🌍 Building a Greener Future: What Conifer’s $20M Seed Round Tells Us About Climate Tech, Talent, and Earth Day

This Earth Day, as the world reflects on progress toward a more sustainable future, a powerful signal came out of the climate tech ecosystem: Conifer, a startup developing rare-earth-free electric hub motors, announced a $20 million seed round last week, led by True Ventures, MaC Ventures, MFV Partners, and others. As part of the raise, True’s Rohit Sharma joined the board, underscoring the strength of both the company’s vision and the team behind it.

This isn’t just another seed round announcement—it’s a moment that highlights how deep tech innovation and climate-positive impact are increasingly inseparable. And it’s a great example of how the right idea, backed by the right partners, can accelerate meaningful change.

Why Rare Earth-Free Matters

Electric vehicles are often seen as a cornerstone of the low-carbon transition—but many still depend on rare earth elements that carry significant environmental, geopolitical, and ethical challenges. Extracting and processing these materials is resource-intensive and damaging to ecosystems. They’re also tightly controlled by a few dominant suppliers, introducing critical supply chain risks.

Conifer’s technology sidesteps these issues altogether. By engineering high-efficiency electric hub motors that eliminate rare earths, they’re not just simplifying manufacturing—they’re helping decarbonization scale in a more resilient, responsible way.

That kind of innovation deserves the spotlight. It’s what makes their raise especially meaningful in the context of Earth Day: a reminder that planet-forward progress is often driven by elegant engineering behind the scenes.

What It Really Takes to Scale

Raising capital is a critical milestone—but it’s just the beginning. What turns funding into traction is a system that supports execution: clear roles, aligned teams, adaptable processes, and a strong culture that can scale alongside the business.

At the center of that system is your people strategy—how you build, how you lead, how you evolve. It's the scaffolding that supports everything else as complexity increases.

And in climate tech, where challenges are deeply technical and the stakes are global, that scaffolding matters more than ever.

What Conifer Could Amplify in Their Messaging

Conifer is clearly doing the hard part: building deeply technical, environmentally meaningful innovation. Their website focuses on performance, manufacturability, and supply chain resilience—critical points for industrial buyers and OEMs.

But there’s a huge opportunity to take it a step further: to amplify the environmental impact their product is already making.

Adding a stronger climate message—however subtle—could deepen alignment with the growing ecosystem of mission-driven talent, values-led investors, and stakeholders who want to contribute to real change. It doesn't have to be front and center, but it can be clear enough to create connection.

They’re already doing the work. Telling the story more boldly could open even more doors.

Why Mission Messaging Matters—Even Beyond Hiring

Even if you’re not scaling your team aggressively right now, how you communicate your mission matters.

Founders who embed purpose into their internal and external messaging see benefits far beyond employer brand:

• Stronger culture and alignment

• Clearer decision-making frameworks

• More resilient teams

• Better fit with long-term partners

Whether it’s a few lines on a website, a founder quote in a press release, or the tone of your next job description—mission clarity adds up. It becomes a signal that you know who you are, why you’re here, and how you plan to lead.

Earth Day Is About Possibility—and Progress

Earth Day is a celebration of the work already happening—and a challenge to keep going. Companies like Conifer are the proof that climate innovation isn’t a niche—it’s the future of engineering, investment, and operations.

Their $20M raise is more than a milestone—it’s momentum. And it’s a reminder that climate-positive products can and should scale without compromise.

But to scale with integrity, we need more than just the right technology. We need the right structures, strategies, and people to carry the mission forward.

How Rhizome Helps Climate Tech Companies Grow with Intention

At Rhizome, we work with early-stage and growth-stage companies building toward a better future. Our work goes beyond hiring—we support the people infrastructure that allows purposeful companies to scale with clarity and cohesion, including:

• Employer branding that reflects your values and vision

• Internal messaging systems that support aligned decision-making

• Values frameworks that scale with your team

• Strategic leadership support during inflection points and transitions

We know how hard it is to build something that matters. And we believe your people strategy should rise to meet the moment.

If you’re building in climate or impact, and want to scale without losing your soul—we’d love to talk.