Climate Finance
Features
Oceans | June 22, 2022
OK Doomer: These young entrepreneurs aren’t giving up on the climate or the oceans
The increasingly apocalyptic tone of the climate conversation has spurred a counter-movement calling for a different message, lest the doom and gloom extinguish …
Policy Corner | June 22, 2022
Pricing carbon could succeed where Scope 3 falls short in accounting for emissions
ImpactAlpha, June 22 – As the Securities and Exchange Commission mulls new rules for climate disclosure, investors are weighing in on what could …
Photo by Calvert Impact Capital.
Clean Energy | June 21, 2022
Mirova acquires SunFunder to expand clean energy and climate investing in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, June 21 — Paris-based Mirova, a $27 billion unit of French global asset management firm Natixis Investment Managers, is acquiring SunFunder to …
Climate Finance | June 14, 2022
For investors and companies, net-zero pledges prove easier than action
ImpactAlpha, Jun. 14 – It’s one thing to join a climate initiative, another to commit assets and yet another to align assets with those …
Photo by Rheaply.
Climate and Clean Tech | June 8, 2022
Black-led Rheaply secures $20 million to help companies reduce waste and limit emissions
ImpactAlpha, June 8 — Chicago-based Rheaply has raised $20 million in a financing round led by Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund. …
Climate and Clean Tech | June 7, 2022
Temasek commits $3.6 billion to accelerate carbon markets and climate solutions
ImpactAlpha, June 7 – Temasek, the $283 billion sovereign wealth fund in Singapore is standing up GenZero to deploy long-term and flexible capital …
Agrifood Tech | May 31, 2022
Switch Bioworks raises $4.3 million for sustainable nitrogen biofertilizer
ImpactAlpha, May 31 — Biotech companies are promising to help farmers cut down on synthetic, and expensive, nitrogen fertilizer. San Carlos, Calif.-based Switch …
photo: World Economic Forum
Impact Investing | May 23, 2022
At elite World Economic Forum, Davos Man and Davos Woman will talk sustainability, inclusion and action
ImpactAlpha, May 23 – It’s back. As the world’s corporate and government movers and shakers gather at Davos after a two-year pandemic pause, …
Impact Investing | May 23, 2022
Global corporations commit to carbon removal tech buys in South Pole-led initiative
ImpactAlpha, May 23 – Corporations are teaming up to use their buying power to accelerate commercialization of carbon removal technology. The latest: Boston …
Photo credit: MEbA
Features | May 16, 2022
YAPU is giving microfinance a digital upgrade with a climate twist
ImpactAlpha, May 16 – Beekeeping in Colombia. Greenhouses in Peru. Biogas stoves in Benin. Small upgrades can increase resilience to climate change for the …
Catalytic Capital | May 10, 2022
Catalytic investors sharpen their tools to accelerate commercialization of climate solutions
ImpactAlpha, May 10 – The stubborn gap in financing for early-stage innovations for years was an obstacle to the development of breakthrough climate …
Motorists line up to wait for fuel in Nairobi | Photo credit: Abraham Namiti
Frontier and Growth Markets | May 9, 2022
High fuel prices spur Africa’s transition to electric mobility
ImpactAlpha, May 9 – Long lines at Nairobi’s gas pumps last month put the spotlight on rising prices and fuel shortages caused by …
Photo credit: Solar Sister
Frontier and Growth Markets | May 2, 2022
Can off-grid solar keep focus on energy access for the poor as commercial capital arrives?
ImpactAlpha, May 2 – It’s one of the conundrums of the pandemic: commercial capital is pouring into off-grid electricity companies in Africa and …
Inclusive Economy | April 22, 2022
Call No 41: How investors are catalyzing climate capital for adaptation and equity (video)
ImpactAlpha, April 22 – The Ukraine crisis risks tipping up to 1.7 billion people — over one-fifth of humanity — into poverty, destitution …
Protesters at the Global Day for Climate Justice | Photo credit: Jessica Girvan
Climate Finance | April 18, 2022
Mitigation x adaptation x equity = climate resilience
ImpactAlpha, April 18 – Resilience is the solution to another disruption. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is raising the value of local food security, distributed clean …
An Acacia tree in Africa
Impact Investing | April 17, 2022
Social ‘co-benefits’ and ecosystem restoration begin to make climate adaptation investable
ImpactAlpha, April 14 – Climate-smart investments that restore ecosystems, improve women’s lives, reduce damage from storms and surges, avoid dislocation and migration and …
Smallholder Agriculture | April 13, 2022
Climate change spurs innovation in finance as smallholder farmers struggle to adapt
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 13 – The world’s 500 million smallholder farmers face a double crunch in coming decades: the need to grow more food for …
Agrifood Tech | April 11, 2022
Food startups are using discounts to give food a second life
When a business wants to move product, it cuts the price. Think 50% discounts on day-old bakery items. And while this is not …
BlocPower's Civilian Climate Corp workers with the owner of the building. Photo by Roodgally Senatus.
Green Infrastructure | April 7, 2022
Inside BlocPower’s mission to upskill workers and green New York City buildings (photo story)
ImpactAlpha, April 7 — On a recent early spring day, a half-dozen workers were installing heat pumps in a two-unit property on Ellis …
Climate Finance | April 5, 2022
How climate investors are getting ready for the carbon removal boom
ImpactAlpha, April 5 – The world is hurtling towards irreversible and catastrophic warming. The goals of the Paris climate accord are fast slipping …
Photo credit: Apollo Agriculture
Smallholder Agriculture | March 31, 2022
Apollo Agriculture is out to show how financing smallholder farmers can boost production and profits
ImpactAlpha, March 31 – Smallholder farmers have long been the darling of development specialists, microfinance institutions and impact investors. Now, commercial investors are …
Climate Finance | March 29, 2022
Impact investing goes to the Oscars
ImpactAlpha, Mar. 29 – Forget yachts. Climate funds are the new Hollywood status symbols. King Richard, the biopic that won Will Smith his first …
OneWheel electric scooter from Future Motion | Photo credit:
urdesign/YouTube screenshot
Climate Finance | March 23, 2022
Third Sphere ramps up for ‘better, cheaper, faster’ climate impact
ImpactAlpha, Mar. 23 – When Shaun Abrahamson and Stonly Blue of Urban Us began investing in building electrification and other improvements for city life …
photo: Third Way Think Tank
Policy Corner | March 22, 2022
SEC disclosure rules signal the arrival of climate accountability
ImpactAlpha, March 22 – Better than expected. That was the consensus among advocates for greater transparency for corporate climate-related risks and impacts after …
Climate Finance | March 3, 2022
From ‘Atlas of human suffering’ to ‘Roadmap for climate resilience’
ImpactAlpha. March 3 – Climate change is here. Deal with it. That sums up this week’s grim report from the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel …
Impact Investing | March 1, 2022
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine delivers a dose of green shock therapy
ImpactAlpha, Mar. 1 – The “shock therapy” that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago was intended to speed the …
NurPhoto via Getty Images.
Catalytic Capital | February 16, 2022
Climate adaptation gets a fund of its own to invest in data, analytics and resilience
ImpactAlpha, February 16 — Investments to help businesses and communities adapt to climate change have long taken a back seat to financing to …
Call Recording | February 11, 2022
Call No. 37: Ramping up the supply of carbon reduction to meet the urgent demand (video)
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 11 – ”$100 a ton?” exclaimed CDP’s Paula DiPerna on ImpactAlpha’s Agents of Impact Call this week. “I should be popping champagne.” …
From The Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson
Climate Finance | February 8, 2022
Positive externalities: Carrots as well as sticks for the carbon era
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 8 – Putting a price on carbon is only the beginning. With prices on Europe’s emissions trading scheme topping $100 a ton …
The Swedish steel company SSAB last year said it delivered the first fossil-fuel free steel.
