UK and Israel team up to tackle climate change
Ten Israeli climate tech companies have been in London as part of a UK Israel Business Climate First delegation where they have been meeting leading investors, executives and industry figures
A company that uses sunlight to cool things down and another that helps plants to endure extreme weather conditions were among the Israeli startups selected to showcase their solutions in London this week.
The ten climate tech companies were part of UK-Israel Climate First delegation, organised by the Bilateral Chamber of Commerce UK Israel Business and Climate First, Israel’s leading climate tech accelerator, to facilitate and drive ties between the two countries.
The companies were welcomed at a reception at the House of Lords hosted by Lord Austin and Simon Walters, British Ambassador to Israel, along with addresses from UK Israel Business’ chairman Danny Kessler and executive director Dor Bershadsky, Climate First co-founders Guy Cherni and Nadav Steinmetz, and later on in the day, Centrica’s Lord Rosenfield, before taking part in a series of meetings with over 200 venture capitalists, investors and industry figures from top organisations. They were the second UK-Israel Climate First cohort following the success of last year’s debut delegation.
Dor Bershadsky, executive director of UK Israel Business, said: “I’ve had the privilege to witness first-hand the growth of the Israeli climate tech ecosystem—a sector where innovation, sciences and deep-tech meets our road towards net zero. Our aim is to nurture this growth through the UK world leading climate tech ecosystem. it’s a shared vision for our future, and we’re proud to continue our partnership with Climate First in this endeavour. Together, we are forging a path that not only leads to a generational commercial opportunity but also paves the way for environmental stewardship on a global scale.”
He added that “in the face of many challenges, the companies demonstrate remarkable resilience, with sustained and growing interest from global corporates and investors that are eager to support innovative solutions that promise not only commercial success but also a significant impact on our environmental goals.”
Photo: Amanda Rose/@amandarosephoto
Nadav Steinmetz is the co-founder and managing partner of Climate First. He said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to showcase the second wave of Climate First’s innovators as they land in London. This group represents the best of Israeli climate tech, hailing from a variety of sectors such as manufacturing, energy, materials, mobility, carbon removal and agriculture. It’s the kind of innovation that gets us excited – world class teams with cutting-edge tech to tackle carbon emissions head-on and achieve net zero.“These have been challenging times back home in Israel, but despite that, our climate tech ecosystem continues to grow, by attracting outstanding talent.
There are now over 750 climate tech companies in Israel, 50 per cent of them have launched in the past five years.
“In 2022 alone, $2.3 billion was invested in climate tech ventures in Israel. That’s 14 cents of every venture dollar and signals more than just a trend – it’s a fundamental shift. Every sixth startup launched in Israel now is in climate tech. Israel will steadily evolve into a leading hub of climate innovation.
“We are excited to continue backing exceptional teams that are solving some of the greatest challenges of humanity.”
Guy Cherni, co-founder Climate First, cited climate change as “humanity’s biggest challenge and that climate technology is our generation’s biggest financial opportunity” adding that “now is the perfect time to invest in climate tech for several reasons:
“(1) there is a great demand from incumbents to embed new technology; (2) The startups are in early stages, so the valuations are attractive; (3) the companies are based on science and academic research, so the competitive advantage is strong (4) the solutions are very sticky, and once implemented and disrupting the exciting industry, they will be very hard to change. This is the perfect storm!”
SolCold
Initiated in 2016 at the Hebrew University by Yaron Shenhav, Professor Guy Ron and Gadi Grottas, SolCold has developed an innovative, patented, nano-technological coating that cools everything under the sun, without any power consumption. The material uses the sunlight and the skyline for cooling and is most effective when it is very hot and the sun is strongest. The material can be used as a coating for cooling buildings, containers, apparels, airplanes and more, and is expected to bring tremendous savings in cooling and air-conditioning expenses and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Rationale:
With global warming breaking records year after year, the founders saw the increasingly pressing need for more efficient means of cooling solutions, fuelling them to come up with a zero-energy consumption solution. It is a need that the founders say will grow more and more.
Investment to Date:
$14 million
Location:
Solcold is based in Ness Ziona, Israel and operates in Brazil, Japan, Singapore, and Israel.
