Introducing: the 34 companies joining the Net Zero 3.0 programme

Tech Nation are delighted to announce the 34 climate tech companies who have been accepted into Net Zero 3.0 – the third iteration of the Net Zero growth programme.

Net Zero 3.0 is the first government-backed programme designed to support the most promising climate tech companies to accelerate the UK’s path to net zero. This year’s successful companies were assessed by over 50 judges across key industries, including climate specialists, investors and senior representatives from companies such as Google for Startups, Sage and BNP Paribas.

Companies were judged based on their scalability and potential to help the UK reach its high-priority net zero goal. The chosen companies are actively decarbonising key sectors, from energy and transport to construction and agriculture.

This year’s Net Zero cohort demonstrates that tackling climate change is a priority across all parts of the UK, as 51% of the cohort are headquartered outside of London, with companies based in Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the North and the East of England.

With its first two iterations of the Net Zero programme, Tech Nation has previously supported the growth of 62 of the UK’s leading climate tech companies. Together with the Net Zero 3.0 cohort, these companies have collectively raised over £500mn in VC investment.

Shân Millie, founder of Bright Blue Hare and Net Zero 3.0 Judge, said: “Why does Tech Nation’s Net Zero programme matter? It’s not just the practical mechanics of the growth programme – it’s the visibility all applicant firms get with a diverse group of advisors but importantly from being part of a nationally and internationally-known initiative. The individual firms benefit, but the whole climate tech sector – and society – does too.”

From solar homes to engineered algae

As the UK finds itself in the midst of an energy crisis, exactly half (17) of the companies joining Net Zero 3.0 are working to make UK energy consumption both cleaner and more affordable for customers.

Joining this year’s Net Zero 3.0 cohort, Filia brings solar power to urban homes by integrating solar technology into the fabric of blackout/security blinds and garage doors, while Electric Miles has developed algorithms that profile, aggregate and shift energy demand from electric vehicles in real time to balance supply and demand for grid stability, sustainability and energy security, and Equiwatt are focussed on reducing energy bills while supporting the transition to renewables.

With scientists recently determining algae to be a ‘climate superpower’, due to the fact that microalgae grows 10 times faster than plants on land, and can absorb 10-50 times more CO2, UK climate tech companies are increasingly looking at how they can use algae to help the UK reach its net zero goals.

For the first time, Tech Nation’s Net Zero programme is welcoming 3 algae engineering companies into the Net Zero 3.0 cohort, which demonstrate the versatility of the plant through the different ways they are using it to drive sustainability.

Kelpi is using algae to create bioplastics that will reinvent packaging by making it fully biodegradable, Phycobloom are engineering algae to create sustainable biofuels, and Phycoworks are utilising synthetic biology and machine learning to produce algae at scale which will significantly increase levels of carbon sequestration.

Net Zero 3.0’s mission

Empowering all of these climate tech scaleups is at the core of Tech Nation’s mission to support UK tech companies who are shaping our world for the better. With 40% of emissions reductions reliant on technologies not yet at mass-market scale according to an IEA report in 2020, it is imperative to support the growth of these companies, and the Net Zero programme aims to help realise their potential to drastically reduce global emissions. Over the last two programmes, companies part of the net zero programme have grown almost three times as much as the rest of the climate tech ecosystem, outlining the value the programme provides.

Over the next 6 months, every company in Net Zero 3.0 will be given unparalleled access to long-term investment opportunities, education, talent, exposure and a platform with which to influence green policies and create the optimum conditions for growth.

Tech Nation is proud to be a founding member of Tech Zero (an official partner to the UN Race to Zero), the organisation for tech companies of all sizes and stages committed to climate action, whose Tech Zero Pledge has recently surpassed 345 signatories. Tech Nation has also committed to reducing, measuring and publishing their own carbon emissions in an annual Sustainability Report.

Tech Nation is also delighted to announce that this year’s Net Zero programme will again be supported by headline partner BNP Paribas and programme partner Sage. These organisations will provide invaluable support, expertise and insights to the Net Zero 3.0 cohort.

Meet the East of England Net Zero 3.0 cohort

• Agreed Earth – East of England
  Agreed Earth is the decision support tool for synthetic nitrogen fertiliser (N) reliance reduction. N’s environmental impact is huge – it takes 2% of the world’s energy to create from fossil fuels, it releases Nitrous Oxide (N2O) – 300x more potent than CO2 – when applied to soil, and it is a major source of air and water pollution. Yet currently most conventional farming systems rely on its use for yield. Agreed Earth’s satellite data models will help farmers: measure and monitor the carbon footprint and pollution coming from their N use; maximise the efficiency of the N they do use; make regenerative practice decisions that will reduce the need for N whilst maintaining or maximising yield; and quantify or verify reductions in N use remotely and cheaply to enable rewards via avoided emissions carbon credits. By doing this, Agreed Earth helps farmers lower their carbon footprint and increase profitability whilst accelerating their soil carbon sequestration by rehabilitating its natural fertility.
• Jumptech – East of England
  Jumptech is a specialized SaaS workflow and job management system which streamlines the process of facilitating the process from sale to installation of low carbon technology such as EV charge points and in-home batteries. Its platform is used by installers, contract managers, OEM’s and hardware manufacturers. It has three core modules: Relay – the ability to send a self-survey via a mobile optimized web form to customers to capture info, pictures and documents; Pathway – back-office workflow management, customer comms, scheduling and quoting etc; Atom – engineers app for completing installations. On top of this, there is Connect, which allows jobs to be seamlessly delegated to other parties with real-time updates and access to photos and information. The software enables retailers to better manage customer journeys and therefore customer reviews, and enables installers to simplify admin tasks to increase installation efficiency.
• PuriFire Labs – East of England
  PuriFire Labs is addressing the climate crisis through innovation at the intersection of science, engineering and sustainability. Its mission is to prevent millions of tons of anthropogenic emissions from entering the atmosphere through our proprietary portfolio of patented climate technologies. PuriFire is scaling a point source carbon capture solution that liquefies CO2 from a stream of exhaust flue gases without amines or solvents to make biogas plants and factories ‘green’. Its technology does not use any solvents, catalysts or amines, resulting in a cheaper, more efficient and easier to scale solution.

  Meet the rest of the cohort