Author Archives: Bob Bridge

Semilla Climate Capital is pleased to announce an investment in Austin-based Yotta Energy.

Yotta brings solar and energy storage together to make energy simple. The modularity and flexibility of Yotta’s Ecosystem are unrivaled to make the transition to a cleaner future easy on developers, installers and consumers. The YOTTA BLOCK  is a fully-integrated energy storage technology (1kWh capacity) that seamlessly integrates behind photovoltaic (PV) modules on commercial rooftops which solves one of the industry’s biggest challenges of “Where do you put the batteries?”. Engineered with an advanced passive thermal regulation technology, SolarLEAF safely enables a distributed format while maximizing the life and performance of the battery under extreme thermal conditions.

Semilla closely tracked the progress of Yotta over a number of years before investing.

Climate Capital is pleased to support the growth of Shower Stream.

Shower Stream’s AI controlled shower heads significantly reduce water consumption, and provide an attractive ROI to hospitality operators, by saving both water and energy needed to create hot water.

Semilla Climate Capital is pleased to announce an investment in Solidec’s oversubscribed $2M pre-seed round.

Solidec’s breakthrough approach to chemical manufacturing replaces centralized infrastructure with modular, efficient on-site production using only air, water, and electricity. Solidec’s platform is powered by modular reactors capable of producing many widely used chemicals, including hydrogen peroxide, formic acid, acetic acid, and ethylene without any post-processing steps required. Solidec is initially focused on the production of hydrogen peroxide, a critical chemical used across industries from semiconductor fabrication and critical metal mining to wastewater treatment.

Solidec’s platform technology is poised to disrupt the multi-billion-dollar commodity and chemical industries. The company has already secured early commercial customers, highlighting the demand for breakthrough technologies that rewrite the rules of chemical manufacturing. With these funds secured, Solidec will ­­accelerate its go-to-market with a focus on pilot deployments and scaling its technology to meet customer-specific needs in multiple industries.

“Traditionally, hydrogen peroxide is produced in centralized, energy-intensive facilities using carbon-intensive inputs, then transported long distances, resulting in a significant carbon footprint,” said Ryan DuChanois, Co-Founder and CEO of Solidec. “Solidec’s modular reactor produces clean chemicals like hydrogen peroxide on-site, in fewer steps, and with less energy, slashing emissions, supply-chain risk, and cost. We’re eager to deliver these capabilities to customers across the globe.”

The chemical and petrochemical industries account for about 40 percent of industrial carbon emissions in the United States. Chemical separations alone – the post-processing steps Solidec eliminates – are responsible for 15 percent of global energy consumption. Solidec’s technology is forging a path to emission-free molecules for the global chemical manufacturing industry, and creating opportunities to accelerate innovation in multiple other industries.

Solidec spun out from Professor Haotian Wang’s lab at Rice University in 2024 and is based in Houston, Texas. The company is a recipient of the Activate Fellowship, a graduate of the Chevron Catalyst Program, and a member of Greentown Labs Houston.

Semilla is pleased to support the growth of Marel Power Solutions.

At the heart of electrification, power must be converted between DC batteries and AC. The conversion today is inefficient and generates significant waste heat. Converting power uses special semiconductors that quickly get hot (think 350°F) and need to be cooled. Marel’s unparalleled cooling technology extracts double the heat while cutting size and weight of the semiconductors by half, reducing the number and cost of the required semiconductors.

Semilla Climate Capital is pleased to announce an investment in Helix Earth.

Employing technology developed by NASA,  Helix Earth systems save up to 50% energy required by air conditioning systems worldwide. In a few hours, a Helix system can be effortlessly connected to existing AC rooftop unit or dedicated outdoor air system. The Helix unit pre-dehumidifies supply air, substantially dropping the load on the existing unit and lowering power needs by 50%. There is no need to replace existing AC units. There is no need for heavy lifting cranes during installation. There is no need for additional structural support on rooftops. And the Helix system is serviceable in minutes on the same schedule as normal AC maintenance.

Semilla Climate Capital is pleased to announce an investment in Nabaco.

Food waste contributes to 8% of greenhouses gases. Nabaco reduces the greenhouse gas load associated with fresh fruits and vegetables, which in turn helps to address food scarcity and helps to provide greater access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Their organic, all-natural, post-harvest processing solutions improve yields and storage quality of fresh foods, safeguarding environmental sustainability.