January Newsletter
A monthly round-up of angel investment opportunities to help fund climate startups, featuring Aléo Studio, GreenPortfolio, and Baleena.
🌟 We’re kicking off 2025 with an exciting investor event! 🌟 Join me and Eric Chaves, CEO of Terrament, on January 15th to hear a live pitch and learn about an incredible investment opportunity that I am personally very excited about. I will be moderating and there to answer any questions you may have on angel investing or creating your investor thesis. So far, over 30 investors have RSVPed—don’t miss your opportunity to join this dynamic conversation! RSVP here to secure your spot.
This newsletter aims to amplify the success of climate entrepreneurs and small-check investors by promoting angel investment opportunities, knowledge-sharing, and networking. I’m committed to keeping my content free to all subscribers. Here are a few ways to help sustain the newsletter.
My process is driven entirely by investor engagement, so please be sure to reach out directly if there’s a company you’d like to learn more about. Once enough interest is generated for a given opportunity, I’ll gladly spin off an SPV!
This month's newsletter is brought to you by Fractional Jobs, the largest talent network of fractional executives in tech. Fractional Jobs has referred top talent to startups like Nithio (climate-tech), Whalesync (YC S21), and VC firms like South Park Commons. Whether it’s a fractional CFO, COO, engineer, designer, or marketing expert, Fractional Jobs has the right match. Know a startup in need of fractional leadership? Have them book a call with Fractional Jobs founder Taylor Crane and mention New Wave Angels for priority treatment. Or, if you're looking to do fractional work, you can get added to the network by adding your email address here.
Aléo Studio
Aléo Studio is a line of luxury essentials inspired by minimalist designs and the agile essence of sportswear—think Armani meets Nike. The brand focuses on responsible manufacturing practices and natural, biodegradable fibers like cashmere and wool.
Why we’re excited:
The brand emphasizes timeless, genderless designs to reduce overconsumption and promote wardrobe longevity. Its inclusive ethos challenges societal norms around gendered fashion, fostering a more equitable and conscious approach.
Premium fibers, like Mongolian cashmere and Italian wool, are dyed with eco-friendly, natural colorants to avoid heavy metals and toxins, conserve energy and resources, and reduce water waste through wastewater recycling.
Their blend of West African heritage and expert craftsmanship offers distinct, sophisticated essentials, balancing quiet luxury with a bold sense of community.
Their customers are affluent, socially conscious professionals aged 30-50, including tech execs, entrepreneurs, and creative leaders who value quality, sustainability, inclusivity, and gender-neutral fashion.
The visionaries:
The brand springs from founder Tiye Traoré’s former experience as a corporate lawyer and national basketball player—seemingly disparate careers that share the need for versatile garments that move with ease.
Aléo is named in honor of Tiye's West African parents, who instilled in her a love for their cultural traditions of expert tailoring and high-quality natural fabrics. Her inclusive ethos reflects her belief that gender need not apply to quality garments.
They’re post-revenue, leveraging pop-ups in major cities like New York and partnerships with influencers and stylists to drive customer engagement and build community loyalty. They’re also in talks with Nordstrom and SSENSE.
They’re currently accepting angel investors. Please respond to this email for an introduction, more investment information, or to express interest in an investor event.
GreenPortfolio
GreenPortfolio will help you find a financial advisor you can trust to prioritize your wealth and planet health. They are an SEC-registered digital advisory service accelerating the great green wealth transition.
Why we’re excited:
They’ve audited and rated over 20,000 banks, stocks, and funds for climate footprint and connect climate-focused individuals with pre-vetted financial advisors who understand their goals for both financial and environmental impact.
In the 4 hours it takes your paper straw to dissolve, Chase Bank funneled $18,664,518 into fossil fuels. Managing the climate impact of your finances can be up to 21 times more effective than any other lifestyle change.
Millennials embrace the digital-first approach to finding financial advisors, relying more on digital recommendations than previous generations. Greenportfolio delivers on personalized referrals, client-driven contact, and an impact focus.
They earn revenue through advisory referrals, with 6% of clients signing on with an advisor within the first 8 weeks—well above the market average of 2.5%.
The visionaries:
Co-founded by Bonnie Gurry and Elizabeth Landau, GreenPortfolio was built on the belief that everyone deserves to know what their money is funding and a desire to avoid funding fossil fuel projects.
GreenPortfolio is backed by VC and angel groups such as Segal Ventures, R/GA Ventures, and Clean Energy Venture Group and has been featured in Crain’s New York Business, Fintech Financial News, Technical.ly, Fintech Takes, and more.
They’re inviting investors to invest through their WeFunder SPV, allowing friends, customers, supporters, and their local community to invest—not just accredited investors—while keeping only one entry on their cap table.
Our group is getting an exclusive early look and can invest directly on Wefunder, where the round is expected to fill quickly (I’ve already secured my investment in the round!). Please respond to this email for an introduction, more investment information, or to express interest in an investor event.
