Seven Teams Awarded CBEY's 2024 Climate Innovation Grants
The 2024 Climate Innovation Grants saw 18 teams propose innovative solutions to address climate change. The proposed solutions addressed a range of issue areas closely linked to climate, including construction, housing, renewable energy, and disaster relief. After careful revision by external judges, CBEY awarded $15,000 in grants to seven environmentally-focused ventures. The grant provides independent feedback and seed funding for these early-stage innovative solutions. From here, ventures will continue to receive support from CBEY to bring their ideas to fruition. Ventures with a for-profit idea have the opportunity to receive further grant support through the Sobotka Seed Prize for Sustainable Ventures.
About the recipients:
ThermoShell: Daniel Yang (Yale School of Management) created ThermoShell, a project seeking to convert discarded coastal shell waste into biodegradable insulation for sustainable buildings. By repurposing waste shells from aquaculture, restaurants, and urban beaches, ThermoShell aims to create eco-friendly insulation that reduces carbon emissions, improves energy efficiency, and supports the circular economy.
RE-construct Inc. Elisabeth Schreiber (Yale School of the Environment), Ambica Shalvi (Yale School of the Environment), and Frieda Kickliter (Yale School of Architecture), are founding members of RE-construct Inc., a team working to recover construction and demolition-derived waste from non-metallic streams and to upcycle it into functional but non-structural interior products or embellishments. The solution addresses the issue of construction waste by bridging the gap between end-of-life materials and supply.
Mudder AI: Nadia Ahmad (Yale School of the Environment), Tarek Kandakji, and Weixi Wu, created Mudder AI, an innovative disaster management platform that uses AI, geospatial data, and citizen science to improve emergency response. It offers real-time insights, predictive analytics, and customizable alerts, enhancing coordination and communication during crises. The platform aims to democratize disaster data, providing a scalable solution for climate-induced emergencies.
Impact3D: Nick Callegari (Yale School of Management), Bianca Taya (Yale School of Public Health), Konstantinos Markopoulos (Yale College), and Aarav Gandhi (Yale College) are members of Impact3D, a startup that is developing a new type of construction 3D printer to create sustainable, affordable housing for those experiencing housing insecurity. The printer utilizes upcycled materials to create completed walls with electrical harnessing, plumbing, and insulation routed internally, all without using a gantry crane.
Harness: Marlo Eltaib (Yale School of Management) is the founder of Harness, a startup developing an AI-powered platform to empower solar developers in Ghana with project management tools, a financing marketplace, and performance monitoring capabilities. Harness aims to accelerate solar adoption by addressing key challenges faced by small and medium-sized solar businesses in accessing capital and scaling operations.
Greener Cities Collective: Christine Ibrahim Puri (Yale School of the Environment), Effiom Nyeh, Chuba Ezekwesili, and Chidumaga Uzoma Orji are the founding members of Greener Cities Collective, an initiative aiming to address growing environmental and social challenges posed by rapid urbanization and climate change in Nigeria. By integrating nature into urban areas, Greener Cities Collective aims to promote biodiversity, sustainability, and social resilience, fostering healthy, vibrant communities.
Barefoote Metals: Quinn Zacharias (Yale School of the Environment) created Barefoote Metals, a project developing a system to colocate metal farms next to mines, using hyperaccumulator plants to extract valuable metals from tailings while providing environmental cleanup surfaces. The project aims to address tailing waste in the mining industry, which can contaminate ecosystems, pose risks to human health, and contribute to land degradation.
The CBEY team is very grateful for the team of judges that helped to provide feedback:
Ben Soltoff (MEM/MBA ‘19) is the Ecosystem-Builder/Entrepreneur in Residence at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship.
Josh Agenbroad is an investor at Gigascale Capital, a climate-focused investment firm dedicated to building and growing the companies of the future that will fight climate change.
Kathryn Wright (MEM ‘13) is Senior Program Officer at the Barr Foundation’s Climate Team and is appointed to the Massachusetts Grid Modernization Advisory Council.
Mikaela Bradbury (MEM/MBA ‘20) is an Investment Associate at DBL Partners, a venture capital firm focused on social and environmental impact.