Turning Ideas into Impact: Highlights from the Climatetech Showcase for Underrepresented Founders

Boston showed up for climate innovation this week and we couldn’t be prouder. On Monday night, Boston City Hall transformed into a stage for the Climatetech Showcase for Underrepresented Founders, presented by Startup Boston in partnership with the City of Boston.

The event brought together founders, investors and ecosystem leaders who share one goal: to accelerate the clean-energy transition by backing the diverse entrepreneurs driving it forward.

Celebrating Climate Innovation and Inclusion

Five visionary startups took the stage to pitch their climate solutions; tackling everything from waste reduction and clean materials to battery technology and urban mobility. Each founder is reimagining what’s possible when innovation meets sustainability.

Mirra – 🥇 1st Place Winner

Founder pitching: Christa Campbell 

Mirra is developing sustainable, plant-based pigments that match the performance of synthetic colorants, replacing titanium dioxide and petroleum-derived dyes used widely in food. These conventional additives pose human health and environmental risks and are facing growing regulatory bans. 

Through over 150 customer discovery calls, Mirra learned that current natural pigments often fade under UV, pH, and temperature stress. Their technology uses structural color from vegetable proteins that reflect light (rather than absorb it), creating vibrant, stable, and clean-label pigments that meet the needs of modern food and beverage brands seeking performance and sustainability.

CargoB – 🥈 2nd Place Winner

Founder pitching: Dorothy Fennell 

CargoB is the first cargo bike share company in the U.S., designed to make city life easier and more sustainable. By swapping short car trips for shared electric cargo bikes, CargoB offers a convenient, affordable alternative for families and city dwellers. 

Built for urban streets and capable of carrying groceries, gear, and more, these bikes help people live car-lite or car-free without sacrificing flexibility. Through partnerships with cities, transit agencies, and community organizations, CargoB is redefining what freedom of movement looks like in a climate-conscious city.

Prisere LLC – 🥉 3rd Place Winner

Founder pitching: Donna Childs

Prisere develops technology to strengthen climate resilience, quantifying a “resilience dividend,” the climate equivalent of a safe driver discount. Their software measures and rewards improved risk practices, ultimately reducing commercial insurance costs. This is an urgent issue: in many regions, insurance premiums have become unaffordable, and in some, carriers have stopped underwriting policies altogether. 

Drawing on her experience as a senior executive at Swiss Reinsurance Group (the world’s largest reinsurer of property-casualty and life-health risks), founder Donna C. is helping communities and businesses turn better risk management into measurable financial resilience.

Extrasense Tech

Founder pitching: Oliver Sanchez 

Extrasense helps cities and food companies fight pests in a smarter way. Their AI-powered cameras detect rodents early, allowing businesses and municipalities to reduce poison use, minimize food waste, and avoid unnecessary truck trips that contribute to air pollution. By replacing reactive pest control with proactive prevention, Extrasense is helping communities create cleaner, healthier urban environments.

BioEchem

Founder pitching: Pei Zhang

BioEchem is a Boston-based climatetech company using special microorganisms to fix CO₂ and convert it into bio-electrolytes - key ingredients for making non-toxic, sustainable batteries. Their vision is to power the clean energy transition through circular chemistry: turning greenhouse gases into useful materials that support renewable electricity generation and energy storage.

Recognizing Our Judges

A huge thank you to our incredible panel of judges, who brought their expertise, curiosity, and thoughtful feedback to every pitch:

Abigail Menendez, Climate Technology Strategist, City of Boston

Abigail is passionate about leveraging education, policy, and cross-sector collaboration to address climate change and promote environmental sustainability. Her background spans climate policy development, disaster resilience, and STEM education; and she’s deeply committed to advancing equity and inclusion across all her work.

Cvic Innocent, Founder & General Partner, Frankenbuild Ventures

Cvic founded Frankenbuild Ventures to back founders building hardware, robotics and physical AI for sustainability. With deep expertise across green tech, clean energy, automation, and frontier science, Cvic brings a unique lens that bridges academia, industry, and investment. Having launched international initiatives in South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe to spread emerging technologies, Cvic is known for translating complex technical innovation into clear, actionable insights and helping early-stage founders scale transformative ideas.

Mark Tomasovic, Principal, Energize Capital

Mark is a venture capital investor focused on software for industry. Before joining Energize Capital, he worked in private equity at Bernhard Capital Partners and in operations management at ExxonMobil. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with Honors from the University of Texas. Mark’s combination of technical rigor and investment acumen makes him a powerful advocate for founders building the next generation of energy and industrial technology.

Gratitude to Our In-Kind Sponsors

Events like this come to life thanks to our community partners who believe in empowering early-stage founders with tangible support and expertise.

Orrick

Orrick is a global law firm focused on serving the Technology & Innovation, Energy & Infrastructure, Finance, and Life Sciences & HealthTech sectors. Leading companies and new entrants call on their teams in 25+ markets worldwide for forward-looking, pragmatic advice on transactions, litigation, and compliance matters. 

SenseIP

SenseIP is a GenAI patent platform revolutionizing the way inventors, startups, and research institutions secure intellectual property. From ideation and prior-art research to drafting and filing, SenseIP empowers users to complete patent processes in minutes instead of months - at a fraction of the traditional cost. The platform democratizes IP protection by providing accessible, high-quality patent tools that rival the work of costly attorneys. 

HubSpot for Startups

HubSpot is a leading CRM platform that helps businesses grow better, offering powerful marketing, sales, service and website management tools that scale with your business. Through HubSpot for Startups, founders gain access to deep discounts, educational resources, and dedicated support to help them attract, engage, and delight customers from day one. 

Accountalent

Accountalent is a one-stop shop providing fixed-price tax and bookkeeping services for over 5,000 startups. Their experienced team helps founders maximize credits and savings, including R&D credits, BOI filings, and strategic CFO support. With “Big Firm” strength and “Small Firm” care.

Workbar

Workbar does coworking differently. With thoughtfully designed workspaces across Massachusetts, Workbar gives founders and teams the flexibility to work where and how they want. Each location balances collaboration and focus, with open spaces divided by noise level, ample meeting rooms, and phone booths for deep work.

Building a More Inclusive Climatetech Future

The Climatetech Showcase wasn’t just a pitch night - it was a glimpse into the future of climate innovation in Boston. A future where founders from all backgrounds can access the resources, mentorship, and visibility they need to make their mark.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for an inspiring evening. Together, we’re proving that the path to a more sustainable world starts with collaboration, and Boston is leading the way.