Best Sustainability Tech Companies in Tennessee, United States
The 60 best Sustainability Tech companies in Tennessee, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Nth Cycle.
Our analysis of 84 Sustainability Tech companies
$19.4b in tracked funding; 85% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.
Ranked: Best Sustainability Tech companies in Tennessee
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Employees | Founder | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nth Cycle Provider of electronics and li-ion battery recycling technology 50Funding top 24%Talent top 28%Growth top 35%Moat top 39% All 9 signals ▾Fundingtop 24% Talenttop 28% Growthtop 35% Moattop 39% Partnerstop 40% Newsbottom 45% Marketbottom 40% Globalbottom 38% Techbottom 35% Funding: Raised $59.7M across 9 rounds · 9 rounds over 7 yrs (1.3/yr) Talent: 3 named leaders on record · 3 C-suite/founder profiles curated rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 50/100 | $60M | 2 mo ago | Series B | 37 | Megan O'Connor Co-Founder & CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+19 | — | 1 partnership |
| 2 | FirstFuel Energy use intelligence | $44M | 107 mo ago | Acquired | 94 | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | Lafollette Housing Operator of housing programs providing affordable options to qualified families | $22M | 7 mo ago | Funding Raised | 70 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+13 | — | — |
| 4 | Trillium Renewable Chemicals Manufacturer of green acrylonitrile and acetonitrile from biorenewable feedstocks 19Funding top 29%Moat top 48%Talent bottom 49%Global bottom 38% All 6 signals ▾Fundingtop 29% Moattop 48% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 38% Newsbottom 33% Marketbottom 23% Funding: Raised $21.9M across 5 rounds · 5 rounds over 5 yrs (1.0/yr) Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 5/10 · 9 curated direct competitors tracked rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 19/100 | $22M | 2 mo ago | Series B | 3 | Corey Tyree Founder & CEO | — | — | — |
| 5 | Evermind Plugs for monitoring the elderly | $11M | 128 mo ago | Deadpooled | 5 | — | — | 5 patents Digital mental‑health treatment devices and passive physiological monitoring systems | — |
| 6 | Enexor Developer of onsite renewable bioenergy systems from organic waste | $10M | 23 mo ago | Series A | 33 | Lee Jestings Founder & CEO | WordPressApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+19 | — | — |
| 7 | Stone Mountain Technologies Provider of heat pumps | $10M | 21 mo ago | Series B | 19 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+25 | 36 patents Advanced sorption and hybrid heat pump control, hydronic air handling, and electronic expansion valve technology | — |
| 8 | Heartland Provider of sustainable waste-to-resource solutions | $7M | 9 mo ago | Series A | — | Mauricio Vargas CEO & President | WordPressMySQLPHP+29 | 46 patents Design and manufacturing of aseptic beverage containers and dispensing bottle systems | — |
| 9 | Silver Tree Residential Provider of affordable housing development services | $7M | 164 mo ago | Funding Raised | 421 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+16 | — | — |
| 10 | PATH EX Developing blood-cleansing device to remove pathogens from circulating blood | $6M | 14 mo ago | Series A | 2 | Sinead Miller Co-Founder & CEO | — | 45 patents Nanoparticle-based delivery systems for malaria vaccines and therapeutic agents | — |
| 11 | IDBiologics Developer of antibodies to treat infectious diseases | $4M | 64 mo ago | Series A | 1 | James Crowe Co-Founder | — | — | — |
| 12 | SkyNano Provider of carbon capture solution | $4M | 11 mo ago | Funding Raised | — | Cary Pint Co-Founder | — | 9 patents Advanced carbon material separation, carbon black production, and CO2-derived composite manufacturing. | — |
| 13 | EkWateur Supplier of renewable electricity and natural gas | $4M | 75 mo ago | Series A | 127 | — | PrismicApple iCloud MailNode.js+26 | — | — |
| 14 | Urbanhousingsolutions Nashville's leader providing affordable housing and supportive services | $3M | 13 mo ago | Funding Raised | 40 | Rusty Lawrence Founder | WordPressMySQLPHP+21 | — | — |
| 15 | Immuno Technologies Preclinical research for vaccines and diagnostic assays against infectious diseases | $3M | 166 mo ago | Funding Raised | — | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | Shift Thermal Provider of ice thermal energy storage solutions for HVAC systems | $3M | 11 mo ago | Seed | 8 | Levon Atoyan Co-Founder | — | — | — |
| 17 | Carbon Rivers Provider of renewable recycling and advanced composites manufacturing services | $2M | 72 mo ago | Funding Raised | 10 | Jedidiah Long Co-Founder | Wix eCommerceWixSentry+14 | — | — |
