RISE Awards: The Sustainable Startups Winning Over Investors and Industry

What does it take to scale a potentially planet-saving business from scratch? The recipe for success may vary but many common ingredients can be found in the stories of sustainability-led startups that are whetting the appetites of investors and clients alike. 

Many such pioneering startups and scaleups will be celebrated at Sustainable Times’ RISE Awards on Thursday 6 November at London’s Grand Connaught Rooms.

To highlight the breadth of innovation recognised by the awards, we’re showcasing three standout examples from different industries, united by sustainable innovation, successful funding journeys, and exceptional teams.

The three spotlighted finalists are: Carnot Engines, which develops ultra-efficient, multi-fuel engines that can decarbonise heavy industry; Planet Smart, which has created the world’s first biodegradable, microplastics-free polymer, paving the way for fully compostable nappies, pads, and hygiene products; and Foreva Farmers, pioneers of carbon-negative drinks production through renewable energy, carbon capture and recyclable aluminium bottles.

For all three RISE Awards finalists, their businesses were founded on the need to challenge conventional systems in a world confronting climate change. Their success, however, has been driven by compelling, investable strategies that deliver superior solutions and competitive returns. 

Inventing the future

Carnot Engines has reimagined the combustion engine, a technology that has seen little innovation in more than 70 years. Inspired by the steam train but powered by modern thermodynamics, advanced materials, and cutting-edge engineering, Carnot’s design is twice as efficient as a traditional diesel engine.

This leap in brake thermal efficiency allows Carnot to halve fuel consumption, dramatically cutting emissions in heavy-polluting industries such as shipping. The potential climate impact is vast. In maritime applications alone, a single Carnot engine can reduce 1,740 tonnes of CO₂ per year. With over 60,000 cargo vessels worldwide, each typically housing four to six engines, the industry-wide reduction could exceed 520 million tonnes of CO₂ annually. 

The commercial opportunity is equally great. The markets Carnot is looking to disrupt are valued at $830 billion for heavy goods vehicles, $360 billion for stationary power, and $210 billion for the marine sector. 

Meanwhile, Planet Smart is rethinking single-use plastics. The company’s PlanetSorb material replaces fossil-based superabsorbent polymers - the ingredient inside nappies and pads that decomposes into microplastics - with a compostable alternative. Achieving 27% more absorbency, the firm’s products are enabling fully biodegradable personal care, which could cut lifecycle emissions by 44% and eliminate over one million tonnes of CO₂e at just 5% market adoption. 

In rural Herefordshire, Foreva Farmers has re-engineered drinks manufacturing from the ground up. The firm’s circular production system runs on renewable gas and electricity generated by an on-site anaerobic digester, capturing 5,000 tonnes of CO₂ a year to carbonate its tonics. By switching from glass to infinitely recyclable aluminium bottles, the firm has reduced emissions and created a replicable model for carbon-negative drinks production.

These innovations possess what Patrick Aisher of Kinled Family Office argues are the drivers of successful business. As he explained at the recent Sustainable Startup Investment Summit, genuine breakthroughs occur when a business moves beyond solid fundamentals. “A breakthrough company, the kind that drives real value change, is one that can demonstrate customer or clinical proof that its product is truly game-changing, whether through economic impact or the outcomes it delivers at an industrial scale.”

Investment that follows impact

For every climate tech breakthrough, dozens more firms struggle to survive each funding gap. Insufficient funding is the number one reason startups go on to fail. What sets RISE Awards finalists apart is how they’ve attracted investors and customers proving that their businesses are commercially sound. 

Carnot Engines has secured £16 million in funding, much of it non-dilutive, allowing the founders to keep control while scaling. Crucially, their backers include major shipping firms such as Japan’s Mitsui OSK Lines, one of the world’s largest maritime cargo operators, a sign that the hard-to-abate industries most in need of change are ready to invest in it. With over 3,600 engines pre-ordered, Carnot is already proving market demand.

At an earlier stage in its development, Planet Smart has raised £750,000 and is currently seeking £3 million to fund its first production run. The company has seven signed letters of intent from hygiene manufacturers across Europe, Africa, and Asia, representing £41 million in potential orders. Its financial model, combining toll manufacturing (where one company processes another’s raw or semi-finished materials into finished goods for a fee) and licensing, gives it flexibility to scale without heavy infrastructure costs.

Foreva Farmers has been able to bootstrap for longer. The company has already secured private investment to expand its renewable energy and canning facilities, increasing production capacity from 20 million to 50 million cans a year. Their vertically integrated crop-to-can approach reduces costs and emissions. With early listings in premium retail and hospitality, repeat trade orders, and plans to launch one of Europe’s largest anaerobic digesters, Foreva Farmers is positioned to meet rising demand from brands and retailers seeking low-impact, UK-made beverages.

Building the right team

The founders of these businesses have surrounded themselves with people who combine deep expertise and entrepreneurial flare. The strength of a founding team is an important factor in the success of any startup, and it is estimated that around 14% fail due to the wrong team.

At Carnot, the founding trio blends extraordinary expertise: Archie Watts-Farmer, a former Rolls-Royce engineer who helped develop engines for the F-35 fighter jet; Francis Lempp, a quantum physicist with experience at CERN; and Nadiur Rahman, an automotive engineer and patent developer. 

Planet Smart’s leadership includes CEO Dr Gerald Marin, a veteran of Starbucks and Anheuser-Busch InBev’s sustainable packaging programmes, and Co-founder Maurice Rüttimann, who brings a background in international policy. Its R&D team is led by polymer chemist Dr Reshu Tyagi, while advisors from BASF, P&G, and venture firm General Inception add industrial depth.

At Foreva Farmers, the story is more personal for the Laytons. The business is led by three generations of the same family, combining farming know-how with modern operations, marketing, and sustainability expertise. 

While the inaugural RISE Awards spotlight these and other trailblazing ventures, they offer a blueprint for others hoping to earn recognition next year. The journeys of Carnot Engines, Planet Smart, and Foreva Farmers show that long-term success lies in combining visionary sustainability goals with solid commercial strategy - the balance that attracts investors, inspires customers, and secures enduring growth.