Lita.co

Reinforcing recycling, rerouting refuse, and reducing wasteflows

Waste Recovery & Management Tech

Based in France, Eco-Tech Ceram (ETC) provides energy recovery solutions to industrial businesses (such as tile, ceramic, metal casting manufacturers) and renewable energy producers. Eco Stock, the company’s recycling solution, accumulates heat from industrial sites and stores the waste heat in a container made from refractory ceramics. Businesses can repurpose the stored heat for energy use. The company claims that using the stored heat in Eco Stock instead of natural gas generates 180 times less carbon emission. The container unit can be installed easily and can recover heat on-site. The unit can also be used in landfills to store produced heat. The company also offers a digital platform for real-time monitoring and after-sales services as required by industrial companies or material recovery facilities.The company installed its first Eco Stock unit at Tegulys (manufacturer of tiles and bricks in Haute Corrèze) in 2019, to recover waste heat from its oven and use it in the dryer and cooking stages of the production process. Tegulys reported it was able to use carbon-free energy that was 80% cheaper than natural gas.Funding and financialsETC raised EUR 400,000 in November 2019 in a crowdfunding round to advance the recovery of energy from heat-intensive industries. The company reported its target to produce 100 Eco Stock units by 2023.

GAYA makes new mobility accessible with a reasoned approach.

GoSense designs innovative solutions to augment the human perception, for the visually impaired people as a first step.

FunCell is a new company exploiting a technology developed by a leading-edge academic research center in France in a region that is the heart of the paper industry.

Cilkoa offers an alternative to plastic packaging thanks to cellulosic substrates which have barrier properties to oxygen and water vapor as well as resistance to humidity.

Bout' à Bout' is developing a large-scale re-use of glass containers.

Le Fourgon provides contained drinks for home delivery. They offer milk, water, beer, wine, fruit juice, and sodas. They allow customers to have their drinks delivered free of charge during the day.

GreenGo is a European platform to book eco-friendly transportation and accommodation. It is a fair and responsible alternative to traditional accommodation booking sites. Currently, GreenGo allows French people concerned about their environmental impact to enjoy authentic, sometimes unusual accommodations while staying in line with their values. GreenGo is differentiating by offering a unique origin-first search experience that allows to discover exciting places while taking transportation constraints into account. In other words, GreenGo is the European, responsible alternative to Booking and Airbnb.

Comptoir de Campagne designs a new model of multi-services shops, physical and online.

EvidenceB is develops educational resources which combine didactics, cognitive sciences and AI.

upOwa develops, deploys and maintains innovative solutions that bring clean electricity to off-grid African communities in an affordable way.upOwa is a growing social business that enables dramatic social and economic improvements at the community level, in a sustainable way thanks to both its financial profitability and environment-friendly activities.

Eco-Tech Ceram is an innovative company specialized in thermal storage, energetic efficiency, industrial wastes valuation recovery and advanced materials characterization. ETC has been created in 2014 by Antoine Meffre, based on his experience as a PhD. doctor on industrial waste materials valorisation for heat storage applications. He is at the origins of the EcoStock concept. The technology is based on 10 years of research conducted at the PROMES laboratory, a research unit associated to CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) and to the University of Perpignan. From 2008, the laboratory was studying the valuation of industrial wastes, and, thanks to 3 postgraduates from PROMES (specialized in heat storage, processes and materials) now part of its team, ETC discovered the possibility to create ceramics with great thermal properties. ETC adapted this material on large scales in the aim to create new recovery heat method, EcoStock. Turnkey storage units, the EcoStock is an eco-efficient thermal storage solutions for high temperature thermal applications.

Games to prevent sedentary lifestyle and to help you walk and move daily

Hydrao is a smart device that helps its users preserve water and reduce their water bills. The company offers a shower head that illuminates different colors depending on the amount of water used.  Hydrao was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Grenoble, France.

RogerVoice is a phone app that allows deaf people to make phone calls. Rogervoice is an application that reads the user's phone calls automatically, in real-time, and it's multilingual. It was founded in 2013 and is based in Paris, France.

DreamAct promotes all environmentally friendly and responsible alternatives to everyday consumer products.

LITA.co is the first impact investing platform that connects individuals and social entrepreneurs. In order to manage your finances in a more ethical way, LITA.co allows you to invest online in companies seeking social, environmental or other positive impacts.

LITA.co is an online platform that facilitates impact investing, allowing individuals and professionals to invest in companies, associations, or cooperatives that address societal challenges. Utilizing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, LITA.co evaluates the impact of the enterprises featured on its platform. These enterprises span various sectors, including startups leveraging technology and innovation to solve common issues, established SMEs focused on social integration, renewable energy producers, locally-oriented businesses, and real estate projects emphasizing sustainable housing and eco-construction.

