Climate and Clean Tech
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 …
Podcasts | November 18, 2021
Impact Briefing: Four Takeaways from COP26
On this week’s podcast, host Monique Aiken checks in with FullCycle’s Stephan Nicoleau, back from the climate summit in Glasgow. Plus, the headlines. …
Impact Investing | November 18, 2021
Evergrow raises $7 million to provide offtake and funding for carbon reduction projects
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 18 – San Francisco-based Evergrow will act as an intermediary, pooling capital from institutional investors to provide “long term, bankable offtake …
Spring Lane invested in composting company Atlas Organics
Green Infrastructure | November 17, 2021
Spring Lane Capital reaches $151 million first close for its second sustainable infrastructure fund
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 17 – The Boston and Montreal-based private equity firm is looking to raise $400 million to support food & ag, energy, …
Illustration by The One Brief.
Corporate Impact | November 15, 2021
Energy Impact Partners raises more than $1 billion for its second fund
ImpactAlpha, November 15 — New York-based Energy Impact Partners scored commitments from Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund, media conglomerate Cox Enterprises and utilities Southern …
Photo credit: Bioenergy Devco.
Clean Energy | November 15, 2021
Bioenergy Devco secures $100 million to reduce organic waste and produce clean energy
ImpactAlpha, November 15 — Annapolis, Maryland-based Bioenergy Devco uses anaerobic digestion to produce renewable natural gas and sustainable fertilizer for plants while sequestering …
Photo credit: Revel.
Climate Finance | November 10, 2021
Inspiration secures $200 million from ArcLight to help commercial fleets go electric
ImpactAlpha, November 10 — Washington, D.C.-based Inspiration, launched this year, provides financing, leasing and charging infrastructure services for companies looking to electrify and …
Photo credit: TOM TRAMBOW.
Climate Finance | November 10, 2021
European Investment Bank and Allianz Global target €500 million for climate fund
ImpactAlpha, November 10 — Allianz Global, the €633 billion ($733.9 billion) asset management arm of German financial services company Allianz, teamed up with …
Photo credit: Helion Energy.
Climate Finance | November 8, 2021
Helion Energy rakes in $500 million to (really) generate fusion energy
ImpactAlpha, November 8 — The half-billion dollar investment, the largest ever investment for a private fusion venture, reflects growing confidence the clean energy …
Photo credit: ImpactAlpha
Signals | November 3, 2021
Investments in agtech, fintech and climate tech can speed Kenya’s COVID recovery
ImpactAlpha, November 3 – Daily life is gradually returning to normal in Kenya 19 months into the pandemic. But businesses and jobs have …
ClearFlame co-founders Julie Blumreiter and BJ Johnson. Photo credit: ClearFlame.
Dealflow | November 2, 2021
Breakthrough Energy Ventures backs ClearFlame’s zero-carbon fuel for diesel engines
ImpactAlpha, November 2 — Billionaire-backed Breakthrough Energy Ventures raised $1 billion early this year to invest in game-changing climate solutions. Its latest: Geneva, …
photo: Sofar Ocean
Dealflow | November 2, 2021
Sofar Ocean nets $39 million for ocean-data collection
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 2 – Sofar Ocean’s fleet of solar-powered buoys are equipped with sensors that transmit wind, wave, and temperature data to customers …
Stephan Feilhauer and Francis O’Sullivan. Photo credit: Builders Private Capital.
Climate Finance | November 1, 2021
Builders Private Capital stands up $300 million clean energy fund
ImpactAlpha, November 1 — Chicago-based Builders Private Capital is the direct investment arm of Builders Vision, an impact group founded by Lukas Walton, …
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 …
Illustration by Adam Simpson.
Climate Finance | October 28, 2021
Persefoni scores $101 million to expand its carbon management platform
ImpactAlpha, October 28 — Tempe, Ariz.-based Persefoni’s software helps institutional investors and other financial institutions measure, forecast and report on their carbon footprint. …
Dealflow | October 27, 2021
Generation stands up Just Climate for capital-intensive climate solutions
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 28 – Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, Ireland Strategic Investment Fund and Harvard Management Co. are among the founding …
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 …
Photo credit: Adobe Stock.
