Ecovative is a biomaterials company that develops sustainable alternatives to traditional plastics and other environmentally harmful materials using mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms. Ecovative’s AirMycelium platform grows more than 400 tons of furniture, goods, and packaging annually with clients in CPG, housing, packaging, fashion, food, beauty, sports, and more. The platform uses AI to optimize mushroom mycelium for scale, density, elasticity, and other industrial parameters. Ecovative's products are fully biodegradable and compostable, offering a more sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics.
- biofabrication
- biomaterials
- biotech
- digital platform
- manufacturing
- mycelium
- mycotecture
Pol.is is an open source platform that facilitates group decision-making by allowing large numbers of people to share ideas and opinions on a topic. Polis' real-time system gathers the contributions of large groups, and then leverages advanced statistics and machine learning algorithms to analyze the collective input and surface points of consensus and where areas of dissent occur. Unlike some social media platforms, Pol.is aims to encourage constructive dialogue and bridge-building rather than amplify existing divides. Pol.is helps groups identify common ground and reach collaborative solutions in areas like policy development, market research, and community planning. As an open-source tool available to all, Polis is already adopted by various groups including governments, academics, independent media outlets, and everyday citizens. Anyone can access, modify, and contribute to the Pol.is code base, ensuring transparency and fostering continuous development.
- democracy
- digital platforms
- gift economy
- governance
- participatory decision-making
CivicAI explores how AI can enhance collective intelligence in relation to climate crisis mitigation and adaptation. CivicAI sees opportunities in several key areas, which have been illustrated in more detail through 3 distinct use cases. To address the climate crisis, CIVICAI works to increase the capacity for communities to organise and adapt to a new reality. This requires better tools and methods for mobilising large groups of people to take action, reducing associated costs, and advancing the value of collaboration.
- artificial intelligence
- cloud
- data
- digital assets
- edge computing
- social media / community
Olio a free app to reduce household and food waste by fostering a hyper-local sharing economy. People can list unwanted but usable items, including surplus food, as well as clothes, books, and furniture. Neighbors can browse listings and arrange free pickup, giving unwanted items a second life and saving it from landfills. This approach combats waste, promotes sustainability, and fosters a sense of community by encouraging people to share and connect with those around them. Because it diverts far more greenhouse gasses across the 49 countries it operates in than it produces, Olio is a carbon-negative company.
- circular economy
- digital platforms
- marketplaces
- reduced food waste
- sharing economy
- social media / community
ISeeChange empowers communities to tackle climate change impacts by integrating public input into infrastructure design and response management. Headquartered on America's Gulf Coast, ISeeChange prioritizes community, connection, integrity, equity, and insight, driving citizen science-based solutions. Residents contribute real-time observations of climate events like flooding and heat waves, which ISeeChange transforms into actionable insights using AI and sensor data. These insights enable cities, engineers, and utilities to prioritize infrastructure investments and design resilient solutions.
- artificial intelligence
- citizen science
- cloud
- data
- digital platforms
- edge computing
- marketplaces
- nature tech
OCN unites the world's ocean data sets and creates products and technology to encourage and incentivize practical citizen data collection. Their Ocean AI and BlueSense platfors use machine learning to centralize, visualize, translate, and provide insights on ocean data from all over the planet in one dashboard. Some use cases for the data include discovery of anomalies and danger zones, holding entities accountable, encouraging healthier business practices, engaging coastal communities, improving conservation efficiencies, and informing policy design. Beyond just creating ways to combine and collect more data, OCN designs products, systems and communities to collect the data necessary to interpret overall ocean health and restore marine ecosystems.
- artificial intelligence
- bioremediation
- citizen science
- conservation
- crypto/ complementary currencies
- data
- nature tech
- oceans
GreenWave has trained and supported over 120 farmers and hatchery technicians throughout New England, California, New York, the Pacific Northwest, and Alaska. GreenWave works with farmers to launch and scale their businesses through services that mix training with innovation. Their high-and-low touch training ranges from an online seed-to-sale Ocean Farming Toolkit and region-specific workshops to hands-on internships and participation in our farmer support network. GreenWave's innovation program works to scale markets in four shovel-ready sectors - food, agriculture, bioplastics and Blue Carbon - as well as disseminate the latest farm, hatchery and blue tech design throughout their farmer network.
- agricultural tech
- coastal wetland protection
- coastal wetland restoration
- conservation agriculture
- edtech
- education
- nature tech
Materiom is an open biotech platform facilitating the discovery and sharing of recipes for sustainable and regenerative biomaterials derived from natural sources. By democratizing access to knowledge and fostering collaboration, Materiom accelerates the development and adoption of environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional petrochemical-based materials.
- biopolymers
- biotech
- circular economy
- green chemistry
- material science
- open source
- plastics
Silicon Ranch is a solar energy company that approaches, constructs, and manages solar project development designed for community impact and environmental stewardship. They offer a platform called Clearloop to help businesses offset their carbon footprint through solar energy investments. Beyond generating clean power, Silicon Ranch works collaboratively with local communities to create jobs and boost the local tax base to ensure the region's long-term economic health. Installations also focus on regenerative land management practices, designing strategically placed interconnected solar panels to maximize the capture of sunlight and integrate with sheep grazing or pollinator-friendly plantings to improve soil health and biodiversity. Throughout the Southeastern US, Silicon Ranch makes solar a force for positive change, owning and operating all projects to benefit both the environment and the communities they partner with.
- concentrated solar power
- distributed energy storage
- distributed solar photovoltaics
- energy storage optimization
Apolitical is a global digital platform that provides tools and resources to help public servants and government officials build their skills and knowledge, connect with partners, and improve their effectiveness in serving the public good, while remaining neutral on political stances. Through online courses, online events, and a social learning network, they foster exchange of ideas and best practices from public servants across 170+ countries on a range of issue areas, including climate, equity, digital & data, healthcare, transporation, and more.
- democracy
- digital platforms
- e-learning
- gobal
- localization
Fairbnb is a short-term rentals marketplace platform that aims to provide an alternative to traditional vacation rental platforms like Airbnb. It focuses on promoting sustainable tourism, social impact, and community development. Fairbnb prioritizes properties that are owned by locals rather than investors, and it allocates a portion of its revenue to support local community projects chosen by residents. The platform aims to address concerns related to overtourism, gentrification, and the negative impacts of short-term rentals on local communities by fostering a more responsible and sustainable approach to travel.
- community development
- cooperative
- hospitality
- tourism
NatureQuant delivers technology solutions to assess and promote exposure to nature and to combat nature deficit with proactive tech tools designed to improve overall wellbeing. NatureQuant achieves this mission via their two apps, NatureScore and NatureDose. NatureScore® measures the amount of natural elements that optimize your health within a one-km radius of your location. NatureDose® is a personalized nature prescription mobile app that monitors your aggregate time inside, outside, and exposed to nature. Through new tech tools, machine learning, and big-data, NatureQuant provides tools designed to fully leverage nature's impact.
- artificial intelligence
- data
- digital platforms
- nature tech
