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Where Deep Tech Is Winning in Climate Crowdfunding
Deep tech startups represent a minority—but attract the majority of capital attention.
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CHART OF THE WEEK
By Léa Bouehlier-Gautreau | Read
Deep tech startups are a minority in climate crowdfunding—but they dominate capital raised. This week’s chart shows that while most climate deals focus on incremental improvements, deep tech companies—those built on breakthrough scientific and engineering innovation—raise significantly more on average and command higher valuations. Energy leads the category, reflecting both the scale of the problem and the size of the opportunity for investors willing to take on longer-term, higher-risk bets.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Startups, Capital & the Future of Venture
Monday, May 11 · 4:00 PM ET · Free to attend
What separates the companies that endure from the ones that don't — and how should investors be thinking about backing them?
On May 11th, Kingscrowd CEO Chris Lustrino moderates a conversation between Eric Ries (author of The Lean Startup and the forthcoming Incorruptible) and Mike Collins, CEO of Alumni Ventures, on the state of entrepreneurship and where the most compelling venture opportunities are emerging right now.
Join us for this candid, unfiltered exchange on what it takes to build lasting companies — and what smart investors should be watching right now, from AI to the evolution of the venture model itself.
KINGSCROWD PODCAST
This week on the Kingscrowd Podcast, Brian and Scott break down how the space has expanded into a wide range of assets — from SMBs and startups to collectibles, creator income, and even wine.
The catch?
More access = more complexity
More options ≠ better outcomes
Retail behavior still lags behind the opportunity
The biggest challenge isn’t deal flow — it’s how investors participate.
PITCH REVIEW 💸
By Teddy Lyons \ Deal Report
Surge Networks – Kingscrowd’s 2026 Investment Crowdfunding Week Audience Winner
Brief: Surge Networks is an intelligent infrastructure company building edge-based technology to power real-time data processing for smart cities and autonomous systems. Its platform combines advanced sensing, edge computing, and industrial wireless networks to create a low-latency “digital nervous system” for urban environments, enabling faster, safer decision-making without reliance on centralized cloud systems.
Teddy’s Deep Take:
Kingscrowd’s 2026 Investment Crowdfunding Week wrapped up last week with an incredible turnout of investors, founders, and industry pros. Twenty companies pitched across five sessions, and the crowd vote crowned one clear winner: Surge Networks.
Surge is building the real-time privacy-first data infrastructure the AI economy desperately needs. As models from OpenAI, Google, and others have already consumed most of the public internet data, the next frontier is high-quality real-world physical data from our cities. Surge turns everyday urban assets like light poles and rooftops into smart nodes using LIDAR sensors and NVIDIA Jetson edge computers. These nodes generate continuous anonymous street-level data on movement patterns, object classification, environmental conditions, and more. This is exactly the kind of rich real-time datasets AI systems need for autonomous vehicles, advanced machine perception, predictive modeling, and bridging the digital and physical worlds.
The traction is already impressive. Their first deployment is live in the New Orleans French Quarter, validating the full technical, operational, and regulatory playbook. Building on that foundation, Surge has secured additional site access in the area and is working toward broader network expansion. Beyond New Orleans, the company has initiated activity in additional markets, including Atlanta, Raleigh, and Kansas City, each at varying stages of development, such as early deployment, contracting, and permitting. While still in the early innings, this multi-city approach suggests a deliberate effort to replicate its model across diverse urban environments. The 2026 target is 50 locations across these markets, which independent analysis from Gulp Data values at $750,000 to $1.75 million in annual recurring revenue for New Orleans alone. This is a conservative estimate on structured data, with raw video and unstructured data representing significant additional upside.
The unit economics are compelling. Surge’s model is designed to resemble other scaled infrastructure platforms, where a single physical deployment can support multiple customers over time. The company intends to monetize its network through a combination of infrastructure access and data products, creating the potential for layered revenue streams from each installed location. They have established an early distribution relationship with Gulp Data while also pursuing direct, hyper-local sales efforts in New Orleans by engaging with preservation authorities and commercial stakeholders such as retailers, real estate owners, and operators.
What really stood out in the pitch room was how far along Surge already is compared with most deep-tech infrastructure plays. They are not just promising a future network. They are live, generating real data today, with a clear line of sight to meaningful revenue and a 3,000-plus location national pipeline already identified. As a Public Benefit Corporation, they are also structured to prioritize privacy by design and measurable public impact, which resonated strongly with the crowd.
If you missed the Championship Pitch Session, Surge is exactly the kind of company that makes investment crowdfunding exciting: real infrastructure, real traction, and real alignment with the biggest technological shift of our time.
STAFF PICKS 🌶️
By Léa Bouhelier-Gautreau
One more time, Future Cardia’s StartEngine raise is a success: the company has already raised $3.5 million. Investors know the company is at a turning point. Future Cardia has submitted its FDA 510(k) and is only a couple of weeks away from its first round of questions. This is an exciting time for the thousands of Future Cardia investors, but not a surprise for those who have been believing in Jaeson Bang’s founder skills.
By Léa Bouhelier-Gautreau
The largest 2025 Reg CF issuer is back. RISE Robotics’ team has closed the company’s first commercial sale and secured a $3 million contract extension from the Air Force. The current early bird terms give investors a solid deal for a deep tech company that’s about to start commercializing.
By Léa Bouhelier-Gautreau
Diabetics lose limbs too often. Adlore’s device has a 70% healing rate, roughly 3x the industry standard. It’s an at-home system combining heat, electrical stimulation, and monitoring to treat chronic wounds like diabetic ulcers. Early results are compelling enough to take a closer look.
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