Q Insights #006

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This week’s read time: 5 minutes

Welcome to this edition of Q Insights — our bi-weekly newsletter for sustainability and ESG professionals looking to make smarter solution decisions.

Each edition brings you concise, relevant updates on the tools, trends, and technologies driving the sustainable transition. We filter the noise, highlight what matters, and help you navigate the sustainability solution landscape with clarity and confidence.

In this edition, we’ll cover:

• Q Intelligence: The Top 8 Most Trusted Solutions on KanataQ 📊

• Q Interview: How Novata Is Powering Sustainability in the Private Markets (An interview with Alex Friedman, Co-Founder & CEO at Novata) 💬

• Q Signals: Clarity AI acquired climate engagement fintech ecolytiq, Novata partnered with Microsoft, Atlas Metrics acquired Pelt8, and other news 🟢

• KanataQ Corner: New Listed Providers and Ecosystem Partners announced ✅

• and other insights 💡

Q INTELLIGENCE

The Top 8 Most Trusted Solutions on KanataQ

Only 8, or 2.3% of the 343 listed solutions providers on KanataQ have crossed the elite 75% Trust Score threshold. These aren’t just top scorers, they’re trusted, proven, and consistently deliver results.

Meet the standouts:
🏆 Works Design – 95% Trust Score
🏆 ED4S • Education for Sustainability – 88% Trust Score
🏆 YellowYellow – 87% Trust Score
🏆 Pelt8 – 87% Trust Score
🏆 Mettle Capital – 86% Trust Score
🏆 Indiblu Creative – 85% Trust Score
🏆 Achieve Sustainability Inc. – 83% Trust Score
🏆 Manifest Climate – 78% Trust Score

📈 According to our data, providers scoring 75%+ enjoy:

• 7x more profile views

• 3x more sales leads

That’s because high-trust providers consistently deliver on solution appeal, client satisfaction, and business durability.

🔍 Want to see what makes these firms the best of the best?
👉 Visit https://kanataq.com and check them out for yourself.

📊 More about the KanataQ Trust Score here

Q INTERVIEW

This week’s guest:

Alex Friedman (Co-Founder & CEO at Novata)

For those unfamiliar, what is Novata — and how does it help investors and companies better navigate the sustainability landscape?

Novata is a sustainability management platform and advisory practice built for the private markets. We help investors and companies collect, analyze, and report on the metrics that matter, aligning sustainability strategies with business performance and regulatory requirements. Our tools support a range of needs, including ESG data management and carbon accounting, performance benchmarking, and regulatory readiness, and are designed to meet companies at every stage of their journey. Our goal is to empower clients to make data-driven decisions and meet growing stakeholder expectations with confidence. Novata is a B-Corp-certified public benefit corporation, backed by leading institutions including Microsoft, S&P Global, Hamilton Lane and the Ford Foundation.

Most sustainability tools were built with public companies in mind. What’s fundamentally different in the private markets — and what challenges or blind spots tend to go unnoticed there?

Private companies often lack standardized disclosures, in-house ESG teams, and regulatory familiarity, which makes sustainability reporting more fragmented and challenging. Unlike public markets where expectations are more established, private market participants need practical tools that reflect their unique ownership structures, investment timelines, and available resources. Novata addresses this by offering flexible data frameworks, purpose-built workflows, and expert support tailored specifically to the needs of private markets.

You’ve written about the shift from ‘performative’ ESG to value-driven, risk-focused sustainability. How is that shift reflected in how Novata structures its platform and advises clients?

Novata is built on the belief that corporate sustainability is not about checking boxes. It is about managing risk and building resilient, future-ready businesses. We help clients focus on what matters most to their stakeholders and operations, rather than surface-level optics. Our advisory team works directly with clients to turn data into action and integrate sustainability into long-term business strategy. Because when sustainability is grounded in strategy, it stops being a side project and starts driving real business value.

What’s next for Novata on the technical side? Are there any upcoming features, partnerships, or integrations aimed at enhancing the platform?

