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‘Drink to dust’: Startup says just smash its clay alternative to plastic cupsDisposable plastic and paper cups are an environmental mess. GaeaStar, a startup based in Berlin and San Francisco, thinks it can do better with just clay, water, salt and sand.
After piloting disposable clay cups and bowls in Germany, GaeaStar says it is gearing up to introduce its products to the U.S. via a trial with Verve (the California coffee chain, not the band).
To make the disposable containers, the startup says it developed a special 3D-printer that churns them out in “30 seconds or less.” The company declined to share photos of the printer, which it described as patent pending. There’s nothing new about clay, and in a statement, GaeaStar acknowledged as much, saying it was “inspired by ancient Indian culture.”
To fund its Verve pilot and future collaborations in the U.S., GaeaStar rolled together a $6.5 million seed round from investors such as Morningside and Dart Labs.
Through an environmental lens, the U.S.’s single-use cup problem shares some commonalities with its single-occupancy vehicle problem. In each case, a relatively new, inefficient behavior now seems totally ingrained in society. Whether you’re talking about transporting iced lattes in plastic cups or people in metal eggs, there are better ways of moving such things around, if only folks would behave differently. But will people change, and do they want to?
This is a silly thought experiment, but there’s something interesting about where it falls apart: Replacing a ton of cars with public transit requires, like, real work — including vast infrastructure development and rethinking where and how many of us live. On the other hand, killing disposable cups demands that folks tote around reusable canteens. This sounds . . . comparably pretty easy.
Yet, change is hard at any scale, and so we look for alternatives. We electrify single-occupancy vehicles and build ostensibly better disposable cups, striving to mitigate the damage we do without really changing much about how we live. Some people consider such compromises a distraction, but in the case of disposable cups, GaeaStar founder Sanjeev Mankotia calls this meeting people “where they are.”
“It’s the reality of Western culture that people are constantly on the go and are now accustomed to disposability vs. carrying around a reusable mug,” Mankotia told TechCrunch over email. “We know recycling doesn’t work and our vessels can go right in the trash guilt-free.” When Mankotia says “recycling doesn’t work,” the CEO is referencing how most plastic is never recycled.
GaeaStar hasn’t paid for a complete life-cycle analysis of the environmental cost of its clay cups, but the company says it plans use its new funds to do so in 2023. Mankotia went on to tell TechCrunch that its internal analysis and estimates “show us that we’re using significantly less water and energy when compared to paper or plastic incumbents.”
GaeaStar founder Sanjeev Mankotia. Image Credits: Gaeastar
GaeaStar also aims to establish cup-printing centers near its customers and source clay locally. Calling this a micro-factory model, GaeaStar said in Germany it even delivers vessels using e-bikes. One day, the startup aims to offer a tabletop printer to restaurants so they can “print the cups on demand at the point of sale.”
The startup sent TechCrunch a sample cup etched with a Verve logo and invited me to reuse it as many times as I’d like, and later smash it, or even use it as a pot for a plant. GaeaStar’s cup is thin, and it isn’t sturdy like plastic, but I found that it’s more than capable of housing multiple coffees. Plus, the novelty of a clay disposable in the U.S. makes it kind of fun to use.
GaeaStar’s latest fundraise follows an earlier $1.7 million pre-seed round, the company said. Its other investors in the new round include At Inc., Sand Hill Angels, VSC and Climate Capital.
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‘Drink to dust’: Startup says just smash its clay alternative to plastic cups by Harri Weber originally published on TechCrunch'Drink to dust': Startup says just smash its clay alternative to plastic cups
techcrunch.comAfter piloting disposable clay cups in Germany, GaeaStar is gearing up to introduce its products to the U.S. via a trial with Verve Coffee.
