A Labs is closing that gap by combining machine-learning-guided materials design with clean, low-reagent, low-energy manufacturing processes," they continue. "We're now training our model on a proprietary dataset to map how processing shapes a material’s structure and hence how it performs. As regulatory and commercial pressure mounts to phase out intentionally added microplastics, R2A is building the technology to help manufacturers replace them and bring new materials to market at speed."

Follow R2A Labs on LinkedIn.

Rainbox Technologies 

Rainbox uses ultra-efficient, membrane-free evaporation to turn any water source into ultra-pure water — enabling climate resilient water independence anywhere.

"Half the world is already water scarce, and by 2030 demand for fresh water is set to outstrip supply by 40%. The water we need already exists, but today's technology can't clean most of it. Rainbox can. Our aim is resilience: giving people their own reliable supply of clean water, wherever they are," says the team. "Making water where it's used also cuts emissions, taking water trucks off the road and reducing reliance on large, energy-hungry infrastructure."

"We're building a compact, solar-powered system that turns water from any source (seawater, polluted rivers, contaminated wells, wastewater) into ultra-pure drinking water. The process uses highly energy-efficient evaporation, so there are no membranes to clog or replace and no specialist training needed. It's modular, so the same technology scales from a single home or farm up to a whole community or industrial site."

"Our focus started with humanitarian aid: designing for the places that need clean water most, where equipment has to be tough, simple and affordable. Working with aid specialists showed us exactly where today's solutions fall short. The same technology will also serve farms, off-grid homes and developments, and greywater recycling for towns, homes and industry. Water is the resource everything else depends on, and access to it shouldn't depend on where you live."

Follow Rainbox on LinkedIn.

Ryza Bio 

Ryza Bio is on a mission to bring novel, resistance-breaking herbicides to the field faster by targeting one of the main bottlenecks stalling innovation: time consuming and expensive biological screening experiments.

"Our discovery platform predicts herbicide efficacy within hours of application by capturing the immediate chemical warning signs plants release when they are under attack, instead of waiting days for visual symptoms to appear, at one tenth the cost of current high throughput screening methods," says the team.

"Currently, 21 out of 31 herbicide modes of action have already demonstrated resistance, and this number is only going to increase: without new and effective crop protection, we not only risk losing up to 80% of our most important food supplies, but relying on alternative forms of weed control that are known to degrade soil quality and generate a massive carbon footprint. We want to help end the trade-off between our food and our future."

Silica Labs

Silica Labs is engineering metamaterials to passively cool down infrastructure. Follow Silica Labs on LinkedIn.

Slippery Saints

Slippery Saints is developing a fully biodegradable, PFAS-free condom to protect sexual health, fertility, and the health of our natural ecosystems. Follow SlipperSains on LinkedIn.

TeraNanoTech

TeraNanoTech is an Oxford-based deeptech venture translating cutting-edge research in terahertz sensing and nanotechnology into practical solutions for industrial material intelligence.

"By combining innovative terahertz sensing, polarisation-sensitive detection and AI, our technology aims to reveal hidden information about material composition, internal structure and condition that conventional inspection methods may miss," says the team. "We are initially focusing on plastics recycling and advanced materials manufacturing, helping industries make smarter, data-driven decisions at every stage of their workflows, from material selection and quality control to processing and reuse." 

"Our mission is to reduce material waste, improve resource efficiency and accelerate the transition towards a circular economy. Inspired by over a decade of scientific research, we believe that better material intelligence leads to better decisions, less waste and a greener future."

Vanadion

"At Vanadion, we're developing technology that transforms hazardous industrial waste into valuable materials," says Co-founder Dr Amir Dezashibi. "Our process recovers critical metals, such as vanadium, from waste that would otherwise end up in landfill, turning it into products for energy storage batteries, fertilisers and construction." 

"Our mission is to make the clean energy transition and high-performance materials truly sustainable. By recovering valuable resources from existing waste, we aim to reduce the need for mining, cut carbon emissions and eliminate hazardous waste, while strengthening the UK's supply of critical minerals." 

"What excites me most is that many of the materials we need for a greener future are already sitting in our industrial waste," he continues "I wish more people realised that waste isn't necessarily the end of a material's life. With the right innovation, it can become the starting point for a cleaner, more sustainable and resource-independent future."

Follow Vanadion on LinkedIn.