| 18 | Health & Bliss Developer of technology-based diagnostic-test for infectious disease | $2M | 153 mo ago | Deadpooled | — | Bliss Lansing Founder | — | — | — |
| 19 | Electro-Active Technologies Technology solutions provider for converting organic waste to fuel | $2M | 81 mo ago | Seed | 10 | Abhijeet P Borole Co-Founder | — | — | — |
| 20 | Glenveigh Medical Medical devices for obstetrics and fetal monitoring | $1M | 169 mo ago | Seed | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 21 | US Biologic Innovative oral vaccine technology company focused on global disease prevention | $1M | 104 mo ago | Funding Raised | 10 | — | — | 32 patents Oral biologic delivery systems and veterinary antimicrobial peptide vaccines for disease control | — |
| 22 | Test Anywhere Technology Provider of infectious disease testing devices | $750K | 117 mo ago | Deadpooled | — | Chase Lansing Co-Founder | — | — | — |
| 23 | Novastus Provider of waste management solutions | $606K | 17 mo ago | Funding Raised | — | Kelly Warbis Co-Founder / CEO | — | — | — |
| 24 | SecureWaters Real-time water monitoring system provider | $600K | 134 mo ago | Deadpooled | 7 | Ray Slatton CEO | — | — | — |
| 25 | Solar Site Design Solar project development platform | $550K | 102 mo ago | Seed | 5 | Jason Loyet Founder | — | — | — |
| 26 | Urova Medical Device to treat Stress incontinence in women | $405K | 150 mo ago | Deadpooled | 1 | Frank Yao Founder | — | — | — |
| 27 | SecondKeys Online solution to file property maintenance requests | $260K | 36 mo ago | Seed | 5 | Marterrious Mcclain Co-Founder & CTO | — | — | — |
| 28 | BioNanovations Handheld bacterial diagnostic using nanoparticles | $140K | 153 mo ago | Seed | 2 | Charleson Bell President and co-Founder | — | — | — |
Top 12 Sustainability Tech companies in Tennessee
#1
Series B · Knoxville, Tennessee · founded 2017 · 37 employees$59.7Mraised▾
Provider of electronics and li-ion battery recycling technology. The platform provides electro-extraction technology installed onsite to recover critical minerals from separated e-waste, low-grade ore, and mine tailings.
- Apr 2026Series B$5.5M
- Apr 2023Series B$44M
- Feb 2022Series A$12.5M
- Aug 2021Grant (prize money)$250K
#2
Series B · Knoxville, Tennessee · founded 2021 · 3 employees$21.9Mraised▾
Manufacturer of green acrylonitrile and acetonitrile from biorenewable feedstocks. It provides alternatives to oil and gas derived propylene. The company focuses on manufacturing drop-in molecules. It aims to provide a green alternative that reduces carbon emissions and improves safety.
- May 2026Series B$13M
- Jun 2024Series A$9.8M
- Aug 2022Series A$10.6M
- Feb 2021Seed$1.5M
#3
Funding Raised · La Follette, Tennessee · founded 1980 · 70 employees$21.9Mraised▾
Operator of housing programs providing affordable options to qualified families. The organization manages public housing units and a Housing Choice Voucher Program. It aims to maintain a safe, quality living environment. The entity is governed by a board of directors.
- Nov 2025Grant (prize money)$704.6K
- Aug 2025Grant (prize money)$1.2M
- Jun 2025Grant (prize money)$693.8K
- May 2025Grant (prize money)$3.6M
#4
Series A · Murfreesboro, Tennessee · founded 2003$7.1Mraised▾
Provider of sustainable waste-to-resource solutions. It offers technologies and services for treating various waste streams, including PFAS, landfill leachate, biosolids, and industrial wastewater. These solutions focus on resource recovery, energy generation, and environmental compliance. The company utilizes advanced technologies such as zero liquid discharge (ZLD) systems and upcycling processes to transform waste into valuable resources. Project delivery includes build, own, operate (BOO) models for large-scale projects.
- Sep 2025Series A$7.1M
#5
Funding Raised · Louisville, Tennessee · founded 2017$4Mraised▾
Provider of carbon capture solution. It is a science-based technology that develops a proprietary process to transform CO2 into advanced carbon materials, offering a potential solution to carbon pollution and providing a new source of sustainable materials for various industries.
- Aug 2025Grant (prize money)$1.8M
- Jul 2023Grant (prize money)$1.9M
- Jun 2020Grant (prize money)$200K
- Feb 2019Grant (prize money)$225K
#6
Series A · Nashville, Tennessee · founded 2016 · 2 employees$6.3Mraised▾
PATH EX is developing a blood-cleansing device to remove pathogens from circulating blood. They are developing an extracorporeal blood-cleansing device designed to remove multi-drug resistant bacteria and bacterial endotoxin from circulating blood. its Pre-clinical studies demonstrated a reduction of 95% bacteria in a single pass.
