Climate Pledge Fund

Goosebumps as we release a rare public image of our demo progress, with most people involved in the project in the same image. 🙏 From a tiny prototype to this in 3 years. What a ride (and the ride is far from done). Every day is humbling. It takes a village to do just about anything meaningful, and we are ever so grateful to our growing aligned village (community): SPIE , Vicoma, Climate Pledge Fund, Amazon, Holcim, 2050, Capnamic, The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, Pale blue dot, Aurum Impact, Schneider Electric, and more. Most of all, I am proud of our team of 45 superstars who come from 22 countries, a truly diverse set of backgrounds, and a single north star that holds us together: turning the built environment into a carbon sink at the pace our planet needs us to do so. Upwards and onwards! 🙌

We’re excited to announce that Molg has received a $5M grant from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy | U.S. Department of Energy to advance circularity in consumer electronics! 🎉 This funding fast-tracks the development of our autonomous robotic systems, allowing us to harvest laptop batteries 50% faster and at half the current cost. ⚡🤖 We’re also rolling out a Design for Disassembly Toolchain to make circular design a reality — so all products are built with a second (and third!) life in mind, keeping valuable materials in play and out of landfills. A big thank you to our partners at Virginia Commonwealth University - School of Business and Rewriting the Code for helping us build a diverse, skilled workforce to lead the circular economy 🌱, as well as HP and Sims Lifecycle Services for helping bring this project to life. Together, we’re reshaping the future of electronics and strengthening a resilient domestic supply chain for critical materials. 🌍🔋 Read the full press release here 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gs5pA6TE #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #ElectronicsRecycling #Robotics #Demanufacturing #BatteryRecycling #eWaste

At the convergence of need and innovation sits #AI—a tool that has the potential to solve some of the biggest climate challenges of our time. With the proper legal, ethical, and operational performance, these systems can unlock a world of opportunity for businesses to optimize and amplify their sustainability efforts. Though we can’t slow down time, we can speed up our problem solving. That’s why these Pledge signatories are investing in the technology to address renewable energy, recycling, conservation, and construction. PepsiCo: The food and beverage company has partnered with Intuitive AI to leverage its AI-powered recycling bins. The system’s program, known as “Oscar Sort,” can identify the item in someone’s hand as they approach the bins and tell them where to put it. Glacier: The Climate Pledge Fund-backed startup uses next-gen robotics to pick landfill-bound recyclable materials out of the trash. The system is able to identify and pick out 45 items per minute in real recycling facilities. IBM: The tech company has partnered with WWF Germany to develop an AI-powered solution that monitors species such as the critically endangered African forest elephant. It has also acquired Prescinto—an AI platform that can monitor and automate solar and wind assets. The company will use the technology to enhance its Maximo Application Suite. Accenture: The company acquired Boslan to manage net-zero construction projects including wind farms, smart grids, electric vehicle charging stations, solar power plants, and hydrogen facilities.

We are thrilled to congratulate two exceptional leaders from our Climate Pledge Fund portfolio who have been recognized in TIME's Climate 100: 🏭 Sandeep Nijhawan, CEO and Co-Founder of Electra, for his pioneering work in decarbonizing iron and steelmaking. 🔋 JB Straubel, CEO and Founder of Redwood Materials, for his innovative efforts in creating a circular supply chain for batteries. Their groundbreaking contributions are driving significant progress in the fight against climate change. We are proud to support their visionary leadership and remain committed to investing in transformative solutions for a sustainable future. #ClimatePledgeFund #TIME100 #ClimateTech #Sustainability #Electra #RedwoodMaterials