Where are the big opportunities for link ups between the UK and Israel in the ClimateTech space?
Yaron Shenhav, co-founder SolCold, said: “Customers: We can offer excellent solutions to the oil and gas industry, the food and beverages sector and to large real estate owners, and as London serves as the headquarter to many of these global companies, it is the perfect place to showcase our technology and solution.
“Funding: As London is the base of many investment firms, many of them with increased focus on climate change – it is the perfect location to find our next investors.
Why is Israel still so well-placed to innovate in this area?
Yaron Shenhav, co-founder SolCold, said: “The same reasons that came to the rise of the startup nation (and Jewish success wherever they are) – resilience, optimism, willingness to fail, and community support. This hasn’t and will not change.
How difficult have things been amidst the conflict for the company, and how important is UK ongoing support going forward?
“We had three team members (out of 24) recruited to military service. They are returning at the end of March. We also had our share of alarms (we are located south of Tel Aviv). In the first two months we visited once-twice a week in the local shelter for 15 minutes. But we managed to mitigate these hurdles practically without delays. Resilience…
The UK, USA, Germany and all the West support is of crucial importance! I cannot stress enough how we feel these days, and how important for our moral and the day-to-day activity, please don’t stop.”
ClimateCrop
Founded in 2021 by Yehuda Borenstein, Dr Vivekanand Tiwari and Dr Erez Eliyaho, ClimateCrop specialises in developing climate-adapted plants that can endure extreme weather conditions while maximizing yields and safeguarding global food production amidst climate uncertainty. This is done by leveraging biological techniques to amplify daily starch production and enhance photosynthetic efficiency – the ‘holy grail’ of plant enhancement programs. This innovative technology, which applies to any crop used for food, fibre, or energy production, was licensed from the Weizmann Institute based on research conducted by the late Professor Avichai Danon, and where Vivek and Erez did their postdoctorates.
Rationale:
The risk of losses and low yields rises with the increasing frequency of climate fluctuations throughout each crop’s growing season. ClimateCrop aims to mitigate these risks by adapting plants to handle these changes better, ensuring more successful seasons. ClimateCrop prides itself on being able to enhance the biology of the plant without requiring any changes to harvesting methods, investments in capital equipment, or increased inputs. All that is needed is the utilisation of the company’s improved climate-adapted crop varieties, which are more efficient and resilient.
Investment:
$1.95 million and $500,000 grant from Breakthrough Energy
Location:
HQ & R&D – Rehovot, Israel
Project and Asia Markets – Bangalore, India.
Where are the big opportunities for link ups between the UK and Israel in the ClimateTech space?
Yehuda Borenstein, co-founder ClimateCrop, said : “The UK serves as an exceptional hub for climate-focused companies and investors. We’ve identified the UK as a focal point for climate knowledge and investment within our sector. Its proximity to Israel and the robust investment ecosystem in the UK make it an ideal location to connect with professional investors who can appreciate the innovative solutions emerging from Israel.
Why is Israel still so well-placed to innovate in this area?
Yehuda Borenstein, co-founder ClimateCrop, said: “In Israel, we embrace challenges; they’re a part of our daily lives. Climate change is one of humanity’s greatest challenges, second only to our shortcomings. It’s a marathon challenge, demanding patience and resilience. As a people with an enduring spirit, unafraid of long journeys, the climate challenge resonates deeply with the Israeli and Jewish spirit.
How difficult have things been amidst the conflict for the company, and how important is UK ongoing support going forward?
Yehuda Borenstein, co-founder ClimateCrop, said: “It has been and continues to be difficult. As a startup, securing funds and finding customers demands peak performance fuelled by passion and energy. Yet, amidst tragedies—where friends and family endure unspeakable horrors akin to those of the Holocaust—pursuing a climate startup can feel incongruous. In these times, we seek friends and allies who confront truth head-on, unaffected by self-interest or propaganda. The UK could play a pivotal role in this area, facing its challenges internally and externally.”
The 10 start-ups at the delegation
CarbonBlue
Chiral energies
Clearly
ClimateCrop
First Airborne
NitroFix
RepAir
Polymertal
SolCold
Xfloat
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