Corporate Impact | February 7, 2022
Simple economics driving carbon prices: Soaring demand, limited supply
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 7 – The crossover has arrived for carbon, the commodity that will increasingly drive the global economy. The rising prices around …
Climate Finance | February 3, 2022
Rising price of carbon starts to hit balance sheets – and corporate decision-making
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 3 – The carbon footprint of corporations, long regarded as a “nonfinancial” factor, is about to become very material indeed. The …
Climate Finance | February 1, 2022
Deployment, deployment, deployment is the rallying cry as climate finance closes in on $1 trillion
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 1 – Venture investments in climate tech grab the headlines. Spending for energy transition deployment by corporations, government and households is …
Agrifood Tech | January 31, 2022
Climate and supply-chain disruptions spur investment in food waste solutions
Drivers of food price fluctuations such as climate change and labor shortages are also driving a wave of innovation in food waste solutions. Reducing …
Climate Finance | January 27, 2022
Climate is a crypto play as action moves from TradFi to DeFi to ReFi
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 27 – If blockchain was a solution in search of a problem, it may have found it in climate change. The …
Water | January 20, 2022
How pre-construction financing is building a pipeline of water projects in Kenya
ImpactAlpha, January 20 – Water and sanitation is one of the fastest growing, yet still underinvested sectors of impact investing. An experimental fund …
Impact Investing | January 20, 2022
Energy Impact Partners raises $200 million to target industrial decarbonization
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 20 – The New York-based venture firm has made a name investing in ready-to-deploy technologies that help its energy and industrial …
BlackRock's Larry Fink | Image: Mike Bloomberg/Flickr
Capitalism Reimagined | January 18, 2022
The arc of Larry Fink’s annual letters trace the mainstreaming of sustainable investing
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 18 – You know impact investing has gone mainstream when Larry Fink’s annual letter to CEOs elicits a collective yawn. “This is …
Monolith's clean "black carbon" is used to make tires stronger
Signals | January 12, 2022
Jigar Shah on government’s role as a catalytic climate investor
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 12 – The loan program office of the Energy Department has made its first loan commitment under the Biden administration. Jigar …
Impact Investing | January 4, 2022
Climate Talk: A glossary of terms to guide you through the low-carbon transition
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 4 – If 2021 was the year of net-zero pledges, 2022 could be the year of Scope 3 accounting for companies’ supply …
Climate Finance | December 21, 2021
Climate finance in 2022: Mobilizing capital for exponential progress
‘Tis the season for our lookaheads to 2022 and, thanks to ImpactAlpha subscribers, we are able to make the roundups freely available. So …
Impact Investing | December 15, 2021
Food-waste solutions for climate change are ripe for catalytic capital
It is by now abundantly clear that the climate crisis is no longer a future concern. It’s happening now, and we must act …
Landfill waste disposal. Garbage dump with waste plastic and polyethylene. Garbage truck unloads rubbish in landfill. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and methane emissions. Environmental protection.
Impact Investing | December 15, 2021
Food-waste solutions are a big business – and a big opportunity to stem climate change
ImpactAlpha, Dec. 15 – Commercial and catalytic investors poured $5 billion this year into technology and tools to reduce food waste, and are mobilizing …
Impact Investing | December 13, 2021
Impact brain trust delivers proposals for mobilizing capital for a just transition
ImpactAlpha, Dec. 13 – Mandatory impact accounting. Harmonized sustainability standards. And broadened powers for multilateral development banks and development finance institutions to absorb …
Climate Finance | December 9, 2021
Carbon Collective debuts new index of climate solutions
ImpactAlpha, Dec. 9 – Who says public companies can’t have impact? Roboadvisor Carbon Collective is rolling out a new index of 169 publicly …
Climate Finance | November 24, 2021
Accelerating net-zero transition pushes incumbents to spin off green ‘ReNewCo’s’
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 24 – They were engines of growth for much of the past century. Now, some of the most iconic names of …
Impact Investing | November 23, 2021
A climate investor looks ahead to COP27 in Egypt (podcast)
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 23 – Only two weeks after the COP26 global climate summit, Stephan Nicoleau of climate investment firm Full Cycle is looking …
Generate CEO Scott Jacobs
Signals | November 16, 2021
Sustainable infrastructure company Generate Capital becomes a public benefit corporation
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 16 – Generate Capital is embedding its mission to build a more sustainable world into its charter. The San Francisco-based investor, …
Climate Finance | November 15, 2021
A global carbon market stirs to life, with new rules at COP26
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 15 – With so much on the line at the global climate summit just wrapped in Glasgow, you can forgive people …
Climate Finance | November 10, 2021
Price of carbon rises along with sea levels, as market mechanisms emerge
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 10 – The foreign minister of Tuvalu addressing world leaders while knee deep in coastal waters will be one of the …
Impact Investing | November 4, 2021
Climate crisis is over (if you want it)
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 4 – Global finance leaders tried to evoke something like John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s hopeful paean at “Finance Day” at …
Impact Investing | November 3, 2021
Finance to the fore as catalytic climate capital rallies COP26
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 3 – Pledges and pessimism gave way to concrete commitments of climate capital as world leaders clinched two major agreements before …
Protestors in Milan on October, 1, 2021
Climate Finance | November 1, 2021
Finance takes center stage at global climate summit
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 1 – After a year’s delay, the COP26 kicked off in Glasgow amid protests, stormy weather and diminished expectations. The U.S. …
Catalytic Capital | October 29, 2021
Call No. 33: Using catalytic capital to fill climate finance gaps from the bottom up
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 29 – As the COP26 global climate summit kicks off this weekend, much of the focus will be on the massive …
Photo credit: Southeastern African American Farmers’ Organic Network
Regeneration | October 28, 2021
Embracing regenerative practices to restore climate and community
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 28 – Take a deep breath. We’re 60 years into an 80-year paradigm shift away from economic extraction and towards the regeneration …
Catalytic Capital | October 26, 2021
Offtakes, guarantees and blended finance: A lexicon of catalytic climate capital
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 26 – Investments in climate solutions are crucial. Purchase orders can be transformative. Hertz’s order of 100,000 Model 3s underscored the …
Catalytic Capital | October 21, 2021
$100 billion is just a down payment on financing the climate transition in developing nations
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 21 – For want of a nail…the kingdom was lost, as the old proverb goes. For want of $100 billion, a …
Catalytic Capital | October 20, 2021
Deploying catalytic capital to bridge financing gaps for climate action
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 20 – Climate finance is on a roll. Climate finance is stuck. Both statements are true. Investors have poured record sums …
Personal Finance | October 19, 2021
How to ride the climate transition with more than a dozen exchange-traded funds
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 19 – Clean energy. Batteries. Smart grids. ESG funds and clean energy ETFs tracking elements of the climate transition took off in …
The Reconstruction | October 15, 2021
Call No. 32: Black tech, green solutions for the planet and the people
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 15 – Invest in climate action for the planet – and the people. “Climate change is a public health issue, it’s a …
Climate Finance | October 14, 2021
Yawning ‘ambition gap’ threatens global climate summit
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 14 – The International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook is full of stark warnings just 18 days before a make-or-break global …
Kenyan farmer | Photo credit: Jen Watson
Catalytic Capital | October 13, 2021
Researchers ready a dozen-plus deep dives into the complexities of catalytic capital
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 13 – Aceli Africa provides a first-loss cushion of up to 8% to lenders as a way to spur them to back …
General Motors's Mary Barra addresses investors on Wednesday at the GM Tech Center in Warren, Michigan. (Photo: Steve Fecht for General Motors)
Corporate Impact | October 7, 2021
The EV race is on as GM and Ford move to overtake Tesla
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 7 – GM will double its revenues by 2030 as it rolls out dozens of electric cars, trucks and delivery cars …
Photo credit: Elemental Excelerator
The Reconstruction | September 30, 2021
Elemental Excelerator’s climate-tech unicorns develop locally, deploy solutions globally
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 30 – Dawn Lippert wanted to help flip Hawaii green and wean it from dependence on fossil fuels. But the cleantech solutions …
Signals | September 29, 2021
Investors push companies to set science-based targets and obey the “carbon law”
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 29 – Global financial institutions holding nearly $30 trillion in assets are pushing Boeing, Alaska Air, Fedex, Duke Energy, Tata Steel …
Climate Finance | September 23, 2021
The sky-high value of cutting methane emissions is attracting policymakers – and investors
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 23 – Carbon dioxide has gotten most of the attention in the fight against climate change. But it is another compound, …
Climate Finance | September 22, 2021
China pledges to end (foreign) coal financing
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 22 – With less than six weeks until the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, global leaders are stirring to (modest) action. …
Climate Finance | September 21, 2021
On climate action, private investors urge governments to jump in (the water is warming)
ImpactAlpha. Sept. 21 – Many government leaders are being coy about their climate ambitions. Private funders are stepping up theirs. “My message here …
Photo credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger.
Climate Finance | September 21, 2021
‘Forest resilience bonds’ show an ounce of prevention can slow wildfires – and provide 4% returns
ImpactAlpha, September 21 — In a corner of the Tahoe National Forest in California that has escaped this year’s devastating wildfires, crews have …
An ad for Climate Week NYC in Brooklyn
Climate Finance | September 20, 2021
It’s Climate Week in New York as global leaders convene to bridge ‘the ambition gap.
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 20 – Climate Week NYC kicks off today with hundreds of sessions meant to showcase climate solutions – and spur action …
Conservation | September 14, 2021
Move over SPACs. Here come NACs to turn ecosystem services into tradable assets
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 14 – The New York Stock Exchange is seeking approval for a new kind of publicly traded asset based on the …
Photo credit: Oye Rickshaw
SDGs | September 9, 2021
Investors rally behind India’s early, active climate tech scene
ImpactAlpha, September 9 – India’s recognition of its vulnerability to climate change has spurred a set of ambitious targets to curb carbon emissions …
Climate Finance | September 8, 2021
Scaling nature investments to meet investor demand
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 8 – Conservation funds from Apple and L’Oréal launched in the last year will invest hundreds of millions in land and water …
Inclusive Economy | August 26, 2021
UK’s Nick Hurd on the “window of opportunity” for a green and inclusive transition
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 26 – Nick Hurd, the former MP and government minister, is heading the Impact Taskforce, created under the U.K.’s presidency of the …
Climate Finance | August 25, 2021
Is your fund serious about climate? Show me your scientists.