- in the community space New Music Releases
RELEASE DETAILS
Release title:
YSL (with Rontana)
Main artist name:
Verti,Rontana
Release date:
31st Mar, 2023
https://publme.lnk.to/YSLwithRontana
#newmusic #Release #Music #indie #indepedent #artist - in the community space New Music Releases
RELEASE DETAILS
Release title:
Not My problem
Main artist name:
fayxg0plexine
Release date:
2nd Jun, 2023
https://publme.lnk.to/NotMyproblem
#newmusic #Release #Music #indie #indepedent #artist - in the community space Music from Within
New Music Critique: Stacy AntonelStacy Antonel Contact: stacy.antonel@gmail.com
Web: stacyantonel.com
Seeking: Booking, LabelStyle: Americana
Here’s twangy, classic country by Stacy Antonel, whose rangey voice is ideal for her original material. She even accents it effortlessly with that authentic “yodel” inflection. On “Always The Outsider” Antonel sings about “small town games” while her pedal steel player imbues it with tasty tones. The laidback, romantic “Planetary Heartache” has a waltz feel to it, and a wonderfully lilting melody. Our favorite song of the bunch is “Heartbroken Tomorrow” whose brisk, rockin’ beat is a winner and allows Antonel’s voice to really climb the scale. And the guitar solo finale is drop-dead dazzling till the fade out. Antonel is really singing the hell out of this one. No question this artist and her band would rock the house wherever they play.
New Music Critique: Stacy Antonel
www.musicconnection.comStacy Antonel Contact: stacy.antonel@gmail.com Web: stacyantonel.com Seeking: Booking, LabelStyle: Americana Here’s twangy, classic country by Stacy Antonel, whose rangey voice is ideal…
- in the community space Music from Within
Confirmed: Kobalt posted a $21.9m operating profit in FY 2022, up 71% YoYKobalt's successful writers in FY 2022 included Rogét Chahayed, Sam Fender, Finneas, Max Martin, Andrew Watt, Ozuna, Karol G, Phoebe Bridgers, Stevie Nicks, Justin Quiles, The Foo Fighters, Roddy Ricch, and Gunna.
SourceConfirmed: Kobalt posted a $21.9m operating profit in FY 2022, up 71% YoY
www.musicbusinessworldwide.comKobalt's successful writers in FY 2022 included Rogét Chahayed, Sam Fender, Finneas, Max Martin, Andrew Watt, Ozuna, Karol G, Phoebe Bridgers, Stevie Nicks…
- in the community space Tools and Plugins
sonible pure:bundle The pure:bundle includes: pure:comp pure:verb pure:limit https://youtu.be/IeAhHYmrrow Read More
pure:bundle by sonible - Effects Bundle Plugin VST VST3 Audio Unit AAX
www.kvraudio.comThe pure:bundle includes: pure:comp pure:verb pure:limit {See video at top of page}...
- in the community space Tools and Plugins
sonible pure: comp The AI-powered compressor plug-in for creators. pure:comp is a straightforward compression plug-in that can instantly control a track's dynamics – all at the touch of a single... Read More
pure: comp by sonible - Compressor Plugin VST VST3 Audio Unit AAX
www.kvraudio.comThe AI-powered compressor plug-in for creators. pure:comp is a straightforward compression plug-in that can instantly control a track's dyna...
- in the community space Music from Within
No, Diddy isn’t paying Sting $5K a day for sampling ‘Every Breath You Take’.Multiple media outlets reported the figure, but Diddy now says it was a joke.
SourceNo, Diddy isn’t paying Sting $5K a day for sampling ‘Every Breath You Take’.
www.musicbusinessworldwide.comMultiple media outlets reported the figure, but Diddy now says it was a joke.
- in the community space Tools and Plugins
Spring 2023 Deals & Freebies For Music Producers
It’s spring here in the northern hemisphere, and that means two things. Firstly, the weather is finally manageable, although still unpredictable. Secondly, the music software market is waking up from its winter sleep, giving us the year’s first round of sales and freebies. While these deals may not quite live up to the ones we [...]
