Climate funding: Why PSUs are stepping in where VCs fear to tread
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: Neiox Eco Cycle isn’t the sort of startup you read about every day. It isn’t solving for fashion, food or grocery delivery.
Rather, it is in the business of ship hulls—specifically, it is developing carbon-negative, non-toxic marine coatings for the undersides of marine vessels. There is nothing sexy about the business, which has to solve for plankton, barnacles, mussels and other such delights. It’s also not the sort of business that attracts much interest from venture capitalists (VCs), who generally prefer to focus on consumer-facing or software-as-a-service (SaaS) businesses.
Despite this, Neiox Eco Cycle, founded by Akhil Raj Pottekkat, was able to obtain a tiny amount of funding in November 2024. The money didn’t come from a VC, but from Cochin Shipyard, which invested ₹30 lakh in the Kerala-based climate-tech startup. Last October, the shipbuilder followed that up with an additional ₹75 lakh investment under its maritime innovation programme.
Neiox isn’t the only startup to receive backing from an unlikely investor. In November, Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL) invested ₹120 crore in Bengaluru-based electric vehicle (EV) startup 3ev, which builds electric cargo vehicles and battery infrastructure, for a 30.97% stake. That same month, Varaha, a climate-tech startup, received an infusion of $30.5 million from Mirova, the sustainable investing arm of French financial group Natixis.
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