Around the world, environmental startups are tackling climate change concerns head-on by pioneering products, services, and climate action resources through eco-friendly startups. From algae microfarms to solar paneling design software — these sustainability startups and their ambitious founders will motivate you to greenify your startup and make the world a better place.
Best Environmental Startups to Watch in 2026
Green startups are on the cutting edge of new technology while also helping the world, at large, recover from years of overuse. While environmental sustainability can help every human hope for a better future, these companies are taking action on green practices that will help everyone in the years to come. Here are some of the top environmental startups along with detailed information on what they do, their funding, and how they are changing sustainable business.
1. Biome Makers
- Location: Davis, California
- Founder(s): Adrián Ferrero, Alberto Acedo
- Founded In: 2015
- Total Funding: ~$23 Million
- Latest Round: Series B, $15 Million
- Investors Include: Prosus Ventures, JME Ventures, Seaya Ventures
Recovering soil health is an essential step toward a more sustainable future. Biome Makers is dedicated to improving the world’s soil health — one farm at a time. Its detailed reporting and analytics provide farmers with soil fertility, biodiversity, and health stats to help them make informed, impactful changes.
2. kleen hub
- Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
- Founder(s): Robert Dichtl, Simone Favorito, Giuseppe Lanzafame
- Founded In: 2020
- Total Funding: $455,000
- Latest Round: Accelerator, $124,000
- Investors Include: InnoFounder, GreenUP Accelerator, Danish Business Angels
kleen hub is a sustainability-focused company that helps businesses and consumers reduce waste through innovative recycling and circular economy solutions. It provides services and tools designed to improve waste management, increase resource efficiency, and support more environmentally responsible consumption practices.
3. Too Good to Go
- Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
- Founder(s): Thomas Bjørn, Stian Olesen, Klaus Bagge Pedersen, Brian Christensen, Adam Sigbrand
- Founded In: 2016
- Total Funding: $52 Million
- Latest Round: Series A, $10 Million
- Investors Include: Audeo Ventures, Sofina, Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund
Too Good To Go is a food waste reduction platform that connects consumers with restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores offering surplus food at discounted prices. By redistributing unsold meals, the company helps cut down on food waste while making quality food more affordable.
4. Notpla
- Location: London, England
- Founder(s): Pierre Paslier, Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez
- Founded In: 2014
- Total Funding: $47.9 Million
- Latest Round: Series A, $26.3 Million
- Investors Include: Horizons Ventures, Astanor Ventures, UB Forest Industry Green Growth Fund
Notpla develops sustainable packaging alternatives designed to replace single-use plastics. Using natural, biodegradable materials derived from seaweed and plants, the company creates products that can break down naturally without harming the environment.
5. Afresh
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Founder(s): Matt Schwartz, Nathan Fenner
- Founded In: 2017
- Total Funding: $148 Million
- Latest Round: Series B, $115 Million
- Investors Include: Spark Capital, Insight Partners, VMG Partners
Afresh provides technology solutions for grocery retailers to reduce food waste in fresh produce departments. Its platform uses data and predictive tools to help stores optimize ordering, improve inventory management, and ensure fresher products for customers.
6. Tracera
- Location: New York, New York
- Founder(s): Sandeep Chand, Patrick Obeid
- Founded In: 2022
- Total Funding: $17.2 Million
- Latest Round: Series A, $12 Million
- Investors Include: Foundry, Rho Ignition, Tola Capital
Tracera is a supply chain traceability company that helps businesses track and verify the origins of raw materials. By providing transparency and data-driven insights, it supports companies in improving sustainability, compliance, and ethical sourcing.
7. Vytal
- Location: Cologne, Germany
- Founder(s): Dr. Tim Breker, Fabian Barthel, Sven Witthöft
- Founded In: 2019
- Total Funding: $34 Million
- Latest Round: Growth Funding, $14.9 Million
- Investors Include: Inven Capital, Chi Impact Capital, NRW.Venture
Vytal offers a reusable packaging system for takeout and food delivery services. The company enables restaurants and customers to replace disposable containers with returnable, reusable alternatives, reducing packaging waste and supporting circular dining practices.
8. Cellsense
- Location: New York, New York
- Founder(s): Aradhita Para
- Founded In: 2022
- Total Funding: $1.04 Million
- Latest Round: Early-Stage Venture Capital, $1 Million
- Investors Include: Village Capital, Greentown Labs, Tory Burch Foundation
Cellsense is working to improve the sustainability of the design and cosmetics industries by reimagining bead manufacturing. Using algae and cellulose, Cellsense has created a development process that reduces energy consumption and water usage while removing all toxic materials and ensuring fair labor practices.
9. Capture6
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Founder(s): Ethan Cohen-Cole, Luke Shors
- Founded In: 2021
- Total Funding: $34.4 Million
- Latest Round: Series A, $27.5 Million
- Investors Include: Energy Capital Ventures, Bridge Investment, ZER01NE Ventures
Capture6 develops carbon capture and removal solutions aimed at addressing climate change. The company works on innovative methods to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or industrial processes and convert it into useful products.
10. Steward
- Location: Beaverton, Oregon
- Founder(s): Dan Miller
- Founded In: 2017
- Total Funding: $16 Million
- Latest Round: Later Stage Venture Capital, $2.95 Million
- Investors Include: Impact Assets, Outlaw Ventures, Overview Capital
Steward is a funding platform built to financially back other sustainable startups — specifically in the regenerative farming industry. The company’s goal is to repair the food system by providing interest-bearing loans to regenerative businesses and agricultural projects.