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 25 – Money is pouring into climate tech funds. Separating the serious players from fund managers only toying around the edges …
Five Cardinals Farm in Plainview, Va.
Signals | August 25, 2021
Steward revamps its ‘crowdfarming’ model with short term loans for sustainable farms
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 25 – Sustainable farmers are on the front lines of the fight to mitigate climate change. Yet agriculture funding is geared …
Climate Finance | August 12, 2021
Business leaders rally to U.S. infrastructure bill to mobilize capital for climate solutions
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 13 – Even before it is passed, the U.S. infrastructure bill is mobilizing private sector capital for climate solutions. Bill Gates’ …
Climate and Clean Tech | August 11, 2021
Infrastructure investments promise to move U.S. from climate pledges to progress
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 11 – Finally, it really is Infrastructure Week. The Senate’s passage of the $1 trillion package to shore up the nation’s …
Climate and Clean Tech | August 9, 2021
The climate catastrophe is nigh, and so are eight key climate solutions
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 9 – Southern Europe and the American west are burning. Northern Europe and central China have been ravaged by floods. And …
Signals | July 29, 2021
Green bonds or greenwashing? Growth of aquaculture poses risks for ocean health.
ImpactAlpha, July 29 – Mowi ASA, the Norwegian fish farming giant, raised €200 million from investors last year in what was the seafood industry’s …
Climate Finance | July 21, 2021
Breakthrough Energy planning “blended finance” fund to marshal billions for next-gen climate tech
ImpactAlpha, July 21 – The billionaire-backed Breakthrough Energy is preparing a blended finance fund to catalyze billions of dollars of investment to scale …
Innovative Finance | July 15, 2021
Sustainability-linked debt is giving more companies incentives to do the right things
ImpactAlpha, July 15 – Greece’s largest power utility put itself on the hook to reduce its carbon emissions with its €500 million ($591 million) …
Climate Finance | July 15, 2021
Carbon markets are set to expand in Europe and China
ImpactAlpha, July 15 – Prices on Europe’s carbon trading system jumped almost 5%, to €55, after the European Commission laid out plans to …
Impact Tech | July 14, 2021
Two dozen charts map the trajectory of sustainable finance, food, energy and mobility
ImpactAlpha, July 14 – San Francisco and London-based Generation Investment Management, the $36 billion investment firm founded by Al Gore and David Blood, has for …
photo: G20
Catalytic Capital | July 13, 2021
From COVID to climate, G20 countries look to catalyze capital for urgent action
ImpactAlpha, July 13 – The global effort on COVID vaccines does not bode well for the massive mobilization needed to avert climate catastrophe. …
Climate Finance | July 8, 2021
Bridging the funding gap for climate mitigation and adaptation in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, July 8 – Record-shattering heat and extreme weather are upping the urgency for climate action. On the front lines of climate disruption …
Agrifood Tech | July 7, 2021
Amid record heat, Equilibrium Capital raises $1 billion for second greenhouse fund
ImpactAlpha, July 7, 2021 – The heat wave made the case more starkly than could any investment pitch deck. In their offices in Portland, …
Climate and Clean Tech | July 6, 2021
Long coming but slow to arrive, fusion energy approaches a milestone on path to commercial deployment
In an old brick garage on an industrial street in Cambridge. Mass., a team of physicists and engineers are getting ready this month …
Jocotenango, Guatemala | Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash
Smallholder Agriculture | July 1, 2021
Impact investors step up to the migration challenge in Central America
ImpactAlpha, July 1 – The confluence in Central America of extreme weather events, gang violence, corruption, and poverty – exacerbated by COVID – is …
2030 Finance | June 24, 2021
What we know about Rockefeller Foundation’s grand ambitions for distributed energy
ImpactAlpha, June 24 – The Rockefeller and IKEA Foundations this week jointly announced a commitment of $1 billion for off-grid energy development in …
Stewardship | June 23, 2021
Engine No. 1’s VOTE ETF aims to wield shareholder power for E, S and G
ImpactAlpha, June 23 – Divest or engage? In the running debate over public-equities impact strategies, engagement is gaining ground. In the proxy season …
Signals | June 16, 2021
Wanted: safe, simple, scalable investments to drive capital to climate solutions
ImpactAlpha, June 17 – Fifteen years after An Inconvenient Truth alerted audiences to the climate crisis, the world is even closer to the …
Impact Management | June 8, 2021
Tallying the financial risks of biodiversity loss
ImpactAlpha, June 8 – Mandatory climate reporting is coming, as companies and governments coalesce around the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure. Just …
Photo credit: Ecobodaa
Originals | June 3, 2021
Shift to electric rickshaws and motorcycles is drawing investors to emerging markets’ e-mobility opportunity
ImpactAlpha, June 3 – The streets of Delhi, Kigali, Nairobi and other cities across the developing world are clogged with traffic, including “boda boda” …
Andy Karsner | Photo credit: The Arctic Circle/YouTube
Signals | June 3, 2021
A third insurgent joins Exxon’s board
ImpactAlpha, June 3 – ExxonMobil chairman and CEO Darren Woods will face even more restive directors. The oil company said preliminary results showed Andy …
Stewardship | May 27, 2021
Victory for insurgents stuns Exxon as shareholders vote for a low-carbon future
ImpactAlpha, May 27 – In a single day, separate developments at ExxonMobil, Chevron and Shell sent an unmistakable signal to oil companies and investors: …
Exxon CEO Darren Woods | Photo credit: McDermid/Reuters/Newscom
Stewardship | May 26, 2021
Shareholders notch historic climate wins against Big Oil
ImpactAlpha, May 26 – Big Oil is taking a big climate beating from shareholders and in the courts today. A Dutch court ordered Royal …
Climate Finance | May 26, 2021
Exxon’s shareholder drama is only beginning of the endgame for oil giant
ImpactAlpha, May 26 – It’s showtime. ExxonMobil faces restive investors today in a test for CEO Darren Woods and his strategy for the …
Soil Heroes
Regeneration | May 20, 2021
Five ways family offices can unlock capital for regenerative agriculture
The investment momentum into regenerative agriculture is undeniable. In 2018, there was $49 million of investment capital going to companies in the space. …
Climate Finance | May 19, 2021
The world’s premier energy forecaster gets real
ImpactAlpha, May 19 – Reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 will take nothing short of a “transformation of how energy is produced, transported and …
Stewardship | May 18, 2021
Shareholders flex their muscles as the drama builds toward votes at ExxonMobil
ImpactAlpha, May 18 – Slowly and then all of a sudden, shareholders have management on the run in a series of proxy votes …
Impact Voices
Photo credit: Educe Cooperativa
Smallholder Agriculture | June 16, 2022
Investing to transform food systems in the face of a global crisis
The growing food crisis has become a global catastrophe. The combined impact of the invasion of Ukraine, climate-related disasters like droughts, and other …
Impact Voices | June 6, 2022
Africa Eats: Filling the gap in operational capital to grow Africa’s small businesses
Find great companies, add growth capital, and the result are bigger, stronger, more scalable companies. This analysis demonstrates what happens when the “missing …
Impact Voices | May 23, 2022
Invest in agriculture for its critical role in food security and climate change
More than two billion photos were taken of dinner plates in 2020, at the advent of a global pandemic. Americans have always turned …
Amazon forest | Photo credit: Brastock
The Reconstruction | May 11, 2022
Seven or more ways to lead with justice in climate investing
Black and Indigenous communities live on the front lines of the climate crisis – where negative health, quality of life, and economic outcomes of …
Impact Management | May 4, 2022
How CDFIs can adopt carbon accounting to lead on climate disclosure
Know what you own. A group of community development financiers is taking the lead on climate disclosure to clean up their loan portfolios. …
Photo credit: La Mano del Mono
Impact Voices | April 21, 2022
Investing in the planet by investing in the people who know it best
ImpactAlpha, April 21 – The theme of this year’s Earth Day is “Invest in our planet.” We’ve all heard the argument: governments, NGOs, …
Photo credit: IDB Lab
Regeneration | April 21, 2022
On this Earth Day, three ways to care for the earth beneath our feet
Many of the pressing issues we face today have their roots in how we treat our land and grow and eat our food. …
Ashanti Williams from the Black Yard Farm | Photo credit: lex Barlowe
The Reconstruction | April 19, 2022
Black Farmer Fund is reimagining U.S. agricultural finance, on farmers’ terms
A century ago, Black farmers represented 14% of all farmers in the U.S. Now? Just 1.4%. Barriers to affordable financing have cost farmers …
Colored heat map for temperature
Impact Voices | March 31, 2022
Tipping points of volatility: The case for climate-Sharpe ratios
Investors today are grossly overlooking one critical category of volatility: climate change. When investors seek targeted risk budgets and returns by diversifying portfolios …
Impact Voices | March 28, 2022
A human-centered approach for impact investing in climate action
Climate finance is booming, now reaching over $600 billion in 2020. Yet, as the newest IPCC report makes clear, unequal climate impacts are …
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Capitalism Reimagined | March 22, 2022
How the SEC’s rules will – and won’t – solve climate change
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed landmark climate-related disclosure requirements for public companies to inform investors about the risks a changing …
