🎧 Listen on Spotify: Next Big Thing Radar Podcast
Blue Dot Motorworks – Retrofit Hybrids for the Existing Car Fleet
Sector: Climate Tech / Mobility
Platform: Wefunder
Stage: Early
Valuation Cap: $12M–$15M
Minimum Investment: $100
What They Do
Blue Dot Motorworks builds bolt-on electric drive systems that convert existing gas and diesel vehicles into plug-in hybrids in about a day, without replacing the engine.
Why It Might Be the Next Big Thing
EV adoption is slow because replacing the entire fleet takes decades. Blue Dot targets the larger addressable problem: upgrading the vehicles already on the road, with low infrastructure needs and lower conversion cost.
Snapshot
~ $83.8K raised from 50+ investors
Retrofit kit priced around $6,000 with potential fuel payback for fleet users
Addresses a multi-trillion-dollar decarbonization need
Led by an MIT engineer and repeat founder
My Take
A pragmatic climate-tech wedge: fast deployment, clear user economics, and uses existing infrastructure. Regulatory and hardware execution risks remain, but the thesis is solid.
Harmony Turbines – Residential Wind That Reboots the Category
Sector: Clean Energy / Hardware
Platform: Wefunder
Stage: Pre-launch / Development
Valuation: ~$25M–$28M
Minimum Investment: $200
What They Do
Harmony Turbines is developing vertical, low-noise residential wind turbines with a patented furling system that protects the turbine and keeps it generating power in high winds.
Why It Might Be the Next Big Thing
Small-scale wind has rarely worked due to noise, maintenance, and low yield. Harmony aims to overcome these challenges with a design and engineering approach optimized for homes and small businesses.
Snapshot
~$68K raised from ~80 investors in the current round
$3.5M previously raised from over 3,200 investors
44K+ followers and 600+ potential beta sites registered
Alpha unit already operational on the company’s rooftop
My Take
Still early and R&D-heavy, but early community engagement plus a differentiated approach make it a noteworthy newcomer in residential wind.
Nordic microbes – Biological Inputs for Lower-Chemical Farming
Sector: AgTech
Platform: Seedrs (Republic Europe)
Stage: Growth
Valuation: ~£25.8M
Minimum Investment: £54
What They Do
Nordic microbes produces microbial biosolutions that reduce farmers’ dependence on chemical fertilizers while supporting yield stability.
Why It Might Be the Next Big Thing
Regulation across Europe is steadily reducing chemical pesticide and fertilizer use. Microbial inputs are one of the few scalable alternatives that fit existing farm operations.
Snapshot
£4.38M raised from 116 investors
Products deployed across hundreds of farms in Denmark, Sweden, and the UK
Patent-pending formulations
Founded in 2021 and growing quickly within the biologicals market
My Take
The shift toward sustainable inputs is structural, not cyclical. Nordic microbes already operates like a scale-up, not an experiment—sticky adoption is the main metric to watch.
Squad Mobility – Solar City Cars for Compact Urban Life
Sector: Mobility / Automotive
Platform: Seedrs (Republic Europe)
Stage: Early Growth
Valuation: ~€22.5M
Minimum Investment: €22.50
What They Do
Squad Mobility builds compact, solar-assisted city cars designed for congested urban environments and shared mobility fleets.
Why It Might Be the Next Big Thing
Urban mobility is evolving, but the market between scooters and full-size cars is still underserved. Squad’s solar-assisted, shared-first hardware approach targets this gap directly.
Snapshot
€21.3K raised from ~50 investors early in the campaign
5,300+ pre-orders globally
Strong distributor interest (300+ leads)
Participating in an EU Horizon project with major automotive players
My Take
Hardware- and regulation-heavy, but the urban mobility thesis is strong and Squad’s early demand signals are real. Manufacturing execution is the key risk.
Jump Ship Brewing – Alcohol-Free Beer with Real Distribution Power
Sector: Food & Beverage
Platform: Seedrs (Republic Europe)
Stage: Growth
Valuation: ~£3.3M
Minimum Investment: £20
What They Do
Jump Ship is a craft brewery specializing exclusively in alcohol-free beer.
Why It Might Be the Next Big Thing
The no/low alcohol segment is maturing, but specialist brands with real traction are still rare. Jump Ship is positioning itself as a category leader rather than a side brand of a large brewer.
Snapshot
£270K+ raised toward a £300K goal
Listed in 400+ venues
Sales doubled from FY22 to FY24
Award-winning products, including global recognition
My Take
A focused consumer brand with strong momentum. Clear execution, strong retail traction, and a defined category make this one easy to watch.
Emeroth Studios – A Design-Led Gaming Studio with Web3 Infrastructure
Sector: Gaming
Platform: Republic
Stage: Early
Minimum Investment: $150
What They Do
Emeroth Studios is a Bucharest-based game studio focused on design-first development, using web3 primarily as infrastructure rather than a core mechanic.
Why It Might Be the Next Big Thing
Web3 gaming has mostly been token-first. Emeroth is reversing the model by emphasizing gameplay and craft, aligning more with what mainstream gaming investors expect.
Snapshot
~$189K raised from 116 investors
Operates via Republic’s crypto-oriented Capital R segment
Focus on globally scalable titles
Leverages a strong Eastern European talent pool
My Take
Still early and details are limited, but the design-first positioning is refreshing in a category that needs more product discipline.
Verifyfaces – Upgrading Cameras into Real-Time Threat Detection
Sector: Security / AI
Platform: Republic
Stage: Early
Valuation Cap: ~$34.85M
Minimum Investment: $100
What They Do
Verifyfaces offers an edge-based face-matching system that integrates with existing IP cameras to provide proactive alerts for high-risk individuals.
Why It Might Be the Next Big Thing
As edge compute becomes cheaper, real-time analysis will increasingly be pushed to the camera level. Verifyfaces sits directly in that infrastructure transition.
Snapshot
~$5.4K raised from early investors
Works with existing camera hardware
Automated email/SMS alerts and emergency response tools
Crowd SAFE structure with a ~$34.85M valuation cap
My Take
A high-stakes use case with regulatory complexity, but the broader infrastructure shift toward real-time, on-device inference is undeniable.
My Diabetes Health – Insurance-Covered Telehealth for Diabetes Education
Sector: HealthTech
Platform: StartEngine
Stage: Growth
Valuation: ~$18.06M
Minimum Investment: $499
What They Do
My Diabetes Health provides accredited Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) virtually, covered by insurance across the US.
Why It Might Be the Next Big Thing
Diabetes outcomes are heavily driven by self-management, yet education is under-delivered. Insurance-covered, structured digital programs are an emerging and scalable intervention point.
Snapshot
8,600+ patients served
FY2024 revenue ~$1.28M; FY2023 ~$0.67M
Gross margin ~62%
Raising up to ~$1.23M through preferred equity
My Take
One of the few early-stage raises with meaningful operational data. The reimbursement pathway is a competitive moat if executed well.
Radar Wrap-Up
This week’s raises point to several broader patterns:
Decarbonization via upgrading existing assets rather than replacing them
Hardware designed specifically for constrained environments (cities and farms)
Specialist consumer brands gaining traction in niche but expanding categories
AI infrastructure moving to the edge
More disciplined approaches emerging in gaming and web3
Early-stage scouting is ultimately about trend lines: these eight startups reflect where consumer behavior, infrastructure, and regulation are shifting.
Disclaimer
This newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice or investment solicitation.