Collab SOS: A New Fund and a Call to Action
As a complement to Shared Future, a dedicated fund providing rapid, catalytic capital to entrepreneurs working on climate solutions, we are thrilled to share a new $200 million fund called Collab SOS — which invests in Series A and Series B companies fueling a more sustainable economy across materials, ingredients, energy, and supply chains. Our criteria for investing is simple:
Is your product or service better for the planet, without asking consumers to sacrifice?
The back half of that statement is our bullseye.
Tesla doesn’t ask us to settle on speed or aesthetics.
Impossible Foods doesn’t ask us to compromise on taste.
Stella McCartney doesn’t ask us to sacrifice on style.
And these pioneers are not alone.
Allbirds is using recycled plastic bottles to manufacture their laces. Everlane has used over 34,000 lbs of regenerated nylon waste to develop its swimwear collection.
Flexport launched a dashboard to help supply chain and logistics teams quickly assess and manage sustainability programs—such as enrolling in carbon offset programs and analyzing shipment emissions.
Large companies have committed to bold environmental goals including Etsy powering its marketplace with 100% renewable electricity and Lyft committing to using 100% electric vehicles by 2030.
Dandelion is helping consumers free their homes from using fossil fuels and Span electrifies everything inside.
The Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle is on its way to becoming the first net zero certified arena in the world. This includes the construction materials, the food and cutlery in the concession stands, and everything in between. They’re even collecting rainwater off of the roof, holding it in a 15,000-gallon cistern and using that to resurface the ice on hockey game nights!
Sweetgreen has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2027, thanks to data on their greenhouse gas emissions from Watershed, an all-inclusive climate software company.
And we could keep going.
This isn’t a temporary fad. Consumers, particularly younger consumers, are demanding products and services that more closely align with their values.
The leading companies understand this and are adapting quickly — not out of a sense of charity or moral back-patting, but to future-proof their businesses. They know it will position them to take market share from legacy companies, who either don’t get it or are driven solely by opportunistic marketing rather than authentic values-alignment.
For over a decade, we’ve been investing in culturally-impactful brands. And now climate is inextricably a part of culture.
We chose the name Collab SOS, because it represents the urgency needed to address this moment, and we are excited to share that we’ve already made a number of investments in companies reimagining a regenerative, sustainable economy. These investments reflect our interest in organizations with specific methodologies—such as synthetic biology and precision fermentation—driving impact in creative new ways.
For example, AlgiKnit is manufacturing yarn from kelp, an abundant and natural resource.
Protein Evolution is directing the evolution of an enzyme to break down plastic that would make PET bottles infinitely recyclable.
BOLT is engineering novel materials from mycelium roots.
Square Roots is reimagining the future of food with high-yield vertical farms.
Natural Fiber Welding is selling the only 100% plastic-free leather-alternative on the market.
Brimstone Energy is producing carbon-negative cement.
These are just a few of the companies we’ve already backed from Collab SOS.
In an effort to embed value to the portfolio, we have intentionally raised capital from some of the largest purchasers of materials, experts in agriculture, and industry leaders.
As such, Collab SOS will not only provide financial support to emerging companies working on sustainable solutions, but can act as a conduit and facilitator in providing customer introductions and accelerate growth. We’re bringing planet-improving technologies out of the lab and into the mainstream.
Now is the time to focus our energy and resources to accelerate this movement. Are you working on new materials? Building better supply chains? Reducing or removing greenhouse gas emissions? Is your company promoting a more sustainable world?
We want to do it with you.
—Craig & Sophie