Climate and Clean Tech | October 26, 2021
Investors ramp up climate tech investments ahead of COP26
ImpactAlpha, October 26 — Venture capital investors poured $16 billion into climate tech startups in the first half of 2021. They’re padding the …
Photo credit: H3 Dynamics
Dealflow | October 25, 2021
Singapore’s H3 Dynamics closes $26 million for hydrogen-powered air cargo and logistics
ImpactAlpha, October 25 – H3 Dynamics is the latest hydrogen-fuel startup to secure investor backing in the race to green the aviation industry. …
Dawn Lippert, Elemental Excelerator and Earthshot Ventures
Agents of Impact | October 22, 2021
Dawn Lippert, Elemental Excelerator and Earthshot Ventures
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 22 – Dawn Lippert is closing capital gaps at both ends of climate tech funding. For more than a decade with Elemental …
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 …
Photo credit: Offshore Technology.
Climate Finance | October 20, 2021
CarbonCapture secures $35 million to suck carbon from the atmosphere
ImpactAlpha, October 20 — Direct air capture technology that can remove billions of tons of carbon from the atmosphere may be critical in …
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 …
Impact Investing | October 14, 2021
TPG’s billion-dollar bet on EVs in India
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 14 – Fresh off an initial $5.4 billion close for its first climate-focused fund, TPG is investing a chunk of those …
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 …
Copenhagen, Denmark
Smart Cities | October 14, 2021
2150 raises nearly €270 million to reimagine cities
ImpactAlpha, October 14 — Europe-based 2150, launched earlier this year by Danish real estate fund manager NREP, is looking for tech companies making …
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 …
Founders David Snydacker, Nick Goldberg, Tom Wilson. Photo credit: Lilac Solutions.
Climate Finance | October 12, 2021
Lilac Solutions raises $150 million to ramp up low-carbon lithium production
ImpactAlpha, October 12 — Electric vehicle and battery makers are facing a shortage of lithium, an essential element for production. Most of the …
Five Season's founders | Photo credit: Five Season.
Geographies | October 7, 2021
Five Seasons Ventures raises €180 million for European foodtech
ImpactAlpha, October 7 — Investors deployed €3 billion in European food tech ventures last year. “There are lots of companies that have raised …
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 …
Agrifood Tech | October 5, 2021
Nuveen backs Do Good Foods with $169 million to turn grocery waste into animal feed
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 5 – Roughly 40% of fruit, vegetables and meats sold at grocery stores end up in landfills. The “closed loop” system of …
Photo credit: DroneSeed.
Climate Finance | October 5, 2021
Reforestation startup DroneSeed raises $36 million for rapid wildfire recovery
ImpactAlpha, October 5 — Seattle-based DroneSeed works on reforestation projects with government agencies, timber companies and nonprofits such as The Nature Conservancy. The …
Photo credit: Fluence.
Climate Finance | October 4, 2021
Fluence Energy seeks to ride the energy storage boom in public offering
ImpactAlpha, October 4 — Storage for wind, solar and other renewable energy sources is critical for a more reliable grid. The market for …
Climate Finance | September 30, 2021
Innovative mechanisms aim to crack the tough nuts of climate finance
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 30 – At this point, solar power, electric vehicles and optimization software are the low-hanging fruits. More difficult: funding sustainable infrastructure …
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 …
The Reconstruction | September 29, 2021
How climate-tech investments can create health and wealth in Black and Brown communities
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 29 – Investors able to spot scalable and community-based solutions will have an advantage as climate justice takes center stage in …
Photo credit: Lightyear.
Clean Energy | September 28, 2021
Lightyear raises $110 million for solar-powered electric vehicles
ImpactAlpha, September 28 — Electric-vehicle makers are looking for an edge. Lightyear is counting on a built-in solar panel on the roof. Lightyear …
Photo credit: IndustryWired.
SDGs | September 28, 2021
Blue Bear closes $150 million fund for AI-enabled climate infrastructure
ImpactAlpha, September 27 — The Los Angeles-based fund received commitments from Goldman Sachs’ AIMS Imprint, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, ZOMA Capital, McKnight Foundation, and …
Photo credit: Zola Electric
SDGs | September 27, 2021
Zola Electric raises $90 million to expand off-grid energy access
ImpactAlpha, September 27 — Amsterdam-based Zola Electric launched in 2011 as Off Grid Electric to connect millions of energy-poor households to low-cost, renewable …
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, …
Lagos State, Nigeria | Photo by Shyne Bellz
Climate and Clean Tech | September 23, 2021
Africa’s eco start-ups seek to turn the tide on plastic pollution
When a problem is on your doorstep, it’s only natural to be compelled to find a solution. Over the past years, demand for …
Photo credit: gnuGrid
Clean Energy | September 23, 2021
Uganda’s gnuGrid pivots from solar data to financial data
ImpactAlpha, September 23 – Kampala-based gnuGrid launched in 2019 as a data and payments intermediary for home solar providers and microgrid operators and …
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 …
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 …