ImpactAlpha, June 26 – Toxic levels of air pollution are a problem the world over. More than 40% of Americans are regularly exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution; China has declared a “war on pollution”; and Delhi’s air quality is “off the charts” (and not in a good way).
San Francisco-based Aclima has developed a software platform and network of sensors that measure and map air quality. Its findings have provided new insight into how air pollution concentrates and quality changes even over small geographic areas. “You can have the best air quality and the worst air quality on the same street,” Aclima’s co-founder Davida Herzl says. That data can inform policy and emissions management locally. For instance, Aclima’s data from L.A. has been used to boost air filtration systems in schools.
- Global backers… Aclima’s $24 million Series A funding round was led by Social Capital, with a participation from other California-based investors including: the Schmidt Family Foundation, Emerson Collective, Radicle Impact, and Kapor Capital. New York-based Plum Alley and Washington, D.C.-based Rethink Impact also participated, as did First Philippine Holdings from the Philippines.
- …for global application… The company has put its system to use analyzing air quality in Google’s offices and on the streets in California’s Bay Area, Central Valley and Los Angeles. The company will use the funding to expand in the U.S., with an eye toward international expansion.