Impact Voices | January 11, 2022
Energy Impact Partners builds a tech portfolio for the low-carbon transition
At EIP, the entire investment focus of our coalition is accelerating the clean energy transition. For our 33 coalition partners, which include utilities, …
Acumen's Jacqueline Novogratz | Photo credit: Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit/AFP
Impact Voices | January 6, 2022
To address climate inequality, we need innovative finance solutions
Developed countries received $60 billion more in clean energy investments last year than developing countries according to a recent BloombergNEF survey. Poorer countries …
Impact Voices | November 22, 2021
The right capital in the right place at the right time can take climate impact beyond ‘net zero’
Since COP26 was gaveled to a close earlier this month, a flurry of hot takes and deeply considered critiques have interrogated Mark Carney’s …
Impact Voices | November 1, 2021
International cooperation and open data are key to a just transition away from fossil fuels
This week, 196 countries are gathering in Glasgow for the long-awaited COP26 climate summit. They will work to deliver on their Paris Agreement …
Photo credit: Getty
Climate Finance | September 9, 2021
Letter from New Orleans: Climate risk is business risk, and opportunity
Consider these statements: “Climate Risk Is Investment Risk.” “The climate crisis poses enormous financial risk to investment managers, asset owners, and businesses. These …
Photo by Jan Kopřiva on Unsplash
Climate Finance | August 25, 2021
Investing in climate-smart farms to accelerate the net-zero transition
In case you haven’t seen the headlines – or haven’t experienced the extreme weather events yourself – climate change is here. In the …
Impact Voices | August 18, 2021
Modeling long-term emissions reductions to drive climate tech investments now
The increasing flow of capital into climate solutions offers a chance to avoid the most catastrophic climate scenarios. Increased investor focus on modeling …
Impact Voices | July 26, 2021
The case for a ‘Volcker Shock’ for climate
Contemporary efforts to grapple with the climate crisis almost all come with mid-twentieth century branding: a ‘Green New Deal,’ a ‘climate moonshot,’ a …
10kw wind turbine at Argonne National Laboratory | Photo credit: Science in HD on Unsplash
Impact Voices | June 7, 2021
Yes, impact-first catalytic capital is still needed for early-stage climate solutions
Climate technologies have become better and more affordable. Renewable energy can compete on cost with power from coal and natural-gas plants. The improving …
Image credit: FloodMapp
Impact Voices | June 3, 2021
For climate adaptation solutions, think smaller, local and experimental
This summer, drivers in Virginia’s coastal communities will have a new way to avoid hazardous flood zones generated by climate change. It’s not …
Santiago, Chile
2030 Finance | June 3, 2021
E-buses are accelerating e-mobility in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, June 3 – Fleets of zero-emission electric buses operating in Latin America were once a distant dream, especially for city dwellers commuting to …
Conservation | April 28, 2021
Who’s going to pay? Due diligence in conservation finance starts with the offtake agreement
Venture capitalists in many sectors have developed robust due-diligence practices. The conservation finance community and its catalytic investors are still learning what works. …
Impact Management | March 24, 2021
Despite climate pledges, Goldman Sachs continues fracking finance
Photo by Sobrevolando Patagonia
Photo credit: Farmcrowdy
Africa | March 24, 2021
African agtech is boosting yields, protecting resources and raising incomes
ImpactAlpha, March 24 – Field drones. Harvesting robots. Big Data-driven farm insights. Innovative technological applications in agriculture can have a profound impact on farmers’ …
Climate and Clean Tech | January 26, 2021
Obvious’ Andrew Beebe: We have entered the climate decade
As we finally put 2020 into hindsight, the road ahead is uncertain. On the one hand, stock markets continue to thrive, and the …
Impact Voices | January 26, 2021
Retool finance to rebuild soil health
Regenerative agriculture may be in vogue, but in many ways, it’s as old as agriculture itself, as practiced by our ancestors and to …
Impact Voices | January 13, 2021
What the U.S. return to the Paris Agreement means for investors
After years of signaling its intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement to fight climate change, the United States made the decision official …
Impact Voices | December 21, 2020
Financing for climate adaptation can drive Africa’s economic development and climate goals
Power is critical to Africa’s development. At least 600 million people across the continent that don’t have access to affordable and reliable power. …
Africa | November 23, 2020
An ‘impact-first’ approach to investing for climate justice in rural communities
If you are an investor interested in learning more about how to invest in climate justice solutions, join us on December 3rd for …
2030 Finance | July 28, 2020
The world is arriving at where climate investors have long been
ImpactAlpha, July 28 – Much has been written about the link between Covid and the environment, and how Covid will prompt a new …
Catalytic Capital | June 25, 2020
Building a better post-COVID food system with investments in small businesses in developing economies
COVID-19 is – and will continue to have – a huge impact on global food and nutrition security. On the supply side, restrictions …
Asia | May 6, 2020
Helping circular economy startups in emerging markets scale their impact
The COVID-19 crisis has put into stark contrast the need for increased investment in solutions like better resilience, local job creation, affordable healthcare, …
2030 Finance | April 16, 2020
Make new mistakes: Learning from the history of climate change to tackle the COVID challenge
The global experience – and response – to COVID19 is the latest example of history repeating itself. Very rarely have we experienced events …
2030 Finance | March 2, 2020
Catalyzing capital to develop carbontech for gigaton-scale CO2 removal
The pace of international carbon dioxide emissions reduction is insufficient to limit global average temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius. Even with rapid …
2030 Finance | February 18, 2020
Listen to customers, not hypesters, about the impact of energy access
Few would dispute that for many of the 840 million people without access to electricity globally, off-grid solutions will be essential to improving …
Africa | January 23, 2020
Blending philanthropic, public and private capital to finance climate infrastructure in emerging economies
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 23 – The Climate Finance Partnership, announced this week at the World Economic Forum, showcases the catalytic power of philanthropic and public …
Beats | November 19, 2019
“Sandboxes for nature” could speed up environmental innovation
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 19 – Regulatory sandboxes are relatively new tools that provide a special exemption from standard regulation—usually in the fintech and energy …
Catalytic Capital | October 30, 2019
Getting smart about subsidies to bridge the agricultural financing gap
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 30 – The latest data suggests that financial service providers are supplying about $70 billion to rural agricultural households around the …
2030 Finance | October 15, 2019
Climate-smart private equity investors take leadership in Africa
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 15 – Climate change poses an existential threat to our societies. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Africa – the …
Agrifood Tech | October 10, 2019
Investing with a ‘nutrition lens’ to drive progress on the Sustainable Development Goals
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 10 – Poor nutrition is an untrenched global challenge that impacts many of the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. Solving it …
2030 Finance | September 16, 2019
Investments in sustainable aquaculture point to a greener ‘blue economy’
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 16 – Aquaculture has emerged as a vital alternative to wild-caught fish, a major source of the world’s protein, as ocean …
Catalytic Capital | April 10, 2019
Key ingredient in the blended-finance blend: revenues
ImpactAlpha, April 10 – As the term “blended finance” increasingly becomes part of the global development vernacular, the phrase is popping up in …
Features | January 14, 2019
How Ceniarth is seeking higher impact on rural livelihoods – while preserving its own capital
ImpactAlpha, January 14 – Last summer, Diane Isenberg, founder of our family office Ceniarth, went public in ImpactAlpha with our firm’s pledge to …
Catalytic Capital | December 6, 2018
Changing climate means growing demand for ‘adaptation finance’
A mismatch between the growing climate crises and underinvestment in mitigation solutions such as renewable energy means more investment will be needed to …
2030 Finance | August 29, 2018
Foundations collaborate on catalytic financing to accelerate climate action
Climate change entrepreneurs and fund managers are developing innovative solutions to worldwide challenges. But too often, promising efforts languish on the drawing board …
Impact Tech | June 19, 2018
Technology ventures aim to tackle challenges of the world’s small farmers, too
Farmers have not been passively watching the technology revolution for the last 20 years. Yet most technical advances have targeted commercial farmers in …
Photo credit: Johnny Brown
2030 Finance | April 4, 2018
How investors can get the most climate-change impact for their bucks
By Scott P. Burger, Alicia Seiger, and Sarah Kearney ImpactAlpha, Apr. 4, 2018 –– By 2050, experts say, the world economy needs to …
2030 Finance | March 23, 2018
As shareholders get active on climate, the SEC lets companies duck votes
Many impact investors posit that holding positions in public companies leads to positive impact because of the ability to pressure management through shareholder …
Dealflow
Photo by World Future Council.
