Saving the planet from Climate Change devastation is one of the most important things we can do to date, yet has often seen pushback from major investors who’ve focused their investments on safer industries like coal and oil. Luckily, there’s a growing trend of investment companies created for the purpose of saving the planet, promoting the idea that clean energy can benefit investors as well as our future, according to a new Venture Capital (VC) trend.
2021 has already seen multiple climate-focused fund launches. London-based One Planet Capital launched a fund for green tech, fintech, and sustainability-based B2C businesses, while actor Robert Downey Jr (Ironman, The Avengers) has founded FootPrint Coalition Ventures to invest in high-growth, sustainability-focused companies. European-based fund 2150 also launched this year, investing €200m ($240m) into start-ups developing sustainable technologies to lower carbon emissions in Europe’s cities.
The financial world used to think environmental issues couldn’t generate viable rewards, but another climate-focused fund, Congruent Ventures, believes a tipping point has been passed.
Congruent raises investment specifically for Climate Change solution start-ups and, with $300 million under management after closing its second fund at $175 million, managing partner and co-founder Abe Yokell said:
“If you brought up the word ‘cleantech’ to any institutional investor allocating to venture ten years ago, they would do their best to avoid the meeting, but now, there’s a fundamental belief that there will be significant financial returns investing broadly in climate tech over time.”
Congruent’s portfolio includes electric vehicle charging provider Amply, which raised $13.2m last year from investors including Soros Fund Management and Siemens. Digitally controllable electrical panel company Span raised $20m in January through Congruent, with investors including Munich Re Ventures’ HSB Fund and Amazon’s Alexa Fund.
Congruent itself is well-founded, with investors including UC Investments, the Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, Three Cairns Group, Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust, and Surdna Foundation, among other institutions, foundations, and family offices.
Regulation A+ crowdfunding companies are also seeing investment, such as Digital Twins market leader Cityzenith, who recently launched their international ‘Clean Cities, Clean Future’ campaign as part of the Race to Zero movement.
Cities worldwide generate 70% of the world’s carbon emissions, but Cityzenith’s AI Digital Twin platform technology can help property asset management groups, city planners, and developers reduce emissions and move to carbon neutrality in the next ten years.
Cityzenith CEO Michael Jansen said at the launch of the ‘Clean Cities – Clean Future’ initiative: “We have to help the most polluted urban centers become carbon neutral, and we plan to do this by donating the company’s Digital Twin platform SmartWorldOS™ to key cities, one at a time, after every $1m we raise. We’re able to do this because of the recent surge of investment we’ve had as part of our $15m raise.”
Cityzenith is already benefiting from the funding shift, attracting $2.5m in investment since late 2020 through Regulation A+ crowdfunding and a surge in shares from $0.575 to $1.50 in just five months. The US company has raised $10m to date.
With a growing trend in climate change investment funds, hopefully we’ll be able to start decreasing carbon emissions and work towards saving the planet.
