What is CO2e (CO2 equivalent)?
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In this article, we'll explore what CO2e is, how it’s calculated, and why it plays a key role in emissions reporting and sustainability efforts.
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5 Start-Ups Revolutionizing Our Daily Impact
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These days, it seems like almost everyone is interested in pioneering a start-up – from helping to make online shopping easier, new innovative ride-share apps, or finding new ways to aid the current climate crisis at hand.
Many start-ups, such as ourselves at Greenly, are tirelessly working hard to provide the average person or even entire industries with better tools to help support their climate change efforts.
In this article, we’ll review how start-ups work and can make a difference, our favorite start-ups working to reduce our current impact, and how your company can get started, too!
What is a start-up?
A start-up refers to a company in its earliest stages, often with under 50 employees in the beginning and requiring initial funding to get their feet off of the ground – usually offering a niche product or service that they believe is missing from the market.
💡Although start-ups have been exceptionally challenging to maintain in recent years, they remain a popular way of business – especially in the age of digital media and newfound motivation for everyone to become an entrepreneur.
“ The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer. – Nolan Bushnell, Entrepreneur. ”
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Key Features of a Start-Up
- Driven by Innovation – Start-ups, just like us at Greenly, are often developed as a result of a desire to create something that can prove useful to millions – and yet, somehow doesn’t already exist or has yet to become the new norm. Therefore, start-ups are always driven by innovation and often work tirelessly to build presence in their respective market.
- High Risk & High Reward – While start-ups often have the potential for rapid business expansion, a lot of resources must be put on the line for that potential exponential growth to occur.
- Investments for Funding – Start-ups usually follow a round of fundraisers to help keeping their businesses growing, such as with Series, A, Series B, Series C, and even Series D funding after the initial seed funding is secured. This requires start-ups to engage with their stakeholders in a way that established companies won’t have to.
👉 In short a start-up is more than just a small business, but an effort to develop and share potential solutions to serious problems – such as with our mission to provide the best carbon accounting platform for companies to work towards compliance in the midst of climate change.
How can start-ups really make a difference?
Since start-up companies do not have the same large following as big name companies, many may wonder how it is that start-ups can really make a difference – but start-ups have several advantages over massive corporations, such as the ability to inspire younger audiences and receive timely constructive criticism for their product or service.
💡Start-ups are highly adaptable to the needs and wants of their customers and stakeholders alike, which can allow for quicker changes – as opposed to larger organisations that may take more time to shift their business operations.
Here are some ways that start-ups can help to inspire others and prove effective:
- Audience Reach & Resourcefulness – Start-ups often attract younger generations such as Millennials and Gen Z, which often can lead to a wide array of creative and resourceful thinking to help even the smallest of startups achieve the biggest of goals.
- Inspire Other Companies – Start-ups usually aim to provide a product or service that has yet to go mainstream, and when they do find greater success – it can motivate other companies to develop new products that could prove useful in challenging times, such as climate change, too.
- Social Impact and Purpose-Driven Models – Startups that focus on sustainability, social justice, or community impact show that it's possible to work towards both profit and purpose – which can ultimately inspire other businesses to adopt more ethical practices and redesign their own business models.
- Valuing Transparency – Startups pride themselves on being authentic and sharing every step of their journey towards success – even if there are major setbacks along the way. This kind of transparency and accountability can help to inspire other businesses to do the same, which is crucial in the midst of a global fight like climate change – where transparency is one of the most imperative elements in cultivating greater sustainability.
- Collaboration & Networking – Startups succeed when they work to cultivate strong communities, partnerships, and a viable network – for both the start-ups own benefit and to help provide their clients with ample resources like we do at Greenly. Ultimately, these collaborative efforts can help demonstrate how teamwork can help us to achieve more, together – especially in situations as complex as climate change.
The table below will highlight additional ways that start-ups can prove beneficial and inspirational:
| Key Attribute | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Agility | Start-ups can pivot quickly to address challenges or refine their strategies, allowing them to adapt to fast-changing environmental conditions or regulations. |
| Collaboration | They often build partnerships with larger companies, governments, and NGOs, leveraging collective strengths to scale solutions effectively. |
| Cost-Effectiveness | Start-ups frequently operate on lean budgets, driving innovation in low-cost solutions that are accessible to broader markets. |
| Scalability | Successful start-ups develop solutions that can grow rapidly, addressing problems on both local and global scales as they expand. |
| Focus on Data-Driven Decisions | Start-ups prioritise collecting and analyzing data to make informed choices, ensuring their solutions are evidence-based and effective. |
👉 Overall, start-ups posses unique qualities large sized businesses don’t always have – as their ultimate goal of addressing a specific market need or problem in an innovative way illustrates how small ideas can elicit a large ripple effect: both in terms of progress and inspiration for others.
5 Start-Ups Changing How We Impact the Planet
In 2025, with digital nomad and start-up culture being all the rage – there are several start-ups out there working to make a difference in how we interact in our day to day lives and the potential consequences it may have on the planet.
However, we’ve narrowed it down to our top 5 game-changing start-ups that are helping to shape our daily impact on the planet:
Greenly
At Greenly, we’ve made big leaps in the past year – especially with our Series B fundraising that has helped us to continue expanding our company and working towards our greater goal of making carbon accounting the new norm and accessible to everyone.
We’re working from every angle to demonstrate how our platform can prove useful to any and all business, as we remain passionate about carbon accounting and how if every business committed to measuring and reducing their emissions – we could conquer the fight against climate change, together.
💡As of 2025, Greenly has acquired more than 2,500 businesses worldwide that have found our services indispensable in their efforts to become more sustainable – with Greenly working to manage 100 million tons of CO2e.
