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16 climate tech ventures join EarthScale’s first cohort

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Innovation
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16 climate tech ventures join EarthScale’s first cohort

EarthScale, a pioneering UK-wide programme led by Imperial College London, has officially launched with its first cohort: 16 ambitious climate tech ventures tackling some of the most urgent challenges of our time.

Over the next 12 months, these ventures will embark on a journey designed to bridge the gap between prototype and commercialisation. The programme supports intellectual property (IP) rich climate tech startups and spinouts in advancing their technical, manufacturing and commercial readiness, positioning them to secure Series A investment.

A network built for impact – with Leeds at the heart

Led by Imperial College London and co-funded by the Research England Development Fund, EarthScale brings together a powerhouse network of UK universities and regional hubs to create a long-term ecosystem for scaling the most promising climate tech ventures. The University of Leeds is proud to be one of the founding partners, contributing its deep expertise in climate research and innovation through the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures.

Juan Ramón Candia, Climate Innovation Hub Manager at the Priestley Centre, said:

The University of Leeds has a strong track record in climate innovation, and joining EarthScale allows us to connect that research excellence with the entrepreneurs turning ideas into impact. We’re excited to see these ventures grow and to play a part in building the UK’s climate tech economy from the ground up.

The cohort spans diverse industries—from the built environment to energy, agritech to sustainable fashion—representing the full breadth of UK innovation. Collectively, they employ just under 200 people, and over a third of the ventures are based outside London.

EarthScale supports pre-Series A ventures navigating the challenges of proving their technology, demonstrating traction, and building scalable business models. It exists to fill the ‘missing middle’ stage, leveraging the technical expertise and convening power of UK universities through its regional hubs. This unlocks access to facilities, manufacturing support, and investor connections across the country.

The growing EarthScale network already includes Cranfield University, University of Derby, University of Exeter, University of Leeds, and University of Nottingham, with expansion plans into other UK regions.  

Tackling the biggest barriers to scale

Developed with insights from both founders and investors, EarthScale focuses on four major scaling challenges: access to technical and manufacturing facilities, enterprise development and investment readiness, talent attraction and peer networks, and policy and IP navigation.

The programme offers:

  • 12 months of tailored support based on individual venture diagnostics
  • Access to high-quality technical expertise for industrial scaling
  • Support bridging the gap from prototype to commercial production
  • Investor networking and capital sourcing
  • Access to facilities and equipment
  • Help attracting and retaining a diverse, skilled workforce
  • Advice on policy and intellectual property

Melissa Mahdi, Programme Manager of EarthScale, said:

Our inaugural cohort brings together 16 brilliant, driven ventures tackling climate challenges head-on. It’s fantastic to welcome them into the EarthScale community.

This cohort represents exactly what the UK does best—translating world-class research into solutions that can genuinely move the needle on climate change, while creating new jobs, skills, and economic opportunities in the process.

Meet the 2025/26 EarthScale cohort

    • Aed Energy: Innovative thermal storage systems designed to optimise the use of low-cost materials combined with our novel heat-to-power technology. 
    • A&B Smart Materials: Sustainable, biobased, biodegradable Super Absorbent Polymers (SAPs) that soak up hundreds of times their weight in water, used in diapers, pads, and as soil enhancers to save water.  
    • BioTwin: Develops a hemp-based wall stud which is lower in carbon and acoustically better than steel ones. 
    • Carbon Cell: An alternative to polymer-based foams, with a patent pending, plastic-free foam made from carbon-negative biochar. 
    • Circular11: Transforms waste-bound plastic into low-carbon fencing, furniture, and landscaping products through cutting-edge material science and machine learning.  
    • HyperGen: Clean power generator using small jet engine (micro gas turbine) technology to replace traditional piston-based fossil fuel generators. 
    • Ki Hydrogen: Co-produces green hydrogen and biogenic CO2 at fossil cost-parity for SAF, green methanol, and other green fuels and chemicals. 
    • Matoha Instrumentation: Affordable and portable plastics and fabrics identifier machines to enable the circular economy. 
    • Mykor: Insulative building systems for planet and human health with advanced biotechnologies. 
    • Nova Biochem: Sustainable alternatives to traditional petrochemicals using waste streams from pulping and agriculture. 
    • Ponda: Next-gen textiles from plants grown on regenerated wetlands.  
    • Power & Water (KP2M): Revolutionises water treatment with sustainable, high-performance sonoelectrochemical systems. 
    • Solena Materials: Combining computational design, machine learning, and automation to create novel classes of protein-based fibres to replace petrochemical-derived materials. 
    • Sention Technologies: Advanced acoustic and data-driven diagnostics that improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of batteries.  
    • Tewke: Optimising home energy consumption and delivering next generation home automation.  
    • Wild Hydrogen: Their RiPR technology produces carbon-negative fuels from biogenic materials, accelerating the transition to a fossil-free, decarbonised future. 

Could you be part of the next EarthScale cohort?

Applications for Cohort 2 will open in Spring 2026.

Sign up for the EarthScale newsletter to stay updated and follow the journey of this year’s cohort as they scale climate impact across the UK—with Leeds playing a key role in shaping the future of climate tech.

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