Partech, the French venture capital operating internationally and in particular in Europe, announces that it has reached the first closing of its Growth Impact Fund and its first investment in SustainCERT, a startup that has developed a system for climate impact verification based in Luxembourg. Climate change is one of the biggest global challenges today, and Europe has a leading role to play. Today, Europe is home to a vibrant technology ecosystem supporting the environmental transition, benefiting from numerous drivers: public funding, strong regulations, encouraging businesses and SMEs to transform their operating and business models, while committing to net-zero targets. All of this is triggering the need for innovative technological climate solutions. As a result, Europe has become the leading ecosystem in the climate sector: 40% of the world’s climate technology patents have originated here in recent years, which is 1.5 times more than in the United States, Partech said in a statement. However, there remains a gap in the private investment opportunities available to support the development of these innovative enterprises. Most impact investment funds focus on early-stage companies, and very few players support the next stage of development, when they begin to reach commercial maturity. This is the goal of Partech Impact, a fund that has a target size of €300 million. “Partech Impact’s goal is to partner with 15 global technology champions, addressing key climate and societal challenges. The goal is to support their growth path, bridging the gap we see in the current funding landscape between early-stage funds and large buy-out funds,” says Rémi Said, general partner at Partech Impact. “We will invest in B2B companies that have reached at least €10 million in turnover, profoundly transforming the value chains in which they operate,” adds Arnaud Minvielle, general partner of Partech Impact. Our thematic approach favours companies that have a strong impact on industrial, agri-food, environmental and inclusion value chains.”
Supporting the growth of impact startups
In addition to capital, companies will benefit from the team’s knowledge and expertise, which combines buy-out, growth, technology, operations and consulting experiences. These companies can expect practical support ranging from defining strategy, creating a solid foundation and operating systems, promoting business, facilitating organizational growth, and supporting a robust framework for measuring their impact; These are all fundamental skills of the team and are in high demand at this stage of maturity. Partech Impact has assembled a team with high-profile experience from Bain Capital, Eurazeo, Morgan Stanley, Blackrock and McKinsey, taking full advantage of the capabilities of the Partech platform. Partech Impact welcomes a diversified and international investor group, including Bpifrance, the EIF supported by the InvestEU programme, Legrand, LCL and Societe Generale. Partech Impact operates as an Article 9 fund, according to the definition of the EU regulation on the disclosure of sustainable finance: all measurement and impact creation are prioritized at every stage, Partech Impact is committed to ensuring the impact of each investment at every stage of the process, from initial screening, to due diligence, up to post-investment involvement. “This milestone marks a quantum leap for the European technology ecosystem. At Partech, being a pioneer is in our DNA, as evidenced by the successful launches of several investment strategies over the past 10 years, for example: Seed (2013), which successfully closed its fourth year in December 2022, and Growth (2014), which successfully closed its second year in October 2021 – says Philippe Collombel, general partner of Partech -. The launch of Partech Impact is a new milestone in our entrepreneurial journey and reinforces our commitment to driving positive change through sustainable innovation.” Partech Impact has already successfully finalized its first investment in SustainCERT, a climate impact verification system that plays a critical role in the digital verification and certification of emission reduction projects for project developers and companies. SustainCERT has already demonstrated a successful business model, with significant revenues and world-class customers, and is now ready for the next phase of growth. (Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash)
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