CM Venture Capital

With climate change, comes new ways to measure & manage environmental impact. In the materials cycle, this is particularly important, as there are carbon emissions from cradle to end of life. Our portfolio startup Econic Technologies Ltd has recently published an explainer on Life Cycle Assessments (LCA). LCAs can evaluate the environmental impact associated with all stages of a product’s life, from raw material extraction through to manufacturing, use, and disposal. By considering the entire life cycle of a product, an LCA provides a holistic view of its environmental footprint, helping businesses, policymakers, and consumers make more informed decisions. LCAs can support environmental stewardship, informed decision-making, transparency & accountability and cost savings. Econic’s LCA result is that their environmental impact is substantial, compared with standard materials/products – Econic's technology can help reduce the GWP (Global Warming Potential) by up to 40%. It shows that innovative technology, such as upcycling waste carbon into functional materials/products can indeed make a big difference to our world. #greenhousegases #greenhouseffect #carbontovalue #co2tovalue #globalwarmingpotential

As shared by Simon McElrea, CEO of LQDX - a CM Venture Capital portfolio startup in Silicon Valley – a new industry milestone has been achieved. LQDX is ranked as the Top Semiconductor Manufacturing Company 2024 on the Semiconductor Review. LQDX has been included in this year’s Top 10 Semiconductor Manufacturing Awards presented by Semiconductor Review Magazine, alongside Applied Materials, onsemi, Microchip Technology Inc. and Plasmatreat. We congratulate Simon McElrea and his team for their focus on elevating the standards on AI-driven semiconductor packaging, while pioneering new, cost-effective manufacturing methods for the semiconductor industry. LQDX is revolutionizing the semiconductor packaging space with its innovative Liquid Metal Inks. Known as "PVD in a Bottle", the manufacturing tech offers the precision of traditional vapor deposition techniques, while using a simple cost- effective wet chemistry approach. It replaces traditional PVD processes which require cleanrooms and automated production lines, which are more expensive and complex. Here's to more incredible new ways to make the future possible. You can also read about it here: https://lnkd.in/gxNccSv3 #semiconductorpackaging #pvdinabottle #pvdreplacement #semiconductormanufacturing

Part of fighting climate change includes adapting with change. With more unpredictable weather patterns and harsher climates, a Silicon Valley-based CM Venture Capital startup, NovoNutrients, has an answer to ensuring food production security, while using up CO2 at the same time – basically turning renewable carbon into a high-quality protein. 🎯 The technology takes CO2 and feeds it to microbes in a proprietary reactor. These natural microbes – with help of green hydrogen and oxygen – convert CO2 into a high-value protein. Novotein™, the final product, consists of over 80% protein that is nutritionally as good as beef protein. 🎯 As it’s produced in a plant, not a farm, the protein production is unaffected or interrupted by climate issues or inclement weather. It doesn’t need vast amounts of arable land and requires much less water. In a nutshell, it saves resources, land, water and time. 🎯 For a start, Novotein™ by Novonutrients is being used as animal feed in aquaculture farms to replace traditional fish feed. Results have shown that Novotein™ helps lower operational costs by ensuring a better growth rate, deliver a higher feed-conversion-ratio (less food for more fish), elevating survival rates, and even improving the taste of the product itself. Novonutrients is led by CEO David Tze, while its breakthrough technology is fostered by its CTO Joachim (Jo) Ritter. We look forward to new developments in this exciting new space known as alternative protein, which may just eventually find its way to our dinner tables. Click below to read a short article by Novonutrients' CEO, who was in China in April this year as a speaker at our regular Innovation China Conference. #renewablecarbon #CO2toprotein #carbontoprotein #alternativeprotein #renewableCO2 #foodsecurity #climatechange

What can CEO Keith Wiggins tell us about Econic Technologies Ltd’s journey so far? Just last month, Econic, together with its partner Changhua Chemical Technology Co., Ltd., made history by breaking ground on its new 80-kiloton renewable-carbon polyol factory in Jiangsu, China. Econic's tech 'redeems carbon' by upcycling CO2 into high-performance materials and products. The implications for this are far and wide: instead of simply trying to ‘hide CO2 under the carpet’ deep underground in our planet, captured/waste carbon can become a common material element in your next shoe, mattress, car seat, and more. As Econic’s CEO Keith Wiggins made time to come by CM Venture Capital's Shanghai office, we had the opportunity to grab an exclusive interview with him (big thanks to Liz Manning for support/coordinating!). Click on the link below to find out more. #partnership #renewablecarbon #carbontovalue #collaboration #co2tovalue #carbon #polyol #chinesemanufacturing #scalingup #scaleup

Last week, Singapore’s Vertex Holdings met up with us at our CM Venture Capital Shanghai office. Present from Vertex were Investments MD, Mervyn Tan, Partnerships MD Brian T., and Partnerships Director Song Hao Lee. Attending from CM Venture’s side, were CEO Dr Min Zhou, Marketing Director Xavier Wong, IR/Networking Manager Kathy Li and our intern Patrick. ENWISE 倍奇能源's CEO Stéphane Vernède and COO 李卓娅 were also present to talk about the art of converting organic waste into bioenergy. It was a fruitful 4-hour session, with CM sharing takeaways on the progress of technology, material science and sustainability in China, and Vertex sharing their areas of interest, many of which overlap with our expertise in China, US and Europe. #partnerships #collaboration #borderless #globalization

