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Kubik, an Ethiopian plastics upcycling startup, is receiving new funding and plans to license its technology

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Cubic, a plastics upcycling startup, has raised $1.9 million to extend its seed contract a couple of months after announcing its initial capital investment. The startup’s latest investment comes from African Renaissance Partners, an East African enterprise capital firm; Endgame Capital, an investor favoring climate change technologies; and King Philanthropies, a climate and extreme poverty investor.

The fresh capital comes because the startup scales its operations in Ethiopia after organising a factory in Addis Ababa, where it converts plastic waste into related constructing materials similar to bricks, columns, beams and jambs. Co-founder and CEO of Kubika Kidusa Asfawtold TechCrunch that the startup goals to double its operations in Addis Ababa because it lays the inspiration for pan-African growth from 2025.

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Kubik’s approach is to convert plastic waste into “low-carbon, sustainable and affordable” constructing materials using proprietary technology that Asfaw says it should forfeit license to speed up pan-African development and eventual global growth.

“We want to solve the problems of cities, so we are thinking about making our business model truly circular. The way we have developed our business strategy is that we are currently in a focused phase of proving this model here in Ethiopia. We will expand it to several more markets to prove the variety of contexts in which this business model can operate. But over time, what we really want to do is evolve into a company that licenses this technology,” said Asfaw, who co-founded Kubik with Penda Marre in 2021

“This is how we feel like we are able to really scale. “It’s not about having factories around the world, but about the industry adopting a new way of producing materials globally,” he said.

He said their product allows developers to construct partitions without using cement, aggregates or steel, speeding up construction and reducing costs by “at least 40% less per square meter.” Cost is a key barrier in construction, and the supply of inexpensive or lower-cost constructing materials provides a greater option for developers of inexpensive housing projects.

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Asfaw said Kubik’s materials had passed safety tests conducted by the European standards agency Intertek, which checked, amongst other things, strength, toxicity and flammability.

“We don’t want to sell something that is harmful to people. We did not start selling until these reports were available,” he said.

The startup currently processes 5,000 kilograms (with a capability of 45,000) of plastic waste per day. It has signed partnerships with corporations and the Addis Ababa Municipality for normal supplies of plastic waste. In the near future, it is considering product diversification to include paving stones and flooring materials.

It is estimated that on the planet produces 430 million tons of plastic per yr, two thirds intended for short-term use. Clearly, the world is choking on plastic waste, and while the situation is made worse by consumption trends in developed countries, in regions facing rapid urbanization and economic growth, similar to African citiesplastic waste is also getting uncontrolled, requiring urgent motion. In the approaching days, startups like Kubik will play a number one role in providing sustainable solutions to the threat.

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This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com

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As Musk manages his growing family: WSJ

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Elon Musk says his duty is to “make new people.” Now Investigation of WSJ He suggests that he could start greater than 14 known children, and the sources claim that the actual number will be much higher. The report also describes how Musk keeps these details within the package.

In the middle of all this, based on the report, there may be a longtime Fixer Jared Birchall, which runs the Muska’s family office, but additionally supports the logistics of the developing Muska family, including by developing Hush contracts and serving as a board for moms of some children.

For example, Musk reportedly asked the conservative influence of Ashley St. Clair for signing a restrictive agreement after she gave birth to their son last autumn. Agreement: $ 15 million plus an extra $ 100,000 per 30 days, so long as the kid is 21 in exchange for her silence. She refused; He says that the contract worsens with every treason perceived. (She told the journal that the Muska team sent her only $ 20,000 after they bowed to Musk to comment on his article).

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As for Birchall, which can also be CEO Press-IMPLANTU-IMPLANTU VENTURE NEURALK IA partner In AI Venture XAI in Musk, Muska’s private life management can simply be the third full -time job. According to the journal, in a single two -hour conversation with St. Clair, Birchall told her that the transition “legal path” with musk “always, always leads to a worse result for this woman than otherwise.”

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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Lime scooter and Ebike batteries will be recycled by Redwood Materials

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The joint company Micromobility Lime has reached an agreement on sending batteries utilized in scooters and electronic bikes to Sewoi materials that extract and recycle critical minerals, comparable to lithium, cobalt, nickel and copper.

The agreement announced on Monday makes Redwood Materials the only real battery recycling partner for common scooters and e-bike bikes situated in cities within the United States, Germany and the Netherlands. The contract doesn’t cover every region where lime worksAn inventory covering cities throughout Europe, Asia and Australia.

In Lime up to now he had other recycling partnerships, especially with Sprout through his suppliers. However, for the primary time, the joint company Micromobility had direct relations with battery recycling in North America, which might directly process the fabric for recovery and returns it to the availability chain.

