Boston has established itself as a world leader in climate technology - the city (and the wider state of Massachusetts) is excelling in terms of scientific innovation, technological advancement, and commercial ambition.
While start-ups in California and New York have often stolen the spotlight, a number of Boston-based companies are now forging ahead when it comes to climate tech.
In fact, Boston tied the Bay Area for climate tech VC investment in 2023, and a $1bn proposal for Massachusetts to become a global leader in climate technology was put forward by Gov. Maura Healey earlier this year.
With a surge in government funding, VC investment, environmental start-ups, and climate think tanks, it’s easy to see why Boston is fast becoming a global authority in climate tech.
But who are some of the start-ups and innovators driving this movement? And what kind of cutting-edge climate tech solutions are emerging from The Bay State?
In this post, we’ll be shining a well-deserved light on 10 Boston-based climate tech pioneers who are paving the way forward for sustainability and green technology.
#1 - Veir
Veir is a Boston-based energy start-up that focuses on improving the efficiency and capacity of electric transmission. The company produces technology for superconducting power lines that offer 5-10x larger transfer capacity, operating with negligible losses at significantly higher currents.
These tech solutions allow for the transmission of renewable energy over huge distances with minimal losses, which is crucial for maximizing efficiency.
For example, electricity from renewable energy sources (i.e. wind and solar farms) can be transmitted to densely populated urban areas with increasingly high energy demands. Veir aims to make this process as reliable, effective, and productive as possible - and this will be key to the widespread adoption of renewable energy.
#2 - Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) is forging a path to ‘limitless, clean fusion energy’ through revolutionary high-temperature superconducting magnet technology. The start-up is actually a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and aims to make fusion a viable and sustainable energy source.
CFS is working on a number of different tech solutions, but one of the most exciting is the ‘SPARC’ reactor - the world's first ‘commercially-relevant net energy fusion system.’
The reactor, designed using well-established learnings and cutting-edge tools, is built to demonstrate a net energy gain from fusion. This will pave the way for larger and more advanced fusion power plants, which could have massive implications for commercial success - and more importantly, clean energy.
CFS has already secured a staggering $2bn in Series B funding, and the future looks incredibly bright for this ambitious climate tech innovator. The start-up has earned significant attention from investors and key partners, and this isn’t likely to change anytime soon. The start-up has raised an impressive $36.7m in Series A funding, which will undoubtedly help it to continue developing new technologies and scaling its offering.
#3 - Mantel
Mantel is a start-up that specializes in advanced carbon capture technology.
The company is doing important work in making carbon capture (a promising climate solution) significantly more efficient and cost-effective. Mantel is achieving this by developing a unique high-temperature liquid capture material, which can be used to improve the capture rates of carbon dioxide from industrial emissions/power plants.
The more efficient carbon capture technology becomes, the more viable it will be as a sustainable solution.
Mantel is producing technologies that are designed to be integrated into existing industrial processes, which is key for mass adoption. The goal is to deliver a scalable and practical carbon capture solution that can be used to reduce emissions across multiple sectors - including power generation, chemical production, and industrial manufacturing.
Mantel has raised $2.5m in seed funding, which will enable the start-up to advance its carbon capture solutions and implement them across further industries.
#4 - Spoiler Alert
Spoiler Alert is a slightly different kind of eco start-up. The company aims to drastically reduce food waste by helping businesses improve their resource efficiency, inventory management, and supply chains - all through tech-fuelled solutions.
Spoiler Alert offers a range of effective technologies that enable clients to drive sustainability, efficiency, and profitability. These include real-time inventory management tools, automated workflows, in-depth analytics, and a donation/discount network - all designed to help businesses reduce their waste and shift surplus inventory faster.
The start-up has received a sizable $16m in Series A funding, which it will use to ‘accelerate waste prevention efforts in the CPG industry.’
#5 - USEFULL
USEFULL describes itself as ‘the only tech-enabled, plastic-free takeout option on the market.’ The start-up creates unique stainless steel containers that are fully reusable and trackable, helping businesses, colleges, and individuals to push for sustainability.
