Zerocircle

Almost all food packaging that resembles paper or cardboard, such as coffee cups, takeout boxes, and food wrappers, has a thin plastic coating. This plastic isn't just bad for the planet; it leaches microplastics directly into your food and body. @GoZerocircle (a Rainmatter Climate investment) makes coatings from 100% natural compounds. No plastic, no microplastics. Solutions like this can only go mainstream with public awareness. Most people are unaware that a "paper" cup isn't entirely made of paper. Once you see the problem, you can't unsee it, and you start demanding alternatives.

While the destructive environmental impact of plastic is well known, it poses serious health challenges as well. In the last few weeks alone, there have been a couple of studies that have shown the health impact of microplastics. One study found microplastics in the human placenta. Another study found that micro and nanoplastics in key arteries, leading to an increased risk of heart attack. One of the interesting startups we have partnered with through @Rainmatterin is @GoZerocircle. They have developed and are scaling alternatives to bio-plastic. Here's Neha the founder, talking to @HansiMehrotra explaining what inspired her and how seaweed can potentially help us with our plastic problem.

They say the best founders choose their investors, not the other way around. That's what happened with @GoZerocircle and @Rainmatterin. Neha (Founder) reached out to us in February 2021, and we had backed them for the clarity of thought. It still took them four years to work through the challenges. They iterated. They failed. They got back up. People underestimate how long it takes to build something real. In India, a sustainable business takes over a decade. (There are outliers) One thing I've learned from investing is that the founders who stick with a hard problem long after others would quit are the ones who actually solve it. Zerocircle is proof of that. We are all extremely proud of the Zerocircle team. Check out @Nithin0dha's post.

Women are under-represented in 🇮🇳 #manufacturing. Some #women succeeded in operational, technical & leadership role, thanks to their self-determination. Get inspired by their stories! Manufacturing can be a career choice for women & girls: isid4india.org/videos/Women%2…