- May 2025Series A$5M
- Sep 2021Grant (prize money)$25K
- Oct 2020Grant (prize money)$100K
- Jun 2018Grant (prize money)$910K
#7
Funding Raised · Nashville, Tennessee · founded 1991 · 40 employees$3.4Mraised▾
Nashville's leader providing affordable housing and supportive services. They develop and manage affordable housing for homeless, low-income, and workforce populations. They revitalize neighborhoods by constructing new buildings and transforming aging properties. In partnership with government agencies and nonprofits, they offer a continuum of care that includes transportation access, medical and mental health support, substance abuse recovery, and civic services. They provide secure, affordable apartments with access to transportation and supportive services. They encourage independence while fostering a sense of safety and community. They help people find permanent housing and social services. They move parents and young children from transient living to safe, stable homes. They offer easy access to metro employment routes. They provide housing, disease education and access to critical health care. Their recovery housing communities are accountable, sober environments tailored to the needs of low-income clients healing from chemical dependency. They are a non-profit with a social impact.
- Jun 2025Grant (prize money)$796.2K
- Mar 2025Grant (prize money)$1.2M
- Apr 2012Grant (prize money)$119K
- Nov 2011Grant (prize money)—
#8
Seed · Oak Ridge, Tennessee · founded 2017 · 8 employees$2.5Mraised▾
Provider of ice thermal energy storage solutions for HVAC systems. It provides an innovative heat exchanger called IHEX, which is used in ice thermal energy storage applications.
- Jul 2025Seed$1M
- Jun 2020Grant (prize money)$1.3M
- Feb 2019Grant (prize money)$224.9K
#9
Series B · Piney Flats, Tennessee · founded 2010 · 19 employees$9.5Mraised▾
Provider of heat pumps. It provides products such as gas heat pump, air handling unit, indirect storage tank, and more. It provides gas absorption heat pumps for residential and light commercial applications.
- Oct 2024Series B$14.5M
- Jul 2010Grant (prize money)$2.7M
#10
Series A · Franklin, Tennessee · founded 2015 · 33 employees$10.1Mraised▾
Developer of onsite renewable bioenergy systems from organic waste. The systems convert organic and plastic waste into clean energy and thermal energy, offering immediate cost savings on waste disposal and energy needs. This technology is modular, easily transportable, and suitable for various applications, including microgrids. It provides a sustainable solution for waste management and energy generation, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. A unique Energy-as-a-Service partnership model minimizes upfront capital investment for clients.
- Jul 2024Grant (prize money)$199.5K
- Aug 2021Series A$10M
- Apr 2021Seed—
- Feb 2021Seed$100K
#11
Funding Raised · Cookeville, Tennessee · founded 2019$606.5Kraised▾
Provider of waste management solutions. It uses NovaDry technology, a non-thermal drying system that removes moisture from any solid waste feedstock and turns it into a carbon-negative fuel for clean power, cement, or sustainable fuels.
- Jan 2025Conventional Debt$400K
- Jul 2024Grant (prize money)$206.5K
#12
Acquired · Lexington, Tennessee · founded 2011 · 94 employees$43.9Mraised▾
FirstFuel Software offers building-wide energy analytics that help utilities and government agencies deliver energy efficiency across commercial building portfolios. Using only electric interval meter data and a building address, FirstFuel produces a remote set of building-specific performance benchmarks and custom recommendations that utilities and government agencies can provide to building operators – without the use of onsite assessments or device installations. Customers include E.ON, Southern California Edison (SCE), the U.S. Gov. and DOD.
- Jul 2017Series D—
- Apr 2015Series C$23M
- Dec 2014Series B$8.5M
- Feb 2012Series A$10M
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Sustainability Tech coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
How research on Climate Adaptation is moving in the United States
A read on the academic research around Climate Adaptation — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 1,953 United States-affiliated papers.
- Columbia University52
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill43
- Arizona State University42
- Texas A&M University42
- Purdue University West Lafayette35
- Flood myth4→56
- Climate change6→47
- Flooding (psychology)2→23
- Climate resilience1→16
- Flood mitigation2→14
- Flood myth50→178
- Climate change35→155
- Flooding (psychology)18→97
- Resilience (materials science)10→84
- Psychological resilience12→55
- Climate change71→449
- Resilience (materials science)17→139
- Flood myth36→158
- Psychological resilience13→115
- Climate resilience14→92
Where climate adaptation is researched across United States
Location clusters by institution affiliation — each city's volume, stance tone, and a quick read on its hot topic, what's advancing, the opening opportunity, and the main concern.
Who's filing climate adaptation patents in the United States
United States climate adaptation patent filing is cooling — 28 filings from 19 assignees (2016–2025), led by ILC Dover, Garcia Rogerio, Serralta Denset; annual filings 6→1.
- ILC Dover20
- Garcia Rogerio4
- Serralta Denset4
- Zesty AI2
- Yodock GUY1
- Mckee TONY RAY1
- Ballard Tristan1
- Cooper Matthew1
Common questions
Rohit lives in the feed. He covers what's moving right now — the funding rounds, launches and shifts breaking across the trade press — and ties them back to where the sector is heading.