Ilavska Vuillermoz Capital is launching a fund dedicated to climate tech, with a target of €60m for investment in European early-stage startups.
“Limiting global warming of the atmosphere by reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 is the biggest problem faced by humankind in generations that requires funding in the current decade,” says Quentin Dupraz, Principal at Ilavska Vuillermoz Capital, in a press statement on 13 March 2024. “35% to 45% of the emissions reductions will come from technologies that do not exist yet, and an additional 40% from technologies currently in the early market stage. Climate change mitigation induces a fundamental shift to our global economic model, providing room for disruption, which is synonymous with investment opportunity, on top of contributing to a necessary transition.”
Almost a year after joining the firm