L’impact investing arrive au Luxembourg avec LITA.co

EU-Startups

LITA.co crowdfunding platform: overview, analysis & statistics

Embedding environmental, social, and corporate governance factors into investments

Sustainable Finance

Gaya

Via ID

Karmen

GoSense

Phitrust Asia

Ophtabus

FunCell

OBRATORI

Iron Hands Capital

Cilkoa

UI Investments

KREAXI

Crédit Agricole Alpes Development

Bout' à Bout

Demeter

Verallia

Mandarine Gestion

LVVD

JDLO

Le Fourgon

GreenGo

Comptoir de Campagne

Groupama

Evolem Start

Banque des Territoires

MAIF Impact

EvidenceB

Finorpa

IRDI

Nord France Amorcage

upOwa

Anaxago

Eco-Tech Ceram

Startups using recycling technologies such as anaerobic digestion or a chemical process to convert waste into energy.

LITA.co is an online platform that facilitates impact investing, allowing individuals and professionals to invest in companies, associations, or cooperatives that address societal challenges. Utilizing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, LITA.co evaluates the impact of the enterprises featured on its platform. These enterprises span various sectors, including startups leveraging technology and innovation to solve common issues, established SMEs focused on social integration, renewable energy producers, locally-oriented businesses, and real estate projects emphasizing sustainable housing and eco-construction.
LITA.co facilitates both equity and debt investments, enabling investors to become shareholders or lenders to these enterprises. Investment campaigns range from EUR 100,000 to EUR 5 million. The platform thoroughly vets potential candidates, ensuring they have a proven concept and economic viability before listing them for investment opportunities.
LITA.co's platform operates in France, Belgium, and Italy, with plans to expand to Luxembourg by the end of 2024. The company aims to provide a transparent and accessible financing model, empowering individuals to invest purposefully while supporting enterprises addressing societal and environmental challenges.

Starling Bank is a digital, mobile-only bank based in the UK, offering personal and business accounts. Founded in 2014 by former Allied Irish Banks COO Anne Boden, Starling received its banking license from regulators in July 2016. The bank operates without any physical branches and provides services entirely through its mobile app.
Starling offers various personal account options, including current accounts, joint accounts, euro accounts, and teen accounts. Its multi-currency feature allows customers to hold, send, and receive euros for free, with a 0.4% conversion fee for foreign transactions. The app provides real-time spending insights, categorized expenses, budgeting tools, and the ability to set aside money in "Virtual Change Jars." Customers can also apply for overdrafts and loans through the app.
For businesses, Starling offers digital business accounts with powerful money management tools, invoicing, tax assessment, and integration with accounting software. Businesses can also hold and transact in euros and US dollars through dedicated currency accounts.
Starling facilitates international money transfers to 36 countries in 20 currencies, with competitive exchange rates and fees. Customers can opt for direct SWIFT bank-to-bank transfers for a flat fee of GBP 5.50.
In May 2023, Starling Bank reported a record pre-tax profit of GBP 195 million, a sixfold increase from the previous year. Anne Boden stepped down as CEO but remains a non-executive director and shareholder.

Starling Bank

Aspiration is a fintech company that offers a suite of green financial services products aimed at empowering individuals and businesses to combat climate change through their everyday spending and saving activities. The company provides sustainable checking and savings accounts, credit cards, and investment accounts that are fossil fuel-free and enable customers to track their personal sustainability scores.
Aspiration's key product is the Aspiration Spend & Save account, which offers a competitive 3.00% annual percentage yield (APY) on balances up to USD 10,000 as of October 2022. This cash management account comes with a debit card, mobile check deposit, bill pay, and up to USD 2 million in FDIC insurance coverage. Aspiration also has the Redwood Fund and Redwood IRA, investment products focused on sustainable companies committed to ethnic diversity, gender diversity, ethical practices, and addressing climate change.
In April 2024, Aspiration's consumer financial services brand was spun off as a separate company called Mission Financial Partners, led by CEO Tim Newell. This move allowed Aspiration to concentrate on serving businesses through its carbon credit offerings while Mission Financial Partners focused on expanding its suite of climate-friendly consumer products like banking, credit, lending, investment, and insurance solutions. A key aspect of Aspiration's approach is planting trees, with the company claiming to have supported the planting of over 100 million trees as of April 2024.