Clean Energy | June 24, 2022
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: Clean energy in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, June 24 — The Covid pandemic has set back progress in providing access to clean energy in emerging markets. In Africa, 25 …
Impact Investing | June 23, 2022
Brookfield hauls in $15 billion for energy transition fund
ImpactAlpha, June 23 – Not bad as first-time funds go. Brookfield closed out an institutional fundraising campaign for its inaugural Global Transition Fund …
Photo by O3World.
Impact Tech | June 16, 2022
Strella Biotechnology secures $8 million to reduce produce waste
ImpactAlpha, June 16 — Investments in “demand planning,” to better understand the perishability of food products, for example, are on the upswing, ReFED’s …
Terra.do's founder Anshuman Bapna | Photo by Terra.do.
Climate and Clean Tech | June 16, 2022
Terra.do scores $5 million to connect global professionals with careers in climate tech
ImpactAlpha, June 16 — Investors and executives in climate tech are seeing an upswell of talent (for context, see “In Silicon Valley, talent …
Photo by Enterprise.
Climate and Clean Tech | June 15, 2022
Travertine raises $3 million to commercialize carbon capture technology
ImpactAlpha, June 15 — Travertine’s Laura Lammers founded the company to respond to the twin challenges of atmospheric carbon and sulfate waste. “By …
Photo by Vinson & Elkins.
Clean Energy | June 14, 2022
AXA invests $15 million in GreenStruxure for zero-carbon onsite energy
ImpactAlpha, June 14 — Boston-based GreenStruxure is a joint venture partnership between Schneider Electric and impact investor Huck Capital to help large building …
Photo by ESG Enterprise.
Climate Finance | June 13, 2022
Fashion Climate Fund secures $40 million to decarbonize the apparel supply chain
ImpactAlpha, June 13 — The global apparel and footwear industry is responsible for 2.1 billion tons of carbon emissions, equivalent to the emissions …
Photo by Bridges Fund Management.
Impact Management | June 13, 2022
Bridges Fund Management closes £350 million property fund
ImpactAlpha, June 13 — U.K.-based impact investor Bridges Fund Management has raised £350 million ($425 million) for its fifth property fund. The fund …
Josh Aviv of SparkCharge
Climate and Clean Tech | June 8, 2022
Cleantech incubator stands up debt fund focused on women, Black and Brown founders
ImpactAlpha, Jun. 8 – The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, or LACI, has a new tool to increase access to capital for cleantech founders historically …
Agrifood Tech | June 3, 2022
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: Climate-smart food
ImpactAlpha, June 3 – Minimizing food waste. Managing emissions of food brands and ingredients. Decarbonizing fertilizers and food processors. Climate change is spurring …
Tamilnadu, India
India | May 31, 2022
Aavishkaar seeks to raise a $500 million carbon fund for India, South Asia and Southeast Asia
ImpactAlpha, May 31 – India-based Aavishkaar Capital says it’s raising carbon fund of up to $500 million for investments in India, South Asia …
Agrifood Tech | May 31, 2022
ReFED and Closed Loop Partners launch funds to catalyze capital for food waste solutions
ImpactAlpha, May 31 – Berkeley-based food waste nonprofit ReFED and New York-based Closed Loop Partners are standing up three investment vehicles as part …
Photo credit: SparkCharge.
Climate and Clean Tech | May 25, 2022
SparkCharge secures $23 million for on-demand EV charging
ImpactAlpha, May 25 — Somerville, Mass.-based SparkCharge has raised $23 million to expand its network of rapid electric vehicle charging stations. The company’s …
Climate Finance | May 25, 2022
a16z leads Flowcarbon’s $70 million round to improve voluntary carbon market transparency
ImpactAlpha, May 25 – Carbon + crypto is a hot combination. Look at the boldface names behind Flowcarbon, a startup that tokenizes certified carbon …
Photo by Infinitum Electric.
Green Infrastructure | May 19, 2022
Infinitum Electric raises $80 million to commercialize electric motors
ImpactAlpha, May 19 — Austin-based Infinitum says its low-carbon air-core motors are more energy efficient and half the weight and size of conventional …
Photo by ANDREAS PEIN/LAIF/REDUX.
2030 Finance | May 19, 2022
Generation Investment Management raises $1.7 billion sustainable solutions fund
ImpactAlpha, May 19 — Generation Investment Management has raised $1.7 billion for its fourth Sustainable Solutions Fund. The private equity fund is Generation’s …
Photo credit: VOS.
Blockchain/AI/IoT | May 18, 2022
Soluna scores $35 million from Spring Lane Capital to use wasted clean energy for crypto mining
ImpactAlpha, May 18 — If crypto doesn’t save the earth, it may destroy it. By some estimates, Bitcoin and other crypto mining consumes …
PHOTO BY ROY ROCHLIN/GETTY IMAGES.
Dealflow | May 18, 2022
Bloomberg Philanthropies commits $242 million for clean energy in developing countries
ImpactAlpha, May 18 — With $164 million in commitments, Michael Bloomberg’s foundation says it has helped close down more than two-thirds of coal …
Photo credit: Sencrop.
Agrifood Tech | May 17, 2022
Sencrop secures $18 million to help farmers manage ‘ultra-local’ weather risks
ImpactAlpha, May 17 — French agtech venture Sencrop provides microclimate information to 20,000 farmers in Europe from its network of ultra-local weather stations. …
Illustration by World Bank Blogs.
Climate Finance | May 17, 2022
Sustain.Life secures $16 million to help small businesses take climate action
ImpactAlpha, May 17 — The combined carbon emissions of the 90% of the world’s businesses that are small and mid-sized exceeds that of …
Illustration by Cornelia Li/The Counter.
Regeneration | May 16, 2022
AXA, Unilever and Tikehau Capital seed regenerative agriculture fund with €300 million
ImpactAlpha, May 16 — Paris-based Tikehau Capital and AXA and U.K.-based Unilever are joining forces to launch a regenerative agriculture fund, which seeks …
Photo credit: Equity Group.
Dealflow | May 11, 2022
Equity Group secures $165 million to finance small businesses and climate projects in Africa
ImpactAlpha, May 11 — Through a partnership with IFC, Nairobi-based Equity Group will invest $80 million in equity in climate projects over five …
Photo credit: Group14 Technologies.
Climate and Clean Tech | May 10, 2022
Group14 Technologies rakes in $400 million to commercialize silicon batteries
ImpactAlpha, May 10 — Battery tech ventures are raising big rounds in the race for better lithium batteries. Seattle-based Group14, which developed a …
Photo credit: Simply Green Home Services.
Catalytic Capital | May 10, 2022
Inclusive Prosperity raises $13 million for energy upgrades for underserved communities
ImpactAlpha, May 10 — Inclusive Prosperity Capital is looking to democratize access to clean energy by providing financing to local energy companies to …
Photo credit: Global Conservation.
Climate and Clean Tech | May 9, 2022
Pachama scores $55 million to verify forest-based carbon credits
ImpactAlpha, May 9 — Pachama, which uses satellite imaging and artificial intelligence to monitor carbon stored in forests, has raised $55 million in …
Photo credit: Loveyourclothes.com
Dealflow | May 5, 2022
Decarbonization Partners backs alt-leather producer MycoWorks
ImpactAlpha, May 5 — BlackRock and Singapore’s Temasek launched Decarbonization Partners last year with a combined $600 million commitment. Its first investment: MycoWorks, …
Photo credit: RideTandem.
Good Jobs | May 4, 2022
RideTandem scores $2.2 million to alleviate ‘transport poverty’ for blue-collar workers
ImpactAlpha, May 4 — Public transportation is increasingly inaccessible for low-income workers in the U.K., particularly in rural areas. “Half of the lowest-earning …
Photo by Joao Marcelo Marques on Unsplash.
Agrifood Tech | May 3, 2022
Lightsmith Group backs Brazil’s Solinftec’s precision agriculture-as-a-service
ImpactAlpha, May 3 — New York-based private equity firm Lightsmith Group raised $186 million to invest in companies with data and technology for …
Photo credit: Sense.
