Request for Startups: Environment

We are actively looking for startups that will help save the environment.

As the Chinese proverb goes, “the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” At Ramen, we’ve always cared about investing in companies that make an impact. In our Operating Manual, we state that we look for companies that can positively impact the lives of millions. Over time, our view of what actually makes an impact has been maturing.

We realize now that there is no better way to improve the lives of billions than to save the environment.

We’re raising our hand to say that we’re looking to invest in startups that are trying to reduce the impact that we have on our planet and ensure that our way of living is sustainable.

Here are a few of the areas that we’re interested in:

1. Reduce waste and improve the 3Rs

Recycling is an expensive endeavour in terms of both energy and labour. This pushes the price of recycled materials up and consequently reduces their desirability. Why would a company buy recycled material when new is cheaper?

We think the solution is to remove as much of the materials as possible from the equation. For example, remove the excessive packaging, and you have less plastic and cardboard to recycle.

We’re looking for companies that help reduce waste at the source, and those that increase the effectiveness of our recycling programs.

2. Make it the obvious choice for corporations to be environmentally friendly

The impact that an individual can have on the environment, with their daily choices, is tiny compared to what a single corporation can do. Therefore, being environmentally friendly starts at the company level.

We think the solution here is to change corporate behaviour. By eliminating the necessity for environmentally costly actions, or providing better alternatives to materials, the impact that corporations have on our environment can be reduced. We believe that there are many opportunities in reducing emissions and waste when it comes to business travel, packing and shipping, amongst others.

We’re looking for companies that greatly reduce the footprint of a company on the planet.

3. Change our culture (for the better)

Our culture — our default way of doing things today — has a huge impact on the environment.

Every day, we create millions of non-recyclable take-out coffee cups. This comes from our culture of convenience. It’s convenient to grab a cup of coffee and go. It’s also very wasteful when you could have just had that coffee in a mug or a reusable cup.

Eliminating some of that convenience requires a culture shift.

For most North Americans, it’s absurd that you can’t grab food or a drink to go; we drink in our cars, we drink on the street, we bring it to work. However, in countries like Japan, it’s an unwritten rule to not eat or drink while walking around. This aspect of the culture encourages sitting down and enjoying things. If we adopted this, we could easily reduce the amount of waste we produce during this daily ritual.

The coffee example is a simple one; there are obvious alternatives such as requiring travel mugs, etc. However we think that there are many other areas where if we changed our culture and behaviour, we can build a cleaner world.

Particularly, we’re looking for companies that impact public transportation, consumer behaviour and consumption habits.

If you are working in this space, we want to hear from you. Reach out to us at hi@ramen.vc and you’ll hear back from us soon.