Venture investors are investing more and more money in young Dutch companies involved in climate technology, according to an analysis of the Financial Newspaper. This year, these start-ups together raised 620 million euros in venture capital. That is more than five times more than in 2019.
The investors see opportunities in initiatives against CO2 emissions after all the floods and forest fires worldwide this year. “More and more investors are entering this specialist market,” SET Ventures founder René Savelsberg told the newspaper. “The capital flowing into this sector is growing tremendously.”
In the Netherlands there are 380 young tech companies that focus on climate technology. For example, they are working on products that help to reduce CO2 emissions, such as cooling paint, artificial meat or sensors for energy savings.
The companies together are worth almost 7 billion euros. Five years ago, their combined valuation was still 950 million euros. The newspaper relies on data from Dealroom, an agency that registers the financing of start-ups.
Investments in large companies
Most investments in this sector this year went to a few larger companies. For example, scooter rental company Go Sharing received 50 million euros from a venture investor. Lightyear, a manufacturer of solar-powered cars, received a total of around 93 million euros from various parties. The investments do not all come from the Netherlands; money is also being invested in Dutch climate companies from the US, France and Great Britain.
Where previously most money went to start-ups in payment systems, e-commerce and software, now almost a fifth of all investments are made in climate companies. “Climate change is today’s problem,” Briehan Burke, investor at Keen Venture Partners, told FD.
–
