Our 2026 climate tech bets

2026 is shaping up to be a year where climate investing puts fundamentals over hype: speed, scalability, reliability, and resilience. In that context, Lore De Valck was invited to share biotope’s trend predictions in Climate HardTech’s 2026 Crystal Ball (a roundup of signals from 35 European-focused investors).

Here are the three technology areas we called out:

Synbio for construction

Biology is starting to reshape the built environment—from self-healing concrete to biopolymer coatings and microbial adhesives. The teams most likely to win pair strong science with credible unit economics and high-value, scalable applications.

Encapsulation as an enabling platform

Encapsulation is becoming a quiet powerhouse: improving stability, functionality, and targeted release of bioactives. We’re watching scalable, stimuli-responsive platforms that stay stable from production to shelf life, unlocking applications in nutrition, agriculture, industrial biotech, and beyond.

Biomining for critical metals

As electrification accelerates, demand for metals like copper rises while accessible deposits decline. Biomining is shifting from “nice-to-have sustainable alternative” to potential energy transition infrastructure, especially solutions that reduce chemical use, avoid energy-intensive smelting, and perform on low-grade ores.