August 2024
We’re excited to share the latest edition of our monthly newsletter with you! Our goal is to keep you informed and inspired with fresh updates, compelling stories, and insights from our community and beyond.
In this issue, we’ve curated a variety of content just for you. Whether it’s the latest industry trends, funding opportunities, success stories, or upcoming events, we’re here to provide you with valuable and engaging information that’s relevant to your interests.
Last month Larta hosted the Road to ECO: Nature Preservation & Repair Mixer at our Headquarters in Downtown Los Angeles. The event was a fantastic opportunity to explore sustainable innovations and discuss the future of our planet with thought leaders and innovators. From insightful panel discussions to inspiring keynote presentations, the day was filled with valuable exchanges and ideas that will shape the future of sustainability.
We’re grateful to everyone who joined us, and we’ve captured some of the highlights in case you missed it here.
As we look ahead, we’re thrilled to continue our mission of driving innovation and impact through our programs and upcoming events. Stay tuned for more updates and opportunities to get involved!
Thank you for being a part of our community and for your continued support.
— Events & Opportunities —
LA Climate Week:
Sustainable Futures: Creating Climate Resilient Communities
Join Larta Institute and our partners for an insightful event where you’ll discover how various organizations are addressing this critical challenge through innovative initiatives and impactful work. This is not just a learning opportunity; it’s a platform for you to voice your thoughts, share your community’s needs, and express what you hope local leaders will prioritize.
🗓️ Date: Thursday, September 12
🕙 Time: 9:30AM–12:30PM PST
📍 Location: TBD
Register to attend here.
Meet Our Team at These Upcoming Gatherings
- LA Climate Week (September 8-15, Los Angeles) — Events for the LA community to collaborate, exchange ideas, and foster local climate solutions. Get involved here. And don’t forget to register to attend our very own event as part of the festivities here.
- Road to ECO: Engaging the Circular Economy (October 2, 2:00–5:00PST, Los Angeles) — Larta’s impact and investment thesis centers on connecting nature, man-made systems, and community experience through science and tech-based innovation. At this Road to ECO event, we will showcase innovations from our pipeline, focusing on water harvesting and treatment, renewable energy, and urban agriculture, highlighting how these solutions can enhance the security, efficiency, and resilience of our systems in the face of environmental challenges. Learn more.
- ECO 2024 (December 9–10, Los Angeles) — ECO, hosted by Larta Institute, is a multidisciplinary festival and ecosystem gathering designed to foster innovation for a sustainable planet. By engaging with communities on the frontlines of today’s most urgent climate change and environmental challenges, we aim to identify and accelerate groundbreaking innovations that can make a real impact. Check out our 2023 festival recap and stay tuned to learn more.
Funding Opportunities
Explore the resources available and apply directly through the links below.
- NSF SBIR/STTR Fast-Track programs provide non-dilutive, fixed-amount cooperative agreements for the development of science and engineering technologies with the potential for societal and economic impacts. The next deadline for full submission is November 5th. Learn more here.
— Community Spotlights —
Program: Venture Fellows
Impact Area: Equitable, Healthy & Resilient Communities
Congratulations to Kit Switch for being featured in Autodesk Research!
Kit Switch, a next-generation modular interiors company, specializes in the design of eco-friendly kit components to assemble affordable, sustainable, and reconfigurable housing units within existing structures. This tackles the unused commercial real estate crisis alongside the affordable housing crisis. The company’s kits of plug-and-play building components replace the traditional fragmented, uncertain, and time-consuming retrofit process.
Program: Ag Innovation Showcase
Impact Area: Nature Preservation & Repair
Phospholutions develops solutions to enhance global phosphorus use. Founded in April 2016 by Penn State graduates, Phospholutions has commercialized a patented technology called RhizoSorb to increase fertilizer efficiency.
Program: Heal.LA
Impact Area: Equitable, Healthy & Resilient Communities
Congrats to inTandem Health CEO Paul Hoffman for getting featured on Becker’s Healthcare Podcast!
inTandem Health humanizes health care with a technology-enabled peer-to-peer support platform that connects the health systems grateful, experienced patients with new patients, empowering them to face life-challenging conditions. Partnering with health systems, inTandem Health modernizes peer support programs with the right balance of advanced technology and human touch to provide a compassionate, engaging experience for patients and a compliant, scalable infrastructure to reach more patients in need of one-to-one support. With inTandem Health’s peer support program, health systems have a peer mentor on the patient’s care team— fostering holistic care during their journey and improving health outcomes.
— Community Showcase —
Our Companies in the News
- Phospholutions partners with Toros Agri after reaching significant milestone in commercializing its flagship RhizoSorb® technology
- inTandem Health CEO Paul Hoffman gets featured on Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
- Mango Materials to Present New Fibre Solutions at 4th Innovation Days, Part of Dornbirn Global Fibre Congress
- Prosperity Market celebrates Black Business Month with its annual Black Business Scavenger Hunt
- Solar United Neighbors and Whole Home Dallas launch second round of Solar Switch Dallas to offer solar panel installation guidance to Dallas residents
- Symbrosia and Cattlemen’s Heritage team up against livestock methane
- Ecovative Partners with PVH and Tommy Hilfiger: A Natural Collaboration for Sustainable Innovation
- Tectonicus Powers First Solar-Covered Canal in U.S. Set to Go Online This Summer
- Phospholutions and Penn State College of Ag Sciences Forge Strategic Partnership
- ClearFlame Engine Technology Saves $25,000 in Fuel Costs, Eliminates 65 Tons of Carbon Per Truck
- Kit Switch featured in Autodesk Research
— Our Impact —
and Other Resources
Larta Institute’s 2023 Impact Report
On Larta Institute’s 30th year anniversary, we are proud to share a glimpse into our transformative journey through the lens of our 2023 Impact Report.
Did you know that Los Angeles is on the cusp of a major food justice revolution? Read our Rooted Horizons Report, a groundbreaking research collaboration between Larta Institute and Los Angeles Food Policy Council, funded by California Community Foundation.
— Our Growing Team —
Join our Team
Visit our Careers page to learn more.
Partner with us to support or sponsor Larta’s programs and initiatives!
Contact Carlos Gutierrez, Chief Development Officer, at cgutierrez@larta.org.
Our mission is to foster science & technology innovation for a sustainable planet.
Let’s feed, fuel, and heal the world.
Connect with us.