Launching a Climate Tech Catalyst
We need more university deep tech spinouts to fight climate change.
To stabilize climate change by 2050, we still need new climate tech solutions on the market, working at scale. Across technical universities, scientific teams are daily inventing and refining technologies that could have a significant impact on climate transformation targets.
Here’s the challenge: The vast majority of these inventions never leave university labs, and hence never begin the journey to market and international scale. Europe leads the way in producing highly cited research publications in deep tech science. However, only a limited number of these scientific breakthroughs make it to market and impact.
We are launching Earthbound to change this.
In this first edition of our newsletter, you’ll find:
Introduction to our work and offerings
Our brand new fellowships for deep tech scientists and entrepreneur
Connecting leading scientists with proven entrepreneurs
Built by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), we are a climate tech catalyst designed to screen, fund and nurture climate-relevant deep tech science across the academic ecosystem and hatch early-stage startups.
We have been testing our offerings since spring, and today proudly introduce two fellowships for leading scientists and proven entrepreneurs to collaborate on bringing needed climate solutions into the world.
The Earthbound Fellowship for Entrepreneurs is now open for applications from proven entrepreneurs with deep tech experience within the EU.
The Earthbound Fellowship for Scientists accepts applications from DTU scientists and research teams, but also welcomes applications from Nordic universities for review. During its first four years , Earthbound’s aim is to extend offerings to more universities.
Four deep tech cases in action and 17 being vetted
Embedded directly into the academic ecosystem at DTU, we have unprecedented access to deep tech inventions. This makes the scouting for solutions with climate stabilizing effects unique and abundant. We already have 17 cases in the vetting process, seven entrepreneurs matched with deep tech cases, and four fellow entrepreneurs working on deep tech cases.
And we are only just getting started. In the coming weeks, we will release more deep tech cases looking for an entrepreneur, so keep an eye out for our news.
We want to thank our partners, who not only had a bold vision, but also the willpower to back it: DTU - the Danish Technical University; its innovation units Skylab, DTU Entrepreneurship and DTU Science Park and the early stage venture house, PreSeed Ventures, that has been spun out of DTU.
Loyal to impact potential from lab to market
In designing its new programs and fellowships, the Earthbound team has identified current obstacles for deep tech science to unleash their full potential. Committed to changing the status quo, Earthbound is introducing new offerings to lift the potential for more climate tech spinouts in a three-pronged model:
1) Mobilize scientists, students and entrepreneurs for the planet
By inspiring students and researchers to see how their academic field can make a difference in climate change, Earthbound seeks to make the sustainable transition of societies a higher priority in academic research. This work is also carried out by plugging into the university’s departments and diverse innovation programs, making it possible to calibrate and nudge science for market and impact fit as early as time of invention and the first research papers.
2) Mature deep tech science for the startup journey
Earthbound selects deep tech inventions with climate-relevance by collaborating with the scientist(s) behind it. A scientist or research team can apply to Earthbound, and have their work screened for business and impact potential. Selected cases receive support for: Company building and early commercialization; implementation of a framework to track their impact; writing grant applications; and other catalytic support depending on the technology case.
3) Engage proven entrepreneurs
To assemble a team fit for spinning out science, Earthbound offers fellowships for proven entrepreneurs. Selected entrepreneurs will be matched with a scientist to lead the business maturing of his/her deep tech invention. This collaboration is awarded a grant that can fund critical costs and expenses for up to a year, while making the technology ready for its first investments and a classic startup journey.
We’ll be back soon with more news from our work at the forefront of deep tech science. In the meantime, visit our website at http://www.earthbound.one.
Best wishes,
Team Earthbound
✨ 🚀