Three Australian start-ups make list of top 50 global cleantech companies to watch

Three Australian start-ups – Allume Energy, BlockTexx, and Okra Solar – have been listed amongst the Cleantech Group’s 50 to Watch early-stage companied dedicated to high-impact solutions “that are nothing short of transformative.”

Compiled by research and consulting firm Cleantech Group, the 50 to Watch list is a new annual listing which highlights the globe’s most promising early-stage private companies which are delivering high-impact solutions.

“These entrepreneurs are creating new technologies and business models that could change every aspect of how we live – from what we eat to how we consume, from how we build our homes to our relationship with nature,” said Jules Besnainou, Director of the Cleantech Group, and Holly Stower, an analyst with the Cleantech Group.

“After a decade of success with our Global Cleantech 100, we are launching 50 to Watch, an annual program designed to surface and recognize the best early-stage companies fighting to get us back on track while turning a profit,” they wrote in the foreword to the report.

The inaugural 50 to Watch was put together by a panel of over 20 early-stage innovation experts from organisations such as the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund, Asian Development Bank, NYC Acre, Paris & Co, PowerHouse Accelerator, Rockstart Accelerator, and Start-up Chile.

Three Australian companies were included in the list, including sustainable fashion company BlockTexx, and “renewables for all” companies Allume Energry and Okra Solar.

BlockTexx is on the list for its impact in how we consume goods. The company has developed a recycling technology which chemically separates polyester and cotton materials back into their high-value raw materials so that they can be then reused in new textiles, packaging, or even food.

“For too long we have identified waste as waste, and only realised its value in collection and removal,” said BlockTexx co-founder Graham Ross. “It’s time for us to drive innovation in textile waste recovery.”

Allume and Okra are both listed for their impact on how we power our lives. Okra, for example, allows utilities in developing countries to set up autonomous microgrids at scale which can be operated remotely and help to drastically reduce engineering and maintenance costs. Allume Energy, on the other hand, develops behind-the-meter solar sharing technology.

“Allume Energy is a company striving to ensure everyone can access rooftop solar to reduce both their power bills and greenhouse gas emissions,” said Allume Energy CEO Cameron Knox.

“Our SolShare solar distribution technology opens up rooftop solar to apartment residents and small businesses in office buildings and retail centres. We’re thrilled that product has been recognised as a game-changer for the solar industry.”

The 50 start-ups cover six changes being fostered by the start-ups on the list, including how we grow and eat food, how we consume, how we power our lives, how we build and maintain, how we move, and how we interact with nature.