France-based, PILI produces sustainable dyes & pigments to reduce the environmental footprint of the color industry (today, 99% of colors are produced with fossil fuels), currently targeting the most polluting applications such as textiles, inks, polymers, paintings & coatings. PILI’s natural pigments are said to have a carbon footprint 5x less than current dyes. Likewise, PILI strives to reduce the dependence on several Asian imports - needed to produce colors - hoping to (re)create a European supply. The startup has developed a completely new dyeing tech (covered by 9 patents already), designing “enzymatic cascades” that turn feedstock such as sugar/ molasses as well as trace elements into dyes (with a wide variety of color hues)...

Norway-based, Otovo is an online marketplace for solar installations, founded in 2016 by Andreas Thorsheim (CEO), Simen Fure Jorgensen (CPO), Lars Syse Christiansen (ex CFO) & Andreas Bentzen (ex CTO). The startup uses an automated bidding process to analyze a home & find the best price & (ideally a local, & certainly qualified/ high-quality) installer for the job. The company is active in 13 markets & to date has sold & completed over 11,000 solar energy projects across Europe. Otovo Q4 2022 revenue grew 2x to €18m, with 82% more solar installations yoy. According to the firm’s press release, the new round (€100m debt + €20m equity) is “the largest financing to date for a...