Global warming is finally at the forefront of modern concerns.

The way we presently live and run our companies is not sustainable and in order to change this we first need to quantify the problem. The deeper and more accurate our calculations are, the more effective and efficient our solutions will be.

One of the first areas of focus for climate tech is calculating the carbon footprint of anything we do. This might sound like a relatively simple task and, at that, one we should be able to solve very quickly. But the deeper we look into it, the more we realize it’s not that trivial. Figuring out the climate-related implications of manufacturing, shipping, advertising, and even the sale of the pair of shoes that you are wearing requires processing an exponential number of data points. Then, these need to be surfaced and harmonized across different industries, geographies, legal frameworks, and much more.

External factors are also at play with, for example, the regulatory pressure becoming impossible to ignore. The EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Activities came into force in July 2020 and the EU Green Deal mandates a 55% cut in CO2 emissions by 2030 in order to become the first climate neutral continent by 2050.

Our newest portfolio company Climatiq is addressing this challenge as such: a big data problem.

Many entrepreneurs have pinpointed this space as an opportunity which has led to a proliferation of startups focusing on carbon footprint calculation. However, most of them are building SaaS solutions and target specific industries. It’s clearly a very competitive space, but many players show little differentiation.

So why did we decide to back the black truffle of this forest by leading Climatiq’s $2 million pre-seed round? Let us explain.

1. Open source can save us

Climatiq is orchestrating and curating the most comprehensive open source repository of trusted emission data in the world. Data can then be leveraged through a free-to-use API that integrates with existing software for automatic and real-time emissions monitoring.

The climate crisis requires fast innovation and action. And it also requires collaboration. The open source model has proven to be the most effective way in which people from different backgrounds, cultures, nations, and so forth can work together toward a common goal of saving our planet.

2. A solution that can scale and go deep

Many companies are tackling the same problem with proprietary databases and SaaS tools, but these feel ill-equipped to comprehensively measure all factors and their evolution over time. The holy grail — and also the most difficult of the goals — is tracing back what regulators call Scope 3 emissions throughout a company’s value chain.

This is also where the beauty of open source kicks in.

With open source, Climatiq is building a global and accurate database of emissions which has the potential to solve the problem of Scope 3 emissions that no one has yet cracked. The level of depth and comprehensiveness that can be achieved through this approach is a scale of magnitude above any single company endeavor.

3. Empowering others

While some clear use cases have already emerged, the fight against climate change is still young. In order for climate tech to really change the world, it will have to touch every aspect of our activities and economies. For that, it needs to “disappear” within all the products it touches.

Climatiq provides the backend for others to develop new solutions on top. In that sense, it’s not a software but rather a platform. The multitude of use cases that will evolve within it are still to be determined and this is very exciting. It will be very interesting to see in which directions developers will take it and the great apps and features they will invent and build upon it.

4. Last but not least: Team, team, team

Beyond emerging market dynamics and a novel approach to solving a pressing issue, Climatiq’s founding team makes for the strongest success factor in our eyes. We’ve known the team from previous work environments, such as at Google, and we’ve been stunned by this winning trio of Hessam Lavi, Philipp von Bieberstein, and Isis Baulig.

With their unique combination of technical, strategic, and data-driven mindsets, Philipp, Hessam and Isis bring a fresh perspective to how tech can help fighting the environmental crisis. They are not trying to solve the problem on their own, but to empower others to do it with them. It’s a refreshing and energizing attitude that we believe can inspire many others to join. This is already showing in the great talent they have been able to onboard in a short time: Climatiq’s diverse team is growing and composed of high calibre scientists, engineers, and product pros from MIT, The Guardian, Mozilla, and elsewhere.

Keep your eyes out for new role openings here.

Climatiq is a unique opportunity for everyone. The platform has the tremendous potential to foster a collective effort to build reliable and innovative tools for accelerated improvements on the carbon question. If you want to be part of it or have ideas on how to make it better please don’t hesitate to let us know.

We’re in this together. So, let’s start solving that puzzle as a global tech community.

👉 The product is available in beta for anyone to try here.