Climate and Clean Tech | May 3, 2022
Sense raises $105 million to help homeowners reduce energy costs
ImpactAlpha, May 3 — Cambridge, Mass.-based Sense helps homeowners reduce their carbon footprint with devices that monitor energy usage in real-time. The company …
Photo credit: Sun King
Frontier and Growth Markets | April 28, 2022
Sun King scores $260 million to ramp up off-grid solar access in Africa
ImpactAlpha, April 28 – The off-grid solar sector in Africa is growing up. Sun King, launched (as Greenlight Planet) in Chicago 15 years …
Electric cars in India | Photo credit: Getty
Climate and Clean Tech | April 27, 2022
TPG seals its Rise Climate Fund at $7.3 billion
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 27 – TPG closed its Rise Climate Fund at $7.3 billion. With the final close, the climate fund on TPG’s Rise platform …
Photo credit: Farmerline
Smallholder Agriculture | April 27, 2022
Ghanaian agtech venture Farmerline raises $12.9 million to help small farmers improve yields
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 27 – Farmerline’s marketplace helps smallholder farmers build climate resilience with digital tools, logistics, field agents, farm resources and agribusiness partnerships. On …
Image credit: Greenly
Climate Finance | April 26, 2022
Greenly secures $23 million to help small businesses cut carbon emissions
ImpactAlpha, April 26 – Small businesses’ small carbon footprints add up. And as suppliers and distributors for larger corporations, measuring and managing their …
Photo credit: Air Company.
Climate and Clean Tech | April 25, 2022
Air Company raises $30 million to turn carbon into vodka and other products
ImpactAlpha, April 25 — New York-based Air Company uses only air, water and sunlight to transform captured carbon into carbon-negative spirits and other …
Photo credit: L'Oreal.
Climate Finance | April 25, 2022
Circular Innovation Fund secures €50 million from L’Oréal
ImpactAlpha, April 25 — Global cosmetics giant L’Oréal has made a €50 million ($53.9 million) allocation to Circular Innovation Fund, a joint venture …
VC Include team
The Reconstruction | April 21, 2022
VC Include backs 10 climate funds led by diverse managers
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 21 – Black and Brown communities disproportionately impacted by climate change are an important source of talent, ideas and solutions. Unlocking those …
Photo credit: AEA.
Regeneration | April 20, 2022
Advancing Eco Agriculture raises $4.7 million for regenerative agriculture
ImpactAlpha, April 20 — Middlefield, Ohio-based Advancing Eco Agriculture provides sustainable fertilizer, consultations and data to farmers to transition to regenerative agriculture practices. …
Photo: Lowercarbon Capital
Climate Finance | April 18, 2022
Stripe backs Lowercarbon Capital $350 million fund for carbon capture
ImpactAlpha, April 18 — “There has never been a better time to start a carbon removal company,” wrote Chris Sacca in launching his …
Photo credit: Raptor Maps.
Climate and Clean Tech | April 18, 2022
Raptor Maps secures $22 million to build solar management software
ImpactAlpha, April 18 — Boston-based Raptor Maps’ platform helps Tesla and other companies scout installation sites and quantify financial and other risks, using …
Photo credit: RPM International.
Climate Finance | April 14, 2022
Commonfund Capital raises a $233 million environmental sustainability fund
ImpactAlpha, April 14 — The private equity arm of Wilton, Conn.-based asset manager Commonfund, Commonfund Capital invests primarily in small- and mid-sized real …
Photo credit: Terradepth.
Oceans | April 13, 2022
Terradepth scores $20 million to map the earth’s oceans
ImpactAlpha, April 13 — Austin-based Terradepth is building a map of the oceans to help governments, businesses and research organizations mitigate climate risk. …
Impact Investing | April 12, 2022
Stripe leads a $925 million ‘advance market commitment’ for carbon removal
ImpactAlpha, April 13 – If you buy it, they will come. That was how Stanford University’s Alicia Seiger summed up a new initiative …
Climate Finance | April 12, 2022
Nuveen and Shell Foundation to deploy $100 million for climate resilience in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, April 12 — Nuveen, the $1.3 trillion asset-management arm of TIAA, has enlisted Shell Foundation to allocate growth capital to companies helping …
Photo credit: Waterplan.
Water | April 12, 2022
Waterplan snags $7 million to help companies manage water-related risk
ImpactAlpha, April 12 — Climate change is wreaking havoc on water supplies and quality. San Francisco-based Waterplan helps Coca-Cola, Colgate and other businesses …
Photo credit: SPAN.
Dealflow | April 11, 2022
Wireframe Ventures raises $77 million for early-stage health and climate investments
ImpactAlpha, April 11 — San Francisco-based Wireframe Ventures has raised $77 million for its second early-stage venture health and climate fund. Like its …
Photo credit: Chris Ratcliffe via Getty Images.
Impact Investing | April 7, 2022
Climate accounting tech attracts VC funding in wake of SEC disclosure proposal
ImpactAlpha, April 7 — The climate accountants are coming. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed mandatory climate reporting for publicly traded companies and …
(left to right) Sarah Sclarsic and Sierra Peterson of Voyager Ventures
Gender Smart | April 7, 2022
Women-led Voyager Ventures raises a $100 million climate tech fund
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 7 – Voyager Ventures has raised a $100 million climate tech fund. The first fund from Sierra Peterson and Sarah Sclarsic attracted …
Image credit: Adaptavate
Climate and Clean Tech | April 6, 2022
Adaptavate raises £2.2 million to slash the climate impact of building materials
ImpactAlpha, April 6 – If sustainable drywall sounds like a niche innovation, consider that gypsum board is among the world’s most-used building materials …
Global OTEC's floating power plants (source: Global OTEC)
Climate Finance | April 4, 2022
Overlooked innovators with key climate solutions are a sweet spot for early-stage funds
ImpactAlpha, April 4 – Today’s stark new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls for both/and to avert a worst-case climate …
Photo credit: Opinio Juris.
SDGs | April 4, 2022
WaterEquity secures $153 million for water and sanitation impact
ImpactAlpha, April 4 — A subsidiary of Matt Damon’s Water.org, WaterEquity backs microfinance institutions along with micro-utilities, toilet manufacturers and water kiosks to …
Photo by Ivan Bandura on Unsplash
Regeneration | March 31, 2022
Farmland LP raises $130 million to convert conventional farmland to organic
ImpactAlpha, Mar. 31 – Farmland LP has raised $130 million to convert conventional farmland to organic. The close of Farmland’s Vital Farmland REIT, the …
Photo credit: SWAP
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 31, 2022
New Energy Nexus makes four investments in Indonesia’s clean energy transition
ImpactAlpha, March 31 – NEX supports clean energy entrepreneurs with funding, acceleration and network building. California-based organization backed energy efficiency startup Synergy Efficiency Solutions, …
Photo credit: H2 Mobility.
Green Infrastructure | March 30, 2022
H2 Mobility raises $122 million to build hydrogen fueling stations in Europe
ImpactAlpha, March 30 — Hy24, a joint venture between private equity investor Ardian and green hydrogen investor FiveT Hydrogen, led the round with …
Photo credit: BFNP.
Innovative Finance | March 29, 2022
World Bank raises $150 million ‘Rhino Bond’ for conservation in South Africa
ImpactAlpha, March 29 — Proceeds from the five-year bond will support conservation projects to increase the population of endangered black rhinos. Investors will …
Photo credit: Stellantis.
Climate Finance | March 28, 2022
Stellantis and LG Energy Solution joint venture will invest $4.1 billion in EV batteries
ImpactAlpha, March 28 — Billions of dollars have been committed for the advancement of the electric vehicle transition by nearly every major global …
Photo credit: SparkMeter.
Climate Finance | March 28, 2022
SparkMeter scores $10 million for grid management in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, March 28 — Washington, D.C.-based SparkMeter has installed low-cost energy metering systems in more than 150,000 households and businesses in two dozen …
Photo credit: ThriveAgric.
Smallholder Agriculture | March 23, 2022
ThriveAgric scores $56.4 million in debt to help smallholder farmers build income
ImpactAlpha, March 23 — Africa is home to approximately 33 million smallholder farmers, who produce nearly 70% of the continent’s food supply. Most …
Photo credit: DS Smith.
Impact Tech | March 23, 2022
TemperPack raises $140 million to insulate cold chains
ImpactAlpha, March 23 — Richmond, Va.-based TemperPack makes sustainable thermal insulation packaging for transporting perishable goods and medicine. The company’s ClimaCell recyclable thermal …
Green Infrastructure | March 22, 2022
SPAN raises $90 million to upgrade the lowly circuit panel and ‘electrify everything’
ImpactAlpha, March 22 – An electric vehicle may be the biggest new addition to a family’s electric consumption, but it’s not the natural …
Image Credits: Zafaran Photography.
Smallholder Agriculture | March 22, 2022
Apollo Agriculture raises $40 million to bank smallholder farmers in Africa
ImpactAlpha, March 22 — Nairobi-based Apollo has used satellite imagery data and machine learning to underwrite loans to Kenya’s small-scale maize farmers since …
Photo credit: Joseph Barrientos/Unsplash.