Single-use plastic is a catastrophic issue in the US, contributing tons of waste to landfills and oceans every single year. USEFULL offers a smart, convenient, and zero-waste alternative in the form of its patented containers, and maintains an impressive 99% return rate from customers.
In 2021, USEFULL secured $1.7m in pre-seed funding, and has kept more than 500,000 single-use containers out of landfill so far.
#6 - Quaise Energy
Quaise Energy is an innovative start-up that specialises in advanced geothermal energy technology.
The company aims to make geothermal energy more sustainable, more equitable, and more efficient than ever before. As Quaise Energy puts it, geothermal energy is “renewable, inexhaustible, and available everywhere” - and it could be a pivotal piece of the net zero puzzle.
The secret is cutting-edge millimeter-wave drilling technology, which enables deeper and faster drilling - allowing Quaise Energy to utilize geothermal resources that would otherwise remain inaccessible.
The start-up’s impressive technological advancements have attracted significant interest, so it’s no surprise that the company secured a huge $90m in Series A funding.
#7 - Sublime Systems
Sublime Systemshas developed a unique electrified manufacturing process that creates low-carbon cement. Cement is one of the most carbon-intensive materials on the planet, and so these innovations could be a game-changer for greener cement production and sustainable building practices.
The start-up effectively removes high-temperature kilns from the cement creation process, leading to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions. However, that’s not all - this new methodology also utilizes alternative raw materials and renewable energy sources, creating a much cleaner process across the board.
Sublime Systems has received $40m in Series A funding, and plans to use this capital to “ramp up production at its pilot plant, build its team, conduct product testing, and advance offtake commitments from new customers and partners.”
#8 - Phoenix Tailings
Phoenix Tailings focuses on delivering innovative solutions for the sustainable management/recycling of mining waste - also known as ‘tailings’.
According to the start-up, every year the mining industry ‘discards over 200 billion tons of waste’ - and as a result, contributes more than ‘7% of the world’s carbon emissions.’ Through cutting-edge technology, Phoenix Tailings extracts valuable metals from this waste material, helping to create a cleaner and more sustainable mining supply chain.
The company is injecting some much-needed eco innovation into the mining industry. Phoenix Tailings has created a zero-waste metal extraction/production process, using clean energy sources and no hazardous chemicals.
The business recently received a state grant worth $1.4m, and states it will continue to lead ‘the revolution in sustainable mining and metals production’.
#9 - Boston Metal
Boston Metal is transforming the steel industry with ‘scalable, cost-competitive and green’ production technologies.
The start-up uses a ground-breaking method called Molten Oxide Electrolysis (MOE) to ‘decarbonize steelmaking’ and reduce the environmental impact of the process. It also uses the electricity-powered MOE process to extract valuable materials from mining waste, which is another area in desperate need of cleaner technology.
(Boston Metal claims that its steel decarbonization technology is on track to reach commercialization by 2026, which could be a game-changer for the metals industry.)
The start-up has attracted $352m in Series C funding, which will no doubt help the company to expand its operations and scale up the MOE technology.
#10 - SparkCharge
SparkCharge is the world's largest mobile electric vehicle (EV) charging service provider.
The start-up is paving the way for more accessible charging solutions, delivering portable charging units that can be deployed quickly and easily wherever there’s demand. As SparkCharge explains, these charging services are ‘100% turnkey ready’ - so businesses can charge their vehicles anywhere, without the need for in-ground charging stations.
The company’s main product, the ‘Roadie Portable’, is a unique modular fast charger that can be adapted to a business’s charging requirements. This type of technology is critical for making electric vehicles more convenient and practical, which is incredibly important in the fight against vehicle emissions.
SparkCharge received an impressive $67m in Series A funding, and has established itself as a clear leader in the EV charging space.
Boston has taken the climate tech sector by storm, producing some of the most successful and future-facing start-ups in the world.
With industry-leading talent emerging from schools like MIT and Harvard, and support growing from accelerators/incubators like Greentown Labs and The Engine, these Boston start-ups are poised to continue shaping the climate tech landscape - as well as the future of the planet.
If you'd like to get in touch to discuss recruitment for your business, please contact Will at [email protected]