View post: Spring 2023 Deals & Freebies For Music ProducersSpring 2023 Deals & Freebies For Music Producers
bedroomproducersblog.comIt’s spring here in the northern hemisphere, and that means two things. Firstly, the weather is finally manageable, although still unpredictable. Secondly, the music software market is waking up from its winter sleep, giving us the year’s first round of sales and freebies. While these deals may not quite live up to the ones weRead More
- in the community space Tools and Plugins
SoliderSound Releases FREE S Pulser Tremolo Effect Plugin
SoliderSound released S Pulser, a freeware mid-side tremolo effect in VST, VST3, and AU plugin formats for Windows and macOS. S Pulser is a tremolo effect with a square-shaped LFO and a couple of fancy tricks that set it apart from other freeware tremolos on the market. SoliderSound describes S Pulser as a “pulse effect,” [...]
View post: SoliderSound Releases FREE S Pulser Tremolo Effect PluginSoliderSound Releases FREE S Pulser Tremolo Effect Plugin
bedroomproducersblog.comSoliderSound released S Pulser, a freeware mid-side tremolo effect in VST, VST3, and AU plugin formats for Windows and macOS. S Pulser is a tremolo effect with a square-shaped LFO and a couple of fancy tricks that set it apart from other freeware tremolos on the market. SoliderSound describes S Pulser as a “pulse effect,”Read More
- in the community space Music from Within
Millennials: Music’s most valuable age group has doubts about streaming [MIDiA]A new report by Tatiana Cirisano and the team at MIDiA leads with a surprising finding. Millennials (age 25-34) are “both the music industry’s most valuable age group and, for. Continue reading
The post Millennials: Music’s most valuable age group has doubts about streaming [MIDiA] appeared first on Hypebot.Millennials: Music's most valuable age group has doubts about streaming [MIDiA] - Hypebot
www.hypebot.comA new report by Tatiana Cirisano and the team at MIDiA leads with a surprising finding. Millennials (age 25-34) are “both the music industry’s most valuable age group and, for. Continue reading
- in the community space Music from Within
Is the Metaverse a metadud? Just 7% of US teens plan to buy VR headsetThe Metaverse promised to be The Next Big Thing transforming how we gather, enjoyed live music, and much more. But despite a raft of improvements and new tools, adoption rates. Continue reading
The post Is the Metaverse a metadud? Just 7% of US teens plan to buy VR headset appeared first on Hypebot.Is the Metaverse a metadud? Just 7% of US teens plan to buy VR headset - Hypebot
www.hypebot.comThe Metaverse promised to be The Next Big Thing transforming how we gather, enjoyed live music, and much more. But despite a raft of improvements and new tools, adoption rates. Continue reading
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SuperflyDSP Releases FREE Lost-Samplers LoFi Effect Plugin
SuperflyDSP releases Lost-Samplers, a freeware lo-fi audio effect emulating the sonic imperfections of old-school hardware samplers. The sounds of yesteryear still remain prevalent in production. With these sounds comes the expectation of the flaws and limitations of the medium. SuperflyDSP’s latest, Lost-Sampler, seeks to revisit the grunge and dirt prevalent on early samplers. At its [...]
View post: SuperflyDSP Releases FREE Lost-Samplers LoFi Effect PluginSuperflyDSP Releases FREE Lost-Samplers LoFi Effect Plugin
bedroomproducersblog.comSuperflyDSP releases Lost-Samplers, a freeware lo-fi audio effect emulating the sonic imperfections of old-school hardware samplers. The sounds of yesteryear still remain prevalent in production. With these sounds comes the expectation of the flaws and limitations of the medium. SuperflyDSP’s latest, Lost-Sampler, seeks to revisit the grunge and dirt prevalent on early samplers. At itsRead More
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SOS Case Study section launched Reinventing Studio 4 at RAK, the first in a new series of articles, is now available in the new Case Study section of the SOS website.
SOS Case Study section launched
www.soundonsound.comReinventing Studio 4 at RAK, the first in a new series of web articles, is now available in the new Case Studies section of the SOS website.
- in the community space Music from Within
From Meta’s competition probe in Italy to Robert Kyncl’s ‘multiplier’ plan… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe biggest stories on MBW from the past seven days
SourceFrom Meta’s competition probe in Italy to Robert Kyncl’s ‘multiplier’ plan… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-Up
www.musicbusinessworldwide.comThe biggest stories on MBW from the past seven days…