Climate Finance | March 22, 2022
Canada’s Planetary Technologies scores $7.8 million for ocean carbon capture
ImpactAlpha, March 22 — Nova Scotia-based Planetary Technologies adds alkalinity to the ocean to resist acidification and enhance the seas’ natural ability to sequester …
Photo credit: Airdrop.
Climate Finance | March 21, 2022
Kimmeridge deploys $200 million for nature-based carbon offsets
ImpactAlpha, March 21 — New York- and Denver-based asset manager Kimmeridge is investing up to $200 million to launch a platform for nature-based …
Ben Christensen, founder and CEO of Cambium Carbon. Photo credit: Cambium Carbon.
Regeneration | March 21, 2022
Cambium Carbon snags $3.2 million to recycle wood waste for carbon sequestration
ImpactAlpha, March 21 — Approximately 36 millions trees fall in U.S. cities each year and are sent to landfills, representing more than $26 …
A direct air capture plant. Photo credit: Climeworks.
Climate and Clean Tech | March 21, 2022
Heirloom raises $53 million for low-cost carbon capture technology
ImpactAlpha, March 21 — Direct air capture technology is needed to remove the billions of tons of carbon from the atmosphere required to …
Oceans | March 17, 2022
Nautilus Labs secures $34 million to decarbonize shipping
ImpactAlpha, March 17 – The shipping industry emits about a gigaton of greenhouse gasses annually. New York-based Nautilus uses sensor and weather data, …
Photo credit: Tibber.
Climate and Clean Tech | March 15, 2022
Tibber secures $100 million for smart home clean energy devices
ImpactAlpha, March 15 — Tibber provides smart devices to monitor household energy use, connected thermostats and electric-vehicle charging for tens of thousands of …
Photo credit: Bioenergy Insight.
Climate and Clean Tech | March 14, 2022
TPG Rise backs Monarch Bioenergy’s renewable natural gas and biofertilizer
ImpactAlpha, March 14 — TPG Rise, the impact investing arm of TPG, last year raised more than $5 billion for a growth-stage climate …
Photo credit: 8 Rivers Capital.
Climate Finance | March 9, 2022
South Korea’s SK Group invests $100 million in 8 Rivers’ cleantech solutions
ImpactAlpha, March 9 — Seoul-based conglomerate SK Group has pledged to help reduce 200 million tons of carbon emissions in South Korea and …
Photo credit: Global Citizen.
Clean Energy | March 9, 2022
Off Grid Electricity backs Solengy’s solar products for rural Haiti
ImpactAlpha, March 9 — Off Grid Electricity Fund, launched by the government of Haiti in 2019 with backing from the World Bank, aims …
Image credit: Erthos
Climate and Clean Tech | March 6, 2022
Erthos clinches $17.5 million to cut solar costs by installing panels on the ground
ImpactAlpha, March 7 – There may be few opportunities left to reduce the cost of solar technology, which is already “the cheapest source …
Photo by Dmitry Bukhantsov on Unsplash
Climate Finance | March 3, 2022
NCX secures $50 million to expand its market for forest-based carbon offsets
ImpactAlpha, March 3 — NCX, formerly known as SilviaTerra, connects landowners who commit to not cutting down their trees with corporations looking to …
Photo credit: ColdHubs
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 1, 2022
Catalyst Fund backs fintech startups to boost resilience in climate-vulnerable communities.
ImpactAlpha, March 1 – The new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes clear that nature-dependent and low-income communities are being …
Photo credit: Victory Farms, an AgDevCo portfolio company
Frontier and Growth Markets | February 28, 2022
AgDevCo raises $90 million to invest in African agri-businesses
ImpactAlpha, February 28 – AgDevCo has invested $150 million since 2010 in small agri-businesses providing inputs, logistics and production assistance to Africa’s smallholder …
Photo credit: Revel.
Smart Cities | February 24, 2022
BlackRock leads Revel’s $126 million funding to expand EV charging in major U.S. cities
ImpactAlpha, February 24 — Brooklyn-based Revel, which since 2018 has managed a fleet of bright blue electric mopeds, wants to make it easier …
Photo credit: Leko Labs.
Climate Finance | February 23, 2022
Microsoft’s climate fund backs Leko Labs’ low-carbon wood for construction
ImpactAlpha, February 23 — Building materials and construction account for 11% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions (operations represent an additional 28%). Luxembourg-based …
An artist rendering of an Antora Energy thermal battery. Photo credit: Antora Energy.
Climate and Clean Tech | February 22, 2022
Antora Energy raises $50 million for zero-carbon batteries for heavy industry
ImpactAlpha, February 22 — Nearly 30% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions come from industry. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Antora Energy launched in 2018 to decarbonize …
A Husk Power Systems mini-grid. Photo credit: Husk Power Systems.
Impact Tech | February 22, 2022
Husk Power Systems scores $4.2 million to scale minigrids in India and Africa
ImpactAlpha, February 22 — The government-owned India Renewable Energy Development Agency made the debt investment in Husk Power Systems, using a line of …
Photo credit: Nacero.
Climate and Clean Tech | February 17, 2022
Global Cleantech Capital raises $75 million for growth-stage clean energy companies
ImpactAlpha, February 17 — Global Cleantech Capital, an Amsterdam-based venture capital firm, is on the hunt for future leaders in decarbonization and financing …
Photo credit: Corne de Weert.
Agrifood Tech | February 15, 2022
Protix raises €50 million to expand insect farming business globally
ImpactAlpha, February 15 — Protix, launched in 2009, uses organic waste to feed black soldier fly larvae, which are then processed into ingredients …
Photo credit: Point Load Power.
Green Infrastructure | February 15, 2022
North Sky Capital exits four green infrastructure investments
ImpactAlpha, February 15 — North Sky Capital last year sold its stakes in a utility-scale solar field, a commercial rooftop project and other …
Dealflow | February 14, 2022
Nuveen closes its inaugural impact fund at $218 million
ImpactAlpha, February 14 – Nuveen has reached a final close of $218 million for its Global Private Equity Impact Fund, its first dedicated …
Photo credit: Sistema.bio.
Smallholder Agriculture | February 10, 2022
Sistema.bio secures $15.6 million for modular biodigesters for smallholder farmers
ImpactAlpha, February 10 — Mexico City-based Sistema.bio launched in 2010 to sell farmers low-cost biodigesters to convert waste into clean energy and biofertilizer. …
Photo credit: EnergyWatch.
Climate and Clean Tech | February 10, 2022
Utilidata raises nearly $27 million to digitize and decarbonize the electric grid
ImpactAlpha, February 10 — As electric grids encompass distributed sources of renewable energy, from solar to storage to electric vehicles, optimizing their performance …
Photo credit: GLF.
Dealflow | February 9, 2022
KKR Global Impact backs Resource Environmental Solutions for restoration and infrastructure
ImpactAlpha, February 9 — Bellaire, Texas-based Resource Environmental Solutions develops green infrastructure, including stormwater management and restoration projects for wildlife habitat, wetlands and …
Photo credit: Shutterstock.
Climate and Clean Tech | February 7, 2022
Verdox raises $80 million to commercialize electric carbon capture technology
ImpactAlpha, February 7 — Direct air capture technology that can remove billions of tons of carbon from the atmosphere may be critical in …
Photo credit: Israel21C.
Smallholder Agriculture | February 7, 2022
Israel’s Agritask raises $26 million for sensor data for farmers
ImpactAlpha, February 7 — Agritask uses a network of connected sensors, weather stations and satellite imagery to give farmers and insurers insight into …
Photo credit: Daimler Truck.
Climate and Clean Tech | February 2, 2022
BlackRock partnership commits $650 million to charging infrastructure for electric trucks
ImpactAlpha, February 2 — A lack of charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles is slowing the deployment of electric trucks. The joint venture between …
Climate Finance | February 2, 2022
Moss.Earth raises $10 million to put carbon credits on blockchain
ImpactAlpha, February 2 – A raft of startups are merging the hot, if volatile, worlds of crypto and climate finance to bring transparency …
Photo credit: Daniel Acker.
Agrifood Tech | February 1, 2022
Kula Bio raises $50 million to meet demand for sustainable nitrogen biofertilizer
ImpactAlpha, February 1 — A raft of biotech startups are helping farmers improve soil quality and rely less on synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, a …
Photo by Flickr.
Women Rising | January 31, 2022
Impact Investment Exchange lists $30 million Women’s Livelihood Bond on the Singapore Exchange
ImpactAlpha, January 31 — Singapore-based Impact Investment Exchange has listed WLB4Climate on the Singapore Exchange. Proceeds from the $30 million bond will be …
Dealflow | January 31, 2022
Impact pioneer responsAbility acquired by investment manager M&G
ImpactAlpha, January 31 – ResponsAbility has invested $11 billion since 2003 in emerging markets enterprises addressing agriculture, access to energy, healthcare and education, …
Photo credit: Bboxx.