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Redwood Materials, The Carson City, Startup from Nevada founded by the previous CFO Tesla JB Straubel, will get better battery materials when they can’t be used. After recovering and recycling, the materials will be re -introduced within the battery production process. This production system of a closed loop-which can reduce the demand for extraction and refining of minerals-is on the Redwood Materials business center.

The effort can also be consistent with its own goals of limestone sustainable development. Lime is geared toward decarbonization of operations by 2030. The company has made progress in reducing the range 1, 2 and 3 of emissions by 59.5% in five years of basic years 2019. Wapno plans to report the outcomes of carbon dioxide emissions 2024 in May.

“This cooperation means significant progress in the establishment of a more round supply chain, helping our batteries not only to recycled responsibly after reaching the end of their lives, but that their materials are returned to the battery supply chain,” said Andrew Savage, vice chairman for balanced development in Lime.

Lime also has partnerships from Gomi in Great Britain and Voltr in France and other European countries to gather these live battery cells for “Second Life” applications, including, amongst others, in the sphere of consumer electronics, comparable to portable speakers and battery packages.

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Redwood Materials has contracts with other micromobility corporations, including Lyft, RAD Power Bikes and bicycle batteries and scooters specialized in recycling. Redwood, which collected over $ 2 billion in private funds, announced at first of this month, opened the research and development center in San Francisco.

(Tagstranslat) ebikes

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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The Legal Defense Fund withdraws from the META civil law advisory group over Dei Rolback

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Legal Defense Fund,, Meta, dei,


On April 11, the Legal Defense Fund announced that he was leaving the external advisory council for civil rights regarding the fear that the changes in technology company introduced diversity, own capital, inclusion and availability in January.

According to those changes that some perceived as the capitulation of meta against the upcoming Trump administration, contributed to their decision To leave the advisory council of the technology company.

In January, LDF, along with several other organizations of civil rights, which were a part of the board, sent a letter to Marek Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, outlining their fears As for a way changes would negatively affect users.

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“We are shocked and disappointed that the finish has not consulted with this group or its members, considering these significant changes in its content policy. Non -compliance with even its own advisory group of experts on external civil rights shows a cynical disregard for its diverse users base and undermines the commitment of the meta in the field of freedom of speech with which he claims to” return “.

They closed the letter, hoping that the finish would recommend the ideals of freedom of speech: “If the finish really wants to recommend freedom of speech, he must commit to freedom of speech for all his services. As an advisory group from external civil rights, we offer our advice and knowledge in creating a better path.”

These fears increased only in the next months, culminating in one other list, which from the LDF director, Todd A. Cox, who indicated that the organization withdraws its membership from the META civil law advisory council.

“I am deeply disturbed and disappointed with the announcement of Medical on January 7, 2025, with irresponsible changes in content moderation policies on platforms, which are a serious risk for the health and safety of black communities and risk that they destabilize our republic,” Cox wrote.

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He continued: “For almost a decade, the NACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) has invested a lot of time and resources, working with META as part of the informal committee advising the company in matters of civil rights. However, the finish introduced these changes in the policy of the content modification without consulting this group, and many changes directly with the guidelines from the guidelines from LDF and partners. LD can no longer participate in the scope. ” Advisory Committee for Rights “

In a separate but related LDF list, it clearly resembled a finish about the actual obligations of the Citizens’ Rights Act of 1964 and other provisions regarding discrimination in the workplace, versus the false statements of the Trump administration, that diversity, justice and initiative to incorporate discriminates against white Americans.

“While the finish has modified its policy, its obligations arising from federal regulations regarding civil rights remain unchanged. The title of VII of the Act on civic rights of 1964 and other regulations on civil rights prohibit discrimination in the workplace, including disconnecting treatment, principles in the workplace which have unfair disproportionate effects, and the hostile work environment. Also when it comes to inclusion, and access programs.

In the LDF press release, announcing each letters, Cox He called attention Metal insert into growing violence and division in the country’s social climate.

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“LDF worked hard and in good faith with meta leadership and its consulting group for civil rights to ensure that the company’s workforce reflects the values ​​and racial warehouses of the United States and to increase the security priorities of many different communities that use meta platforms,” ​​said Cox. “Now we cannot support a company in good conscience that consciously takes steps in order to introduce changes in politics that supply further division and violence in the United States. We call the meta to reverse the course with these dangerous changes.”

(Tagstranslate) TODD A. COX (T) Legal Defense Fund (T) META (T) Diversity (T) Equality (T) inclusion

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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