Novata is continuing to evolve to meet the growing demands of sustainability reporting in private markets. We’re investing in expanded AI capabilities to automate data validations, streamline bulk uploads, and extract ESG metrics from unstructured documents. These features will reduce manual work and improve data quality. We’re also developing dynamic dashboards, advanced benchmarking tools, and expanded portfolio-wide reporting exports. Recent launches, including our ESG Due Diligence solution and Microsoft partnership, reflect our momentum. 

Our product roadmap is grounded in client feedback, ensuring we continue to deliver what private markets need most: practical, scalable, and trusted sustainability infrastructure.

Q SIGNALS

Latest developments, insights, and trends

📊 New tools, features, and funding rounds from solution providers

Novata (KanataQ listed) and Microsoft have partnered to deliver AI-powered sustainability solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including Microsoft suppliers. The collaboration will focus on co-developing tools to simplify ESG data collection and climate reporting, using Microsoft Azure AI Foundry and Fabric. Microsoft will act as a key sales partner for Novata’s platform, expanding access to SMEs, while Novata will support Microsoft’s supply chain reporting efforts. (link)

Clarity AI (KanataQ listed) acquired climate engagement fintech ecolytiq to expand its sustainability solutions for retail and commercial banks. Berlin-based ecolytiq integrates tools into banking apps that help users calculate their carbon footprint, receive personalized climate tips, and access green financial products. The acquisition enhances Clarity AI’s consumer engagement capabilities by combining ecolytiq’s behavioral science-driven technology with its own AI-powered sustainability platform. (link)

Atlas Metrics acquired Pelt8 (KanataQ listed) to strengthen its presence in Switzerland and enhance support for private market clients. The deal enables Pelt 8 clients to migrate to Atlas’ platform, gaining access to advanced tools such as AI-powered double materiality analysis, automated data collection, and multi-standard reporting aligned with Swiss and EU regulations. (link)

JPMorgan’s blockchain unit, Kinexys, is developing a blockchain-based application to tokenize global carbon credits in partnership with S&P Global, EcoRegistry, and the International Carbon Registry, aiming to address transparency, standardization, and market fragmentation issues in the voluntary carbon market. The initiative seeks to create a unified, tokenized ecosystem that enables seamless credit transfers, enhances price and data transparency, and boosts market liquidity.

UL Solutions launched a suite of new sustainability software tools to support companies in emissions tracking, ISSB reporting, and renewable energy planning. Integrated into its ULTRUS platform, the updates include a Scope 3 emissions module for supply chain data, ISSB-aligned reporting features in its ESG Disclosures module, and AI-powered wind resource mapping via Windnavigator.

Allianz Commercial launched CAReS (Climate Adaptation & Resilience Services), a new platform to help businesses assess and mitigate physical climate risks. The platform combines a self-serve tool and tailored consulting services, enabling companies to evaluate risk exposure across assets and supply chains and translate climate threats into financial loss estimates. CAReS offers dashboards for 12 climate perils and timeframes through 2080, alongside in-depth services such as site surveys, vulnerability assessments, and loss quantification, aiming to boost corporate resilience and support climate-related disclosures.

KANATAQ CORNER

What’s new on KanataQ?

📈 KanataQ Growing Family

Here is the list of providers that joined KanataQ since our last edition: LiveCycle (Circular Economy), Speeki (Reporting & Disclosure), Net Purpose (Impact & Stakeholders), Solerte (Strategic Advisory Services), Headspace Strategies (Strategic Advisory Services), Tathva (Strategic Advisory Services), Softly Solutions (Sustainability Communication), Ditchcarbon (Climate Action), Birch Group Consulting (Strategic Advisory Services), Vision Zero Connect (Reporting & Disclosure), Governance & Accountability Institute (Governance & Accountability).

🔵 New Ecosystem Partners

We’re pleased to welcome Hannes Matt and Alexandra Urbie, both of whom have joined KanataQ as Associate Partners. As a reminder, KanataQ Ecosystem Partners are a select group of sustainability experts carefully chosen by KanataQ to contribute to the platform's growth and success.

Come join us

Are you a sustainability solution provider? Join KanataQ, the platform where sustainability solution providers connect with high-intent buyers. Generate quality leads, gain market insights, and maximize ROI with our commission-free model. List with us today.

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