🌍 Congratulations to Climate Pledge Fund portfolio companies Windfall Bio, Electra, and ZeroAvia for being recognized in Time Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2024! 👏 This achievement showcases the incredible strides each of these innovators is making toward a more sustainable future. Here’s a glimpse of their groundbreaking work: - Windfall Bio: Harnesses nature's power to capture methane, transforming this potent greenhouse gas into valuable products for agriculture and other sectors. 🌱 - Electra: Reimagines green steel production with zero emissions, paving the way for a climate-friendly industrial future. 🔩 - ZeroAvia: Develops hydrogen-electric aircraft, aiming to revolutionize aviation with zero-emission flight technology. ✈️ These companies are driving change in critical sectors – agriculture, manufacturing, and transportation – and inspiring us all. We're excited to support and cheer you on as you create real impact and lead the way in climate tech. #ClimatePledgeFund #SustainableInnovation #BestInventions2024 #ClimateAction

You never know where you’ll find the next big idea - and when it comes to climate action, we can’t wait around to find out. At Amazon, we’re committed to supporting innovative #sustainability startups. Our $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund has invested in 32 startups so far - and I’m often asked about advice I have for companies starting out in the climate tech space. Last week, I had the opportunity visit my hometown of Boston and speak alongside TIME’s Shyla Raghav at Greentown Labs Climatetech Summit in Somerville, as well as tour the lab and see some amazing early stage ideas in action. Here are three things I shared with the group: 🤝 Partnerships aren’t just about capital investment. Corporations can also enable the ability to test and trial technology and provide valuable feedback, which brings meaningful long-term value. 📜 The regulatory environment can be difficult to navigate, but it’s critical to be in compliance. Keep that in mind as you decide when and how quickly to scale. 🌳 Never underestimate the power of public-private partnerships. Connect with policy makers and local leaders early on- you might be surprised at the ways your work can transform communities and some of the public incentives that are available to support this work. We’re living in a decisive decade, but there’s still time to act - and the more solutions, the better! If you’re in this space, please share any additional tips for startups in the comments. It was also great to meet Mayor Katjana Ballantyne of Somerville and hear more about her personal commitment to sustainability. Thanks again to Greg Ralich Julia Travaglini Jill Kirkpatrick Aisling Carlson and the entire Greentown team for having us! You can see the full session here: https://lnkd.in/geeRSYFD

It’s been an absolute privilege to work on this deal, and it’s truly a highlight of my career! Thank you to Daniel Gross and Matt Peterson for your incredible leadership and for taking me on this exciting journey. During my very first conversation with this team, we instantly connected over our shared vision of how Amazon is uniquely positioned to make a real impact. Two years later, seeing that vision come to life has been more rewarding than I could have ever imagined. A special shoutout to the fantastic X-Energy team, especially J. Clay Sell, Benjamin Reinke and Sam Levenback– it’s been such a pleasure collaborating with all of you. This deal wouldn't be possible without the contributions of Varun Kamat, Sam LaPierre, and many others. Looking forward to continuing to make an impact with Climate Pledge Fund and Amazon! 🚀✨🌎

Congratulations to our Portfolio Company, Verne 🎉 Yesterday, Verne unveiled the world-first cryo-compressed hydrogen heavy duty truck! “Demonstrating the first Class 8 truck powered by cryo-compressed hydrogen will be a major milestone for the hydrogen industry and a big step towards decarbonizing trucking at scale,” Ted McKlveen, Verne Co-founder & CEO. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g73iDfsi

Congratulations to our Portfolio Company, Amogy for reaching a major milestone this week 🎉 On the Hudson River in New York, Amogy successfully sailed the world’s first carbon-free, ammonia-powered maritime vessel, the NH3 Kraken. The tugboat used to run on diesel fuel. Amogy bought the 67-year-old ship to switch it to cleanly-made ammonia, a new, carbon-free fuel.

We're excited to announce our latest investment and addition to our portfolio, Subeca, an innovative IoT startup that provides low cost and easy to use water technology. “Subeca offers a simple and secure service that helps Amazon, AWS, and our utility partners gather timely and reliable data to manage water use without relying on traditional cellular or building network infrastructure. We’re excited to work with Subeca as we continue to improve the efficiency of water use in the communities where we operate as well as across our own operations, helping AWS make progress to meeting water positive by 2030,” said Beau S., Senior Manager for Water in the Americas, AWS.