Brooklyn-based climate tech company BlocPower has raised $150 million to drive its mission of making America’s buildings greener. The round included over $24 million of Series B corporate equity led by VoLo Earth Ventures and $130 million of debt financing led by Goldman Sachs. Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, Credit Suisse, Builders Vision, and New York State Ventures were among the investors. Making buildings greener 10% of all US greenhouse gas emissions come from burning fossil fuels in homes and buildings for heating and cooking. Traditional heating and cooking appliances that run
Cummins is hiring on pocitjobs.com Mayowa has his eyes set on the future. A native Nigerian, Mayowa realized early the role human exploration can play in impacting the environment. “I was looking to contribute, to create a movement, to make progress in that area, and I dedicated my life, my career to making advancement safer for future generations,” he said. In college, Alonge gained research experience developing an eco-friendly battery. That research landed him a six-month internship with Cummins Inc., which he knew of from their office in Lagos, Nigeria.
Sheryl E. Ponds is working to ensure Black people are not left behind as the world moves towards electric vehicles. She is the entrepreneur behind Black-owned startup Dai Technologies Corp, which designs and builds electric vehicle charging stations. Electric Vehicle Charging Deserts DaiTechCorp describes itself as an ‘EV Adoption expert’ working to bring electric vehicles into the Black community. After successfully building electric vehicle charging stations, Ponds realized that many of her clientele were affluent and white, so she decided to rebuild her business model to reach the Black community. According to reports, about 2%
Microsoft has announced the expansion of its AI for Good Research Lab to Cairo and Nairobi. The expansion aims to close the climate data divide by researching and developing AI machine learning in areas in Africa worst affected by the climate crisis. Africa’s Climate Crisis Research has revealed that high climate risk correlates with income and health inequalities. The findings also coincide with the fact that two billion people in the Global South were found to be living in some of the most climate-risk areas between 2008 and 2018. Despite Africa contributing less
Chicago entrepreneur Arthur Burton is working to increase access to the clean energy sector by providing job training to youth in underrepresented communities. Who is Arthur Burton? After establishing his company in 2019, Arthur Burton has been committed to providing opportunities for members of disinvested communities by making training for green jobs more accessible. Before launching his clean energy initiative, Burton focused on expanding his experience within the sustainability sector. After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in telecommunications, the entrepreneur worked at AT&T for 18 years as a technical
Africa-focused investment firm, Persistent Energy, has raised $10 million in its Series C funding to help support the renewable energy sector in Africa. The funding round, led by Kyuden International Corporation and FSD Africa Investments, also saw private investors Kotaro Tamura, BK Ventures BV, and DPI Energy Ventures participate. Persistent Energy, founded over a decade ago, is a pioneer investor in Africa’s renewable sector. The investment firm works to support and build businesses that can “scale sustainably.” They provide financial capital for startups and allow their team members to work
The historical and ongoing cost of not addressing our climate disasters is some-what insane. The United States is said to have spent $29bn cleaning up climate disasters in the 1990s, but $112bn dollars in the last five years. That’s a huge jump. This week we’re celebrating the Black-owned innovative companies from across the US that are working on sustainability and environmental solutions. The three founders, based across the US — from Silicon Valley in California to tribal nations across the Midwest — are driving innovation in energy efficiency, AI, solar,
