Hello ESG in VC followers,
Welcome to the 14th edition of ESG in VC Insights. Curated with 🖤 every month by the ESG in VC team.
ESG in the News
Morgan Stanley releases it latest repot covering its outlook for ESG and Sustainable Investing over the next decade including the latest trends including the growing role of new sustainable technology solutions
TechCrunch interviews Harkless Moore of Pivotal Ventures, a VC that promotes social impact and the advancement of women and underrepresented groups, discussing how data can be used to more effectively drive social impact investing
Startups are increasingly partnering with globally recognized brands to address major global challenges, such as climate change and healthcare accessibility
The UN releases a new brief outlining various investment pathways needed to achieve the 2030 SDGs
The Economists reports on 5 of the top themes that emerged from NY Climate Week from the importance of biodiversity to the ever-growing need for transition finance
The Regulatory Report
Bloomberg’s recent article discusses the growing influence of responsible investing and ESG legislation on the venture capital industry with a continued rise in ESG reporting requirements on the horizon
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed two landmark climate-related bills, significantly increasing the environmental and climate-related disclosure requirements for public and private entities that do business in California
At the same time, another new California law aims to improve the transparency of founder diversity among venture-backed firms
London School of Economics’ recent article explores the implications of mandatory climate-related disclosures, potential unintended consequences, and the need for global coordination
Noteworthy Raises in E
🌎North America
Clean energy startup, Electric Hydrogen, a Natick, Massachusetts-based developer of power-dense green hydrogen systems, raises $380 million of Series C funding from from Energy Impact Partners, Fifth Wall, and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, among others
Energy storage startup, ESS, a Wilsonville, Oregon-based developer of iron flow battery storage systems, raises $28 million of funding from Honeywell
Forestry startup, Vibrant Planet, a forest planning & management platform, raises $15 million of Series A funding from Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Day One Ventures, and Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund
Clean mobility startup, Harbinger, a Gardena, California-based EV platform focused on medium-duty commercial and specialty, raises $60 million of Series A funding from Coca-Cola System Sustainability Fund, Riverstone Holdings, Ridgeline, and Tiger Global among others
FoodTech startup, Pow.bio, an AI-enabled precision fermentation platform, raises $9.5 million of Series A funding from Thia Ventures, Better Ventures, Cantos, Climate Capital, and Hitachi Ventures, among others
🌍Europe
Energy storage startup, Morrow Batteries, an Oslo, Norway-based industrial battery technology company, raises EUR 70 million in growth funding from Nysnø, Å Energi, PKA, Siemens Financial Services, and ABB
Sustainable mobility startup, H55, a Sion, Switzerland-based developer of electric propulsion for aviation, raises CHF $45 million in Series C funding from ND Capital, Tippet Venture Partners and RTX Ventures
Energy storage startup, Breathe Battery Technologies, a London, UK-based developer of lithium-ion battery performance software, raises $10 million of Series A funding from Lowercarbon and Speedinvest
🌏 Middle East & Asia
Clean energy startup, Infravision, a Sydney, Australia-based developer of drone technologies for installing and upgrading power lines, raises $23 million of Series A funding from Energy Impact Partners, Equinor Ventures and Edison International
AgTech startup, Treetoscope, a Tel Aviv-based percision irrigation platform, raises $7 million in seed funding from Valor Siren Ventures
Noteworthy Raises in S
🌎North America
HealthTech startup, Main Street Health, a Nashville, Tennessee-based value-based healthcare organization focused on serving rural communities, raises $315 million of Series B funding led by Oak HC/FT
SDGs - 3
EdTech startup, Edsoma, a Weatherford, a Texas-based AI-powered reading, education, and communication platform for children, raises $2.5 million of Seed funding led by Shaquille O’Neal
SDGs - 4
HealthTech startup, Headway, a New York City-based mental healthcare platform connecting patients with in-network therapists, raises $125 million of Series C funding led by Spark Capital
SDGs - 3
HealthTech startup, Midi Health, a Palo Alto, California-based women’s midlife healthcare company, raises $25 million of Series A funding led by Google Ventures
SDGs - 3
HealthTech startup, Meeno, a San Francisco-based relationship mentoring app aimed at fostering social connections and combating loneliness, raises $5 million of Seed funding led by Sequoia Capital
SDGs - 3
🌍 Europe
EdTech startup, Gizmo, a London, UK-based generative AI learning startup that uses gamified quizzes to engage learners, raises £2.8 million of seed funding from NFX, Ada Ventures and Capital T
SDGs - 4
🌏 Rest of World
FinTech startup, Galgo, a Santiago, Chile-based platform providing financial access to underserved segments of the Chilean population, raises $40 million of venture funding led by Nazca Ventures
EdTech startup, 10 Minute School, a Dhaka, Bangladesh-based virtual learning platform aiming to democratize Bangladeshi education, raises $5.5 million of pre-Series A funding led by Conjunction Capital
SDGs - 4
Noteworthy Raises in G
Corporate governance startup, Plan A, a Berlin, Germany-based carbon accounting & ESG reporting platform, raises $27 million of Series A funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners
Latest Fund Announcements
New York-based LaPhair Capital Partners launches its inaugural Alpha Fund I, targeting $100 million, to invest in socially responsible startups
Astanor Ventures launches its second fund to invest in early- and later-stage agrifood startups, following the raise of its inaugural $325 million fund launched in 2020
Berlin-based Extantia Capital raises an additional EUR 10 million to invest in decarbonization technologies