Aspiration

Classy is a cloud-based fundraising platform offering a comprehensive suite of tools to help nonprofits create engaging online donation experiences and manage fundraising campaigns effectively. Its key features include customizable donation pages, peer-to-peer fundraising capabilities, crowdfunding campaigns, event ticketing, and integration with popular CRM systems like Salesforce.
Classy's platform provides nonprofits with the ability to design branded, mobile-responsive donation forms and fundraising pages. Organizations can accept one-time and recurring donations, as well as process payments through multiple gateways, including PayPal, Venmo, and credit cards. The platform's peer-to-peer fundraising tools empower supporters to create personal fundraising pages and share them across social media platforms, fostering a sense of community and friendly competition through features like fundraising leaderboards and team fundraising goals.
For events, Classy offers event registration, ticketing, and attendee management functionalities, streamlining the process of organizing and promoting fundraising events. The platform also supports crowdfunding campaigns, enabling nonprofits to tap into this popular form of online giving.
Classy's pricing model consists of an annual subscription fee and transaction fees for each donation processed through the platform. As of May 2024, the transaction fees stand at 2.4% + USD 0.30 for credit cards and 2.5% + USD 0.30 for PayPal/Venmo.
Key customers and partnerships
Classy has been widely adopted by nonprofits of various sizes and causes, facilitating the raising of tens of thousands of dollars for their missions. The platform has garnered praise for its user-friendly interface, robust features, and seamless integration capabilities with popular tools like Salesforce and Facebook.
Classy's partnership with Facebook has been particularly noteworthy, enabling nonprofits to leverage the social media platform's reach for peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. This integration has streamlined the process for volunteers and supporters to raise funds on behalf of the organizations they support.

Classy

Tandem Bank is a digital challenger bank based in the UK, focused on providing environmentally-friendly financial products and services. The bank aims to help customers reduce their carbon footprint while offering competitive savings accounts, mortgages, personal loans, and home improvement financing options.
Tandem utilizes open banking technology to securely connect with customers' existing bank accounts, allowing seamless transfers into their Tandem savings accounts. The bank offers instant access savings accounts with variable interest rates up to 4.90% AER as of April 2024, as well as fixed-term savings accounts ranging from one to three years with interest rates up to 5.07% AER.
In addition to savings products, Tandem provides residential and buy-to-let mortgages, with discounts for energy-efficient properties based on their EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) ratings. The bank also offers personal loans, home loans for expenses like renovations or debt consolidation, and motor finance for used vehicles through approved dealerships.
Tandem's "Green Lending" initiatives allocate a portion of customer deposits toward financing eco-friendly home improvements such as solar panel installations and energy-efficient window replacements. In 2023, the bank facilitated over GBP 523 million in green home improvement lending, contributing to the avoidance of 74,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
In January 2022, Tandem acquired the consumer lender Oplo, further expanding its product offerings and solidifying its position as a "fairer, greener digital bank" in the UK market. The bank discontinued its automatic savings features in January 2021 to concentrate on developing its green banking strategy.

Tandem

Cushon is a London-based fintech company founded in 2014 that offers workplace savings and investment products, including ISAs, investment accounts, and pensions. Its key offerings include a workplace ISA, master trust pension, junior and lifetime ISAs, and a general investment account. Cushon's products are designed to be simple and user-friendly, with a mobile app that provides a personalized experience and helps engage savers with their financial goals.
Cushon's unique selling point is the "Net Zero Now" pension, launched in January 2021, which is claimed to be the world's first net zero pension. This pension aims to minimize carbon emissions from investments as much as possible and offsets any remaining emissions through carbon offsetting projects. As of April 2022, Cushon had approximately GBP 1.7 billion in assets under management, making it the fifth largest master trust pension provider in the UK. By February 2023, its assets under management had grown to GBP 1.85 billion.
In February 2023, NatWest Group acquired an 85% stake in Cushon for GBP 144 million, with the remaining equity retained by Cushon management. This acquisition allowed NatWest to offer Cushon's workplace savings and pension products to its commercial mid-market customers, enhancing its financial wellbeing services.

Cushon

Digital banks that deploy customer deposits to sustainable uses such as renewable energy projects and social housing.

Offers a platform for individuals and businesses to invest in sustainability-related companies, projects, and investment portfolios.

Solutions that allow investors to obtain sustainability-related information on their portfolios such as real-world impact (water savings, CO2 savings, etc.) and ESG-related compliance.

Companies that provide the digital infrastructure for financial institutions to offer their own sustainable finance products.

AI/ML is used to support robo advisory functions and allocate funds into ESG-based investments

Startups in this hub focus on ESG-related financial services such as sustainable investing

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