Biome Makers
Founded back in 2015, Biome Makers is based in Davis, California and is committed to improving soil health through advanced analytics. This can help farmers, especially those already adhering to the principles of climate smart farming, to better understand how soil fertility and biodiversity can impact their harvest season.
As a whole, Biome Markers can help to employ more sustainable agricultural practices – something that will only become more relevant as wildfires and prolonged droughts continue to compromise our food sources, and eating remains a pivotal part of our everyday lives.
Aurora Solar
Developed back in 2013, Aurora Solar is a start-up based in San Francisco, California and works to offer their customers with software solutions for designing and selling solar panel systems remotely. Ultimately, their platform streamlines the process of employing the use of solar energy, which can help to make it easier for businesses to hop on the renewable energy train and reduce their dependency on fossil fuels.
💡As Biden was previously planning to invest $2 trillion USD to rebuild infrastructure and develop a clean economy, and energy remains an essential part of our everyday lives – Aurora Solar has and is bound to continue making big waves in their respective industry.
Nth Cycle
Founded in 2017, Nth Cycle, based in Beverly, Massachusetts – has developed a technology called "The Oyster" to extract and refine critical minerals such as nickel and cobalt from contributing to e-waste.
Since excess consumerism often includes people purchasing new electronics before their old ones become obsolete, Nth Cycle is offering a vital service that can help us to reduce the GHG emissions currently created on behalf of traditional mining methods.
Overstory
Last but not least, Overstory, a start-up founded in 2018 in Amsterdam, Netherlands – utilises satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to improve vegetation management, which can ultimately help to prevent power outages and wildfires.
Overstory’s main mission is to promote environmental conservation and enhance infrastructure resilience – both of which can help to reduce our daily impact on the environment.
👉 Especially in light of the most recent wildfires in Los Angeles in 2025, it has never been more important than now to help prevent power outages – as technology and the internet have become a compulsory part of our everyday lives.
How can we all start living more sustainably in our day-to-day lives?
The truth is, you don’t need to be a part of a start-up or even a big-name corporation to make a difference when it comes to climate change – as approachable actions such as recycling, minimalism, and opting for sustainable packaging can all reduce your individual carbon footprint.
💡 In a similar sense to start-ups, who are working towards a goal and building a business in a financially sustainable manner, we should all aim to tackle climate change one step at a time – as those small actions can add up and make a more tangible difference than we might think.
“ The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it. – (Robert Swan). ”
Although businesses make a big difference in our worldwide GHG emissions, there are little things that we can all do to live more sustainably in our everyday lives – both for our own businesses and in our lives outside of work.
Here are just few ways to get started with green living in the office or at home:
- Choose Public Transportation – In countries like the United States, transportation has accounted for almost a third of all greenhouse gas emissions – as personal vehicle usage and fossil fuel use remains high. Therefore, if you live in a metropolitan area – try to opt for the bus, subway, or other public transportation available to you whenever you can.
- Avoid Online Orders & Contributing to Freight Emissions – International shipments help us to support our global economy, but in turn, freight emissions are exploding – as they are 60% higher than they were in 1990, most likely due to our rise in consumerism culture and online shopping. Ultimately, trying to support local businesses and shop sustainably, such as at your local farmer’s market, can help to reduce the colossal impact of freight emissions.
- Adopt Minimalism Principles – Priding itself on quantity over quality and seeking to maximise your current space with the help of natural elements and lighting, the principles of minimalism focus on sustainability while also helping to improve your quality of life.
- Reusable Shopping Bags& Water Bottles – Plastic waste is one of the largest contributors to GHG emissions, meaning that small and simple actions like taking a reusable shopping back to the grocery store or using a reusable water bottle when traveling can help to reduce your individual environmental impact.
- Opt for Sustainable Packaging – Whenever you do shop, whether it be online or in person, try to choose a company that values sustainable packaging – such as by using biodegradable or more eco-friendly materials like bamboo to help reduce the GHG emissions created by plastic waste.
Overall, there are several start-ups that are revolutionising the impact we have on the planet everyday – illustrating how even small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) can change their impact and inspire us all to take action in our daily lives.
What About Greenly?
If reading this article on start-ups that are working to change their current impact on the planet has inspired you to consider your company’s own carbon footprint, Greenly can help.
At Greenly we can help you to assess your company’s carbon footprint, and then give you the tools you need to cut down on emissions. We offer a free demo for you to better understand our platform and all that it has to offer – including assistance on how to reduce emissions, optimise energy efficiency, and more to help you get started on your climate journey.
Learn more about Greenly’s carbon management platform here.
Sources
Agood https://www.agood.com/pages/eco-friendly-quotes?srsltid=AfmBOooKIg8pju7FGZ4dEkdYPF6sHTqyh3wjs_VnBc2fA7-ZxkWMJWS6
EPA https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/fast-facts-transportation-greenhouse-gas-emissions
WRI https://www.wri.org/technical-perspectives/decarbonizing-freight-how-us-policies-and-investments-are-reducing-emissions
Techcrunch https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/26/2025-will-likely-be-another-brutal-year-of-failed-startups-data-suggests/
Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/allbusiness/2014/02/10/50-inspirational-quotes-for-startups-and-entrepreneurs/
Sustainable Tech Partner https://sustainabletechpartner.com/news/carbon-accounting-software-startup-greenly-launches-partner-enablement-software-services/
Startup Savant https://startupsavant.com/startups-to-watch/environmental
NY Times https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/business/economy/biden-infrastructure-plan.html
Time https://time.com/7172590/megan-oconnor/
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