Baleena
Baleena is building a world without microplastic pollution, one laundry load at a time. Their advanced filtration technology integrates directly into new washing machines, capturing harmful microplastic fibers during every wash.
Why we’re excited:
Their patent-pending bio-inspired filter technology, modeled after sea sponges, provides an easy-to-use, highly efficient, in-drum solution to reduce microplastic emissions at the laundry point source.
Using a B2B2C business model with washing machine and appliance OEMs, they plan to integrate their cutting-edge filtration technology directly into new machine designs.
Synthetic textiles shed microplastic fibers with every wash —a single laundry cycle can release 9,000 to 7 million fibers. With over 840 million washing machines, over half a million tons of microplastics enter our waterways annually, bypassing wastewater systems and endangering ecosystems and human health.
Microplastics are found in 25% of seafood and 94% of U.S. tap water, with links to endocrine disruption, reduced reproductive health, cancer, and heart disease.
External filters like Filtrol and Planetcare are effective but costly and complex to install. Baleena offers high efficiency and seamless integration, filling a critical gap in the market for laundry microplastic solutions.
The visionaries:
Their all-female founding team combines materials science innovation with entrepreneurial grit. Julia Yan and Sarah Beth Gleeson are Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees (2024) and recipients of the Penn President’s Sustainability Prize (2022).
By partnering directly with leading appliance manufacturers, they’re embedding sustainability into everyday life at scale. Their vision is for every new washing machine sold to have Baleena technology built into its fins, baffles, and agitators.
Ongoing pilots with Fortune 500 industry players are de-risking their technology, providing third-party validation, and paving the way for widespread adoption. They’re also exploring potential co-development and licensing opportunities.
They’re currently accepting angel investors. Please respond to this email for an introduction, more investment information, or to express interest in an investor event.
Interested in past opportunities? It‘s not too late to reach out!
2025 New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Actually Want to Keep
Are you someone who sets New Year's resolutions or goals, and did you know that 92% of people don’t end up keeping them? I used to be one of them until I discovered Triple G Tribe’s goal-setting framework. Last year, it helped me stay motivated to run over 100 miles, take over 45 strength classes, enjoy Meatless Mondays, angel invest in 2 climate companies, and launch this newsletter (all while taking care of a newborn 💪). I’m sticking with it for 2025 with a fresh set of resolutions and goals. If you're still shopping around for a resolution, here are 2 to consider, straight from our featured founders, Tiye Traore and Bonnie Gurry.
Wishing everyone a year of happiness, health, and resolutions you’ll actually keep!
Shop more from value-aligned brands that share the same environmental commitments as you.
Shopping from value-aligned brands that share your environmental commitments is crucial for fostering a more sustainable future. Every purchase acts as a vote for the kind of practices you want to support—whether it’s reducing waste, ethical sourcing, or fair labor conditions. By choosing conscientious brands, you help drive demand for ethical and environmentally friendly practices while reducing the negative impact of fast fashion. Personally, I like to research brands’ sustainability policies, look for certifications like Fair Trade or Global Organic Textile Standard, support brands with transparent supply chains, and choose timeless, high-quality pieces over trends. Everyone has their own definition of what is eco-friendly, and making conscious choices that feel authentic to you is key. By doing so, you not only align your wardrobe with your values but also provide an example for family and friends, inspiring them to make thoughtful choices that align with their commitments and hopefully collectively help alleviate the environmental footprint of fashion as a whole. - Tiye Traore, Founder of Aleo Studio
Evaluate how your finances impact climate change and find greener alternatives.
It’s time for New Year’s resolutions, and at the top of people’s to-do lists are improving their finances and reducing their environmental impact. The good news is, these goals can go hand-in-hand! Here’s how to get started: Review your bank: Choose a bank that supports clean energy projects. Audit your investments: Identify your exposure to fossil fuels and other carbon-intensive industries. Consider a climate-conscious financial advisor: Seek guidance from professionals who prioritize environmental impact. Addressing the climate impact of your money can be a powerful action and GreenPortfolio is here to help if you need it! Taking these initial steps can make a positive difference in the new year. - Bonnie Gurry, CEO of GreenPortfolio
2024 Wins From Our Featured Companies 🙌
Poloygone opened the World’s First Microplastic Removal Pilot
Jackalo was recognized in Glamour as one of the best organic baby clothes
Homegrown was selected to be part of the 2025 cohort for IMPEL at Berkeley Lab
Alkemis Paint became the official paint partner of Design Miami
Azul Bio completed Brinc’s Spring 2024 Climate Tech Accelerate Program
Terrament showcased their long energy duration storage at HackSummit
Thank you for joining us in 2024! As we step into 2025, let’s continue to share knowledge, explore opportunities, and build a network that drives sustainable change. Your engagement is vital —if there’s a company you’d like to learn more about, please reach out!💚