August Newsletter
A monthly round-up of angel investment opportunities to help fund climate startups featuring Materia Bikes and PolyGone Systems.
Welcome to the first edition of the New Wave Investment Club newsletter! This newsletter aims to amplify the success of climate entrepreneurs by promoting angel investment opportunities, knowledge-sharing, mentorship, and networking.
This month I am featuring Materia Bikes and PolyGone Systems. To learn more, subscribe here.
Materia Bikes
Materia Bikes masterfully crafts wooden bicycles that promise durability, luxury, and a commitment to the environment. Each bicycle is as unique as a fingerprint, handcrafted to perfection, embodying sophistication and a profound commitment to preserving our planet.
Why we’re excited:
Their wooden bicycles significantly lower the carbon footprint compared to traditional metal-framed options, utilizing renewable resources to emphasize environmental stewardship in the cycling industry.
Materia Bikes commits to planting a tree for every bicycle sold, furthering their contribution to global reforestation efforts and sustainability.
Successful track record of 400 bikes sold worldwide, endorsements from top athletes, including NBA player Davis Bertans, Olympic Champion Maris Strombergs, and Master Cyclist Kristaps Knops, and collaborations with renowned brands, like Vilebrequin.
The visionaries:
Being 100% Black-owned, Materia Bikes also champions economic diversity and inclusivity in business. Read an interview with their founder, Martins Zemitis, here.
They are currently raising a pre-seed round of $1.5 Million. To get more information and deal access, email lizmgrogan@gmail.com by the end of August. Express interest in joining an investor event with the founders.
PolyGone Systems
PolyGone Systems is a Princeton University spinout cleantech company with a mission to remove the trillions of potentially harmful microplastics entering the world’s oceans and drinking water.
Why we’re excited:
They’ve innovated a biomimetic filtration system that affordably monitors and removes microplastics from water bodies, such as drinking water treatment channels, open streams, river mouths, marinas, and lake outflows.
Currently working with industrial water treatment facilities, water management groups, and researchers to monitor microplastics and provide remediation methods in a wide variety of aquatic environments.
Pilot projects include partnerships with CURB, the Hudson River Community, the New York Sea Grant (NYSG), the Atlantic County Utility Authority, the University of Toronto, the IISD Environmental Lakes Area, the West County Wastewater District, and the Willistown Conservation Trust.
Read their press release announcing the Grand Opening of the Microplastic Removal Pilot Project at the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) here.
The visionaries:
The founders, Yidian Liu and Nathanial Banks, just attended the Singapore International Water Week 2024, were featured in Forbes 30 under 30 2024 for Social Impact, and accepted a $1.9 Million grant award in 2023.
They are currently raising a seed round of $4.5 Million. To get more information and deal access, email lizmgrogan@gmail.com by the end of August. Express interest in joining an investor event with the founders.
Tired of Funding Fossil Fuels? Join the Club
When looking to angel invest, consider the legacy you want to leave behind.
Do you love to travel? Imagine writing a $10k check for a sustainable aviation company that leads to the first take-off of their all-electric aircraft. Do you wish the fashion industry was more sustainable? Imagine referring your designer friend for a job at a brand that is re-inventing luxury through environmental welfare.
Does it trouble you that women founders only received 2.3% of venture funds in 2023? Imagine creating a personal investment strategy that prioritizes women-led climate-tech companies.
Where You Spend, Save, and Invest Your Money Matters
More people are realizing how their money habits impact the world and are finding ways to make a difference while still building personal wealth. Supporting second-hand retailers, ethical brands, brands that help you recycle old products, local refill stores, and farmers' markets while avoiding fast fashion and large online retailers like Amazon, SHEIN, and Zara can make a huge impact.Â
Does your bank use your savings to fund fossil fuel companies? Consider switching to a climate-friendly option like Aspiration. When looking at your 401k and retirement accounts, ask your company for green investment options. If you have an investment or brokerage account, talk to your financial advisor about divesting your portfolio from fossil fuel companies and focusing on ESG or transition investments.
And finally, if you’re angel-curious, get educated and consider investing in the climate startups that give our planet a fighting chance. (Next month’s newsletter will focus on how to get started as an angel investor. Until then, you can check out this article.)