During the past year, we have seen more and more governments, institutions, firms, and investors realize that the climate crisis requires serious action.
We achieved a record number of sustainable investments, unprecedented climate action, a massive deployment of renewable energy, a variety of cutting-edge innovations, and the launch of Firstime 3: our climate-tech fund.
There’s no better way of celebrating the new year than by reminding ourselves of all the great things that happened this past year.
As we are entering the new year – here are our 21 reasons to be cheerful for 2021:
💰 Investors poured $2.2b into Israeli climate tech companies in 2021, turning climate-tech into one of the fastest-growing markets.
🦄 15 climate tech startups reached Unicorn status this year, reaching a total of 31 unicorns. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink recently said that he believes “the next 1,000 unicorns will be in climate tech”.
⚡️ 2022 will be a record year for wind and solar, a new report finds, and this is just the beginning of the renewable energy revolution!
🚗 2021 was a massive year for electric cars. 2022 will be even bigger. Electrification of our transportation is key to reducing our CO2 emissions.
🙌 Firstime (that’s us!) announces $100 million climate-tech fund, backed by Jonathan Kolber. Our new fund has already made 2 inaugural investments and we are planning to announce 3 more investments in the coming quarter.
💨 US and EU announced a global pledge to slash methane, during COP26 in Glasgow. Methane is 84x more potent than CO2 and contributes to 25% of global warming.
🇪🇺 The European Union pledged to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050! The EU pledged to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030. This will create new opportunities for innovation and investment and jobs
🩺 Telehealth use has increased 38X from the pre-COVID-19 baseline, as COVID-19 showed how telemedicine could change how we think about care interactions
🐝 Firstime Ventures participated in BeeHero’s $15M investment round, as it continues to grow and become a global leader in pollination technology.
⚡️ World’s biggest offshore wind farm is now online. The wind farm will use 165 turbines with a capacity of more than 1.3 gigawatts, powering over a million homes when finished.
🇮🇱 Prime Minister Naftali Bennett aims to make Israel a climate-tech leader. At the COP26 in Glasgow, Bennett pledged to mobilize Israel’s startup ecosystem to fight climate change.
💉 Firstime Ventures led Hygieia’s $17 million Series B investment round, after receiving an FDA approval for their live-saving insulin management solution.
🇦🇪 UAE-Israel relations are closer than ever. 2022 will be the time to build on them and strengthen our regional ties around shared climate concerns.
🇮🇱 Israel’s UBQ Materials has raised $170M, for developing plastic-like material made from 100% unsorted household waste.
🥩 The cultured meat revolution is coming out of Israel: Aleph Farm has raised $105M, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the meat industry.
🏥 Investments in Israeli digital health companies cross the $1B mark for the first time, as Startup Nation Central revealed in a report.
🇮🇱 Israel’s financial services regulator required companies to factor in ESG. We are catching up with the global investment trend on environmental, social, and governance risks.
🌎 Report reveals internet searches for sustainable goods increased dramatically, as consumers are concerned with the impact of their choices on the global climate crisis.
🌲 A global pledge to halt deforestation: 2021 was a game-changing year for trees as 100 global leaders vowed to end deforestation by 2030.
🏦 450 banks & funds have joined Alliance for Net-Zero. During COP26 in Glasgow, the managers of 40% of the world’s total investable assets have signed up to 2050 net-zero goals.
🇮🇱 Israeli ag-tech startup Prospera acquired by Valmont for $300 million, marking a successful acquisition in Israel’s growing Climate-tech market.