Just how advanced is Chinese tech today? It's a question many outside of China ask. Starting this quarter, we'll be sharing the latest deep tech breakthroughs coming out of China with Global Corporate Venturing. Big thanks to Maija Palmer for working with us on this! Our first article revolves around Zenithnano, a startup that specializes in conductive nanofilms. Now, all mobile phones have glass touchscreens that respond to a user's touch. For it to be conductive, touchscreens rely on a toxic chemical known as ITO (you are probably scrolling on one now). Instead of ITO, Zenithnano's touch-tech relies on a nano-thin layer of silver alloy sandwiched between two substrates. Not only is it more transparent, more responsive, it's also unbreakable and flexible. This startup was identified by Min Zhou and Patrick Berbon (白瑞克) a few years ago, when the ITO replacement challenge was a graveyard for startups trying to break through in this area. Zenithnano's nanofilms have a range of other purposes too: solar panels, water barriers, reflective films, solar films, laser TV screens, color-changing windows, and more. Click on GCV's post to read more. #innovationchina #chinainnovation #chinabreakthrough #breakthroughchina #deeptech

From beauty for all, to beauty for each. Valentin Peuch-Lestrade, Business Development Director, Research & Innovation Asia, L'Oréal, shares how AI will transform the beauty business. The rapid growth of GEN AI will build on L'Oréal's indisputable advantage: a 115-year legacy dedicated solely to beauty. With a rich database start with, there is opportunity to transform its beauty heritage with cutting-edge technologies. From fulfilling the beauty aspirations of consumers from around the world, L'Oréal will evolve to addressing individual needs, expectations and desires with a personalized approach. By combining creativity, science, and technology, L'Oréal aims to deliver unprecedented beauty experiences at scale, revolutionizing the beauty industry and setting new standards for personalized beauty solutions. Click on the article to find out more. This is a summary taken from our 2024 Innovation China Conference “AI+ Materials/Industrials/Energy event in April, where Valentin from L'Oreal was one of our esteemed speakers. #beautytech #techforbeauty #AIforbeauty #innovation #innovationchina

We're pleased to announce that our new energy portfolio startup ENWISE 倍奇能源 has been selected as a finalist for the Energy Transition Track at the Climate Impact Innovations Challenge (CIIC) 2024, organized by Temasek Foundation and East Ventures. ✅ Started in 2023, the Climate Impact Innovations Challenge (CIIC) is Indonesia’s largest climate innovations tech competition, which provides a platform for tech innovators to showcase sustainable concepts in addressing ecological challenges and mitigating the impacts of climate change. The CIIC's Energy Transition Track seeks innovation to drive renewable energy adoption and contribute to the reduction and removal of carbon emissions, to empower energy transition in a low-cost and inclusive manner.  ✅ Enwise's lead team, Dr Stéphane Vernède and 李卓娅, will be heading to Jakarta, Indonesia this September for the finals. CM Venture Capital's CEO Dr Min Zhou will also be attending the event to make new connections and explore new possibilities – as well as cheer them on for the top spot! Find out more about the Climate Impact Innovations Challenge and their latest finalist announcements here: https://lnkd.in/g5cMVCK8 #ClimatelmpactinnovationsChallenge #CIIC #ISF2024 #IndonesiaSustainabilityForum #ClimateTech #ClimateAction #EnergyTransition #SustainableAgriculture #CircularEconomy #newenergy #bioenergy

When smaller is better. CM Venture Capital's portfolio startup LQDX has just signed a multi-year sales and licensing agreement with Kansai Denshi Industries (KDI). ✅ With over 50 years in the industry and a long list of blue-chip brands under its belt, KDI specializes in the design & manufacturing of printed circuit boards for multiple sectors: automotive, communication infrastructure, robotics, semiconductor devices, lighting, medical care, and aerospace. LQDX offers a novel metallization chemistry suite that enables the production of circuits up to 250 times denser than conventional printed circuit boards, replacing expensive, traditional PVD methods in wafer processing. ✅ How small? LQDX's technology enables KDI, which has been producing 30-micron trace/space circuits, to leapfrog, via development, to 5-micron trace/space products today with a path to 2-micron trace/space by 2025. ✅ LQDX is led by Simon McElrea & Scott Meikle, who, together with their talented team, successfully rebranded Averatek as LQDX earlier this year, pivoting the company to focus on the exciting semiconductor packaging industry. And the results show for themselves. #advancedpackaging #interconnectology #HeterogeneousIntegration #AdvancedSubstrates

CM Venture Capital has recently co-led a Series A fundraising with Woodside Energy for NovoNutrients, a biotech trailblazer transforming CO₂ emissions into premium protein, to support their industrial pilot program, team growth, and commercial partnerships. Other participants include SOSV’s IndieBio and Decarbonization Consortium, Happiness Capital | Certified B Corp, The Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust, and Audacy Ventures. ✅ CM Venture Capital's stake in NovoNutrients is the result of CEO Dr Min Zhou's year-long research in this space, knowing & understanding the founders, the technology, and its potential. The sustainable, alternative protein is poised to make substantial contributions to global food security and industrial decarbonization. ✅ It's also a high-quality protein source that's not dependent on land, weather or arable soil: 'Novotein' is a food miracle by NovoNutrients that is led by CEO David Tze and CTO Dr Joachim (Jo) Ritter. By providing key inputs CO2 and hydrogen into a specially-engineered reactor, together with proprietary microbes, an alternative, high-value protein is created. It features high-digestibility and is nutritionally as good as beef protein. ✅ The alternative protein made from CO2 can potentially help reduce overfishing in the oceans and reliance on traditional, large-scale commercial land-farming. ✅ Currently applied in animal feed – aquaculture farms for a start – the future implications for this new, sustainable, earth-friendly protein can only be described as enormous. Click on the link to know more, and bookmark our site cmventure.net to stay abreast of the latest in the deep-tech space. #carbon #decarbonization #CO2tofood #CO2tofeed #foodsustainability #alternativeprotein #CO2protein #CCU #carboncaptureutilization