The PALO Accelerator’s third batch officially kicked off last Thursday, welcoming six new early-stage startups working across Gen AI, Energy, and Circular Economy.
Two years ago, we launched the first PALO program in Finland, and since then, 15 companies have participated, with eight of them raising follow-on funding and two more currently in the process. This year’s program, running from September to November, continues the momentum, providing each startup an investment starting at €75K from Innovestor’s sustainable pre-seed fund, along with access to mentorship, a valuable network, and practical guidance to help them grow.
Our experienced group of PALO advisors for this year includes Nora Haatainen, Niko Myller, Sam Laakkonen, Ilkka Kaikuvuo, Piia Maaranen, Mikko Rautiainen, Wilhelm Lindholm, Tommi Äijälä, Heli Mehtätalo-Takala, Petri Laine, and Lauri Karjalainen. They’ll be sharing their expertise to guide the startups throughout the program.
The kickoff day set the tone with a focus on product-market fit, customer approaches, and introductions, while also including a session on ESG.
Here’s a look at the startups participating in this year’s PALO:
Circular Economy:
Ninyes is a resale service for sustainable fashion brands, operating an online store for curated, pre-worn, responsibly produced fashion. Founded in 2021, their mission is to make fashion more circular and reduce CO2 emissions, while enhancing the position of second-hand clothing. By partnering with responsible brands, Ninyes offers an easy, profitable, and sustainable resale model for giving pre-loved clothes a second life.
Tavara Rahaksi simplifies recycling and selling unwanted household items by handling the entire process, from photography to pricing, marketing, and selling. Clients receive up to 70% of the sales price, while unsold items are properly recycled. Their mission is to give a new life to quality items and make sustainable living easier.
Gen AI:
The Planet Company is building a community of organizations committed to impactful acts that benefit the planet and people. They offer a science-based platform for companies to learn, manage, share, and amplify concrete sustainability actions. Their belief is that change is possible through cooperation, sharing, and encouraging responsible behavior.
MailMoo helps businesses boost their cold outreach conversion rates with AI-personalized videos. By recording just one video, MailMoo can tailor it to thousands of leads, helping companies engage more effectively with customers and drive revenue growth.
Exhive offers a generative AI platform that streamlines and enhances R&D projects, catering to both large enterprises and smaller businesses. By empowering product developers with a tool designed for experimentation, Exhive helps users achieve their goals with unparalleled efficiency.
Energy
Truman is building a state-of-the-art marketplace for distributed demand response, creating a new exchange for energy flexibility. With buildings expected to provide 50% of peak demand response capacity, Truman aims to address a key bottleneck in the green transition by unlocking grid flexibility at scale
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We’re looking forward to seeing how these startups develop and grow over the coming months—and excited to witness their impact in the sustainable tech space. Stay tuned for more updates along the way!