Zeus: A sneak peek at this year's climate startup universe

Even as ESG theme fades, entrepreneurs look to next round of funding.

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Standard weather balloons typically fly for about two hours before they burst and descend. But WindBorne Systems' weather balloons, which use Bosch Sensortec sensors, can stay aloft for up to 40 days. Photo: Bosch Sensortec.

(David Callaway is founder and Editor-in-Chief of Callaway Climate Insights. He is the former president of the World Editors Forum, Editor-in-Chief of USA Today and MarketWatch, and CEO of TheStreet Inc. His climate columns have appeared in USA Today, The Independent, and New Thinking magazine).

SAN FRANCISCO (Callaway Climate Insights) — With Middle East hostilities growing and the outlook for U.S. climate leadership tempered by concern about a Donald Trump re-election, it’s no wonder environmental investing themes are off to a rough start to 2024.

But entrepreneurial timetables are on a different plane than momentum flows on Wall Street, and despite a rocky period for clean energy funds, several startups are pressing ahead with their come-to-market ambitions.

From new forms of sophisticated weather balloons (WindBorne Systems), to agrifood companies turning carbon into protein for animals (Novonutrients) to AI robotics companies for packaging (EverestLabs) to a biotech firm using pig embryos to develop pork products without the animals (Mission Barns), I got to meet a selection of founders at a startup event in San Francisco a few weeks ago.