11. Agreena
- Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
- Founder(s): Simon Haldrup, Julie Koch Fahler
- Founded In: 2018
- Total Funding: $77.5 Million
- Latest Round: Series B, $53.4 Million
- Investors Include: HV Capital, Kinnevik, Anthemis
Agreena provides carbon farming and sustainability services for the agriculture sector. By helping farmers adopt regenerative practices, it enables the generation of carbon credits while improving the resilience, biodiversity, and long-term productivity of farmland.
12. Radiant Matter
- Location: London, England
- Founder(s): Elissa Brunato
- Founded In: 2018
- Total Funding: $1.5 Million
- Latest Round: Pre-Seed, $1.5 Million
- Investors Include: Ada Ventures, EMV Capital, Cambridge Angels
Radiant Matter specializes in sustainable materials and innovations that reduce reliance on petroleum-based products. The company develops next-generation BioSequins and other fashion embellishments aimed at creating more environmentally friendly supply chains and manufacturing processes.
13. Plantible Foods
- Location: Austin, Texas
- Founder(s): Tony Martens Fekini, Maurits van de Ven
- Founded In: 2016
- Total Funding: $74.4 Million
- Latest Round: Series B, $30 Million
- Investors Include: Pulse Fund, Lerer Hippeau, FTW Ventures
Plantible produces plant-based protein ingredients designed for food manufacturers. Using sustainable crops, it creates functional proteins that can be used in alternatives to animal-based products, supporting healthier and lower-impact food systems.
14. Regenified
- Location: Dallas, Texas
- Founder(s): Gabe Brown, Allen Williams, Doug Peterson, Salar Shermirani
- Founded In: 2022
- Total Funding: $3.32 Million
- Latest Round: Series A, $3.32 Million
- Investors Include: N/A
Regenified provides verification and support services for regenerative agriculture practices. The company helps farmers and brands measure and validate improvements in soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem outcomes within food production.
15. Handprint
- Location: Singapore
- Founder(s): Mathias Boissonot, Ryan Merrill, Simon Schillebeeckx
- Founded In: 2019
- Total Funding: $3.8 Million
- Latest Round: Crowdfunding, $239,000
- Investors Include: Scale Up by Endeavor, ACH Australia Investments, EGR Partners
Handprint is another company looking to connect companies with their consumer’s demands on sustainability practices. By offering a host of different environmental causes in which businesses can invest — like habitat preservation, mangrove reforestation, coral reef reconstruction, and ocean plastic cleanup — Handprint’s software enables companies to contribute small amounts to support the achievement of UN Sustainable Development goals.
16. For Days
- Location: New York, New York
- Founder(s): Kristy Caylor, Mary Saunders
- Founded In: 2016
- Total Funding: $18.6 Million
- Latest Funding Round: Series A1
- Investors Include: Rosecliff Ventures, Impact Assets, Lakewest Venture Partners
For Days is a circular fashion company focused on reducing textile waste. It offers clothing essentials through a membership and take-back model that encourages recycling and reuse, helping consumers adopt more sustainable wardrobe habits.
17. Hempitecture
- Location: Ketchum, Idaho
- Founder(s): Matthew Mead, Tommy Gibbons
- Founded In: 2013
- Total Funding: $10.9 Million
- Latest Funding Round: Seed Round, $1.6 Million
- Investors Include: US Department of Energy, Greentown Labs, Grow NY
With hemp legalized across the United States, startups like Hempitecture are harnessing the versatility of the plant to create innovative solutions. Founder Matthew Mead launched the company to provide a sustainable alternative to traditional insulation products, and the company’s HempWool does just that. A fiber batt insulation product, Hempitecture’s hypoallergenic HempWool is made of 92% hemp fiber and boasts a low carbon footprint.
18. Coral Vita
- Location: Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas
- Founder(s): Sam Teicher, Gator Halpern
- Founded In: 2015
- Total Funding: $22.5 Million
- Latest Funding Round: Series A, $8.2 Million
- Investors Include: Builders Vision, 2050, Christian Nielsen’s Fund
With a noble goal to restore the earth’s dying coral reefs, Coral Vita creates high-tech coral farms to efficiently and effectively restore coral reefs while providing educational opportunities and serving as an ecotourism attraction. The company also offers an adopt-a-coral program for potential donors to get involved and make an impact of their own.
19. NatureDots
- Location: New Delhi, India
- Founder(s): Snehal Verma, Mohammad Astish Khan, Ayush Prasad
- Founded In: 2019
- Total Funding: N/A
- Latest Funding Round: Accelerator, N/A
- Investors Include: MassChallenge, Imagine H20, Respond Accelerator
At the intersection of nature-based systems and artificial intelligence (AI), you’ll find eco-startup NatureDots. AquaNurch, a system developed by NatureDots, uses AI to create more sustainable fisheries that result in higher revenue with farmers in mind. The company aims to help produce an environmentally friendly economy through nature-based and tech-driven sustainable solutions.
20. AMP
- Location: Louisville, Colorado
- Founder(s): Matanya Horowitz
- Founded In: 2014
- Total Funding: $377 Million
- Latest Funding Round: Series D, $91 Million
- Investors Include: Congruent Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Blue Earth Capital
AMP, a provider of AI-powered sortation services for the waste and recycling industry, has pioneered AI technology that plays a pivotal role in enhancing the world’s recycling infrastructure. This advanced technology accurately identifies and sorts recyclables, ensuring that all materials capable of being recycled are effectively utilized. This innovation will not only decrease the amount of waste, but also significantly streamline the recycling process.
Explore More Resources for Sustainable Startups
- Green Startup Ideas
- How to Start a Startup
- Online Incorporation Services
- Green Industries
- Why Sustainability Is Important for Startups
