Silicon Valley After The Paris Accord

With Trump making the disastrous decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord, it’s more important than ever that private industry steps up. Entrepreneurs and even Fortune 500s might not be able to match the scale or impact of a global coordinated effort to combat climate change, but there’s quite a lot they can do.

Innovation in the clean energy space is flourishing. Solar is now cheaper than coal (unsubsidized) in many parts of the world. Battery powered cars will soon cost less than gasoline powered ones.

If you’re as upset as I am by the decision to pull out of the Paris accord, consider using your talents to help bring about technological solutions. On AngelList there are nearly 200 clean energy companies hiring right now.

At Fifty Years we’re proud to support entrepreneurs building a more sustainable future. These projects give us hope. All are hiring. They’re listed here in case you might have relevant skills.

Lygos makes industrial chemicals using biochemistry instead of petrochemistry. Instead of petroleum inputs to make specialty chemicals, they feed yeast sugar and water.

Memphis Meats makes real meat by farming cells themselves, instead of farming animals. Animal agriculture generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all cars, trucks, trains, planes, and boats combined.

Geltor is recombinantly making gelatin and collagen, reducing the industry’s reliance on animal agriculture.

Solugen is enzymatically making hydrogen peroxide. They make H2O2 using plant sugars instead of petroleum.

Starsky Robotics is building the future of driverless trucking. By moving to an autonomous future, our transportation system will operate more efficiently and generate far less CO2 emissions.

Ethic drives more money to sustainable investments. They can take an existing exchange-traded fund and suggest alternative investments with similar risk return profiles but without fossil fuel companies.

Advano builds silicon nanoparticles to radically improve the capacity and cycle time of lithium ion batteries. By doing so, they will enable the next generation of electric vehicles and solar power products.

A stealth company is growing real leather, without the need to raise and slaughter animals, thereby moving the fashion industry off of animal agriculture.

If you’re interested in working with any of these companies, please email us at hello@fifty.vc and we’ll make sure you get in front of the teams.

There’s a good reason Trump is joined by only Syria and Nicaragua in believing the Paris accord is a bad idea — we’re on the edge of a climate catastrophe. In addition to writing your elected officials and voting for politicians who support sane climate policy, consider using your talents directly to help end this crisis. The world needs you now more than ever.