Clean Energy | January 26, 2022
Commercial bank loan helps Bboxx expand off-grid solar in Kenya
ImpactAlpha, January 26 — U.K.-based Bboxx launched in 2010 to provide pay-as-you-go solar products to low-income African households without electricity. A $15 million …
Photo credit: AqueoUS Vets.
Water | January 26, 2022
Bain Capital Double Impact backs AqueoUS Vets to remove contaminants from U.S. water infrastructure
ImpactAlpha, January 26 — Nearly 110 million Americans use water that’s contaminated with PFAS, a chemical that can cause decreased fertility, liver damage …
Photo courtesy of Prashanth Vishwanathan, Flickr.
Green Infrastructure | January 25, 2022
Green infrastructure fund raises $741 million for renewable energy and efficiency in India
ImpactAlpha, January 25 — The Green Growth Equity Fund will be managed by Mumbai-based EverSource Capital, a joint venture between Indian private equity …
Photo credit: Summa Equity.
SDGs | January 24, 2022
Summa Equity closes third SDG impact fund at $2.6 billion
ImpactAlpha, January 24 — Summa Equity launched in 2016 to invest in companies working to solve the global challenges identified in the U.N. …
Photo credit: Krishi Jagran.
Smallholder Agriculture | January 19, 2022
Arya raises $60 million to expand agri-commerce for India’s smallholder farmers
ImpactAlpha, January 19 – Arya helps India’s smallholder farmers transport and store their crops and provides working capital until they sell their crops. …
Photo credit: Gogoro.
Smart Cities | January 19, 2022
Engine No. 1 backs Taiwanese electric scooter maker Gogoro
ImpactAlpha, January 19 – Taipei-based Gogoro builds zero-emission and electric smartscooters with swappable batteries. It recently brought its battery swapping stations to mainland …
Photo credit: Ubiquitous Energy.
Climate Finance | January 18, 2022
Ubiquitous Energy scores $30 million for solar-powered windows
ImpactAlpha, January 18 — Redwood City, Calif.-based Ubiquitous Energy was founded in 2011 by MIT and Michigan State University scientists and engineers looking …
The BlocPower team | Photo credit: BlocPower.
Climate Finance | January 18, 2022
BlocPower secures $30 million from Microsoft to retrofit old city buildings
ImpactAlpha, January 18 — Brooklyn-based BlocPower has worked with utilities, government agencies and property owners to retrofit more than 1,200 buildings for low- …
Community Finance | January 15, 2022
Solar proves a pathway for private capital to flow into low-income communities
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 13 – The race is on to install solar panels, lay in chargers for electric vehicles and retrofit housing for energy …
Podcasts
Photo credit: Alicia Powell.
Podcasts | May 27, 2022
Live-ish from Davos: Taking on the world with BlocPower and friends
ImpactAlpha, May 26 — Donnell Baird arrived at Davos this week with his partners from Brooklyn and Ithaca, where BlocPower is greening thousands …
Climate Finance | May 3, 2022
Jonathan Rose on building green, affordable communities of opportunity (podcast)
ImpactAlpha, May 3 – The Pasatiempo apartments on the edge of Silicon Valley near downtown Fremont, Calif., are a mix of market-rate and …
Impact Investing | January 19, 2022
Institutional Shift: ‘Net-zero’ becomes ‘uh-oh’ and other sustainability trends to watch in 2022 (podcast)
Getting to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions is going to mean a deep re-engineering of every industry, every corporation, every community, Equilibrium Capital’s Dave …
Full Cycle's Stephan Nicoleau
The Reconstruction | September 20, 2021
The Reconstruction: Redressing the past with climate-smart infrastructure for a just transition
ImpactAlpha, Sept 20 – Infrastructure is highways and bridges. And hospitals and airports; broadband, clean water, plumbing and electricity. And it all needs …
Climate Finance | August 17, 2021
Forget crypto: Here’s how to play the rising price of carbon
ImpactAlpha, August 17, 2021 – Rising demand. Shrinking supply. Higher prices. Carbon markets in Europe, California and elsewhere are finally starting to work …
Podcasts | January 13, 2021
Generate’s Jigar Shah: What’s next for sustainable infrastructure? Deployment, deployment deployment
ImpactAlpha, Jan 13 – First came solar and wind energy. Then batteries and storage. Now, a raft of better, cheaper and more sustainable …
Podcasts | December 18, 2020
Institutional Shift: The Great Burp Forward and other trends to watch in 2021
ImpactAlpha, December 18, 2020 – As it’s fit and proper to take stock of last year’s predictions before venturing new ones, we looked back …
Podcasts | December 17, 2020
Wildfires bring to the fore financing for forest resilience
Wildfires are natural. Catastrophic firestorms are not. More than 4 million acres of California burned this year, a record that included the first …
2030 Finance | September 23, 2019
Mispriced climate risks signal investment shocks – and opportunities for action
The bigger the protests, the better for investors. In a counter-intuitive shift, the estimated four million global youth climate strikers who took to …
2030 Finance | December 10, 2018
Climate signals blinking red, a test for global leadership at COP24 (updated)
Updates from COP 24 Leaders and laggards. Maersk, the world’s largest container shipper, pledged to be carbon-neutral by 2050, in the latest sign …
Photo credit: Tim Easley
Climate Finance | April 3, 2018
Institutional investors come for the risk reduction, stay for the impact
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 3, 2018 –– The billionaires with their family offices command on outsized share of attention from impact fund managers. The …
Climate Finance | March 23, 2018
Which financial innovations will grow from billions to trillions?
https://medium.com/media/82d73555419e0a8a96448332079b505c/href By finding inventive ways to make social inclusion and environmental regeneration pay, innovative financing models are “internalizing positive externalities.” Too wonky? Just …
2030 Finance | November 22, 2017
Trillion-dollar question: How are the world’s biggest asset owners playing the risks ahead?
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 21 – No sooner had we recorded the latest episode of ImpactAlpha’s Returns on Investment podcast than Norway’s trillion-dollar sovereign wealth …
2030 Finance | September 22, 2017
Hurricanes add urgency to efforts to make climate resilience investable
https://medium.com/media/8c3aacc51fd93d95948bd6c177f57b9d/href We’re only beginning to tally the devastation from hurricanes Harvey, Irma and now Maria — and the wildfires in the Western U.S. and the …
2030 Finance | February 22, 2017
Why is Cleantech Still a Dirty Word for Investors?
Climate Finance https://medium.com/media/ecd55fa1f9cd2c83d228972a14902dad/href Now the 2016 numbers are in, thanks to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. And the worldwide totals are (drumroll) a drop …
2030 Finance | April 22, 2016
Turning Paris Climate Agreements Into Institutional-Ready Investments (Podcast)
https://medium.com/media/697e46c0cbcb9f523233eb5132cc226c/href But it’s going to take more than speeches or even treaties (which won’t go into effect until at least 2018, if not …
Calls
Inclusive Economy | April 22, 2022
Call No 41: How investors are catalyzing climate capital for adaptation and equity (video)
ImpactAlpha, April 22 – The Ukraine crisis risks tipping up to 1.7 billion people — over one-fifth of humanity — into poverty, destitution …
Call Recording | February 11, 2022
Call No. 37: Ramping up the supply of carbon reduction to meet the urgent demand (video)
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 11 – ”$100 a ton?” exclaimed CDP’s Paula DiPerna on ImpactAlpha’s Agents of Impact Call this week. “I should be popping champagne.” …
Catalytic Capital | October 29, 2021
Call No. 33: Using catalytic capital to fill climate finance gaps from the bottom up
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 29 – As the COP26 global climate summit kicks off this weekend, much of the focus will be on the massive …
The Reconstruction | October 15, 2021
Call No. 32: Black tech, green solutions for the planet and the people
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 15 – Invest in climate action for the planet – and the people. “Climate change is a public health issue, it’s a …
Photo credit: Kuli Kuli
Call Recording | March 1, 2021
Call No. 27: Opportunities at the intersection of gender and climate
ImpactAlpha, March 1 – Capital is flowing to climate solutions. Climate bonds have topped $1 trillion. SPACs, or special purpose acquisition companies are …
Features | October 19, 2020
Call No. 24: Agents of Impact converge on financing solutions to ‘light every clinic’
The people and principles needed to solve the challenges of financing solar power for frontline health clinics were represented on ImpactAlpha’s Agents of …
Call Recording | July 1, 2020
Call No. 20: Investors share experiences in getting their assets off the sidelines
“It’s a great time for new entrants, but for those of us who’ve been doing this for a while it is equally urgent to raise our game right and to not get complacent,” said Margot Brandenburg of the Ford Foundation.
Features | June 24, 2020
Call No. 19: Green infrastructure is back on the agenda
ImpactAlpha, Jun 24 – The action in climate action is shifting to infrastructure. Driven by falling price curves for renewables, mispriced risk, and …
Agents of Impact
Bold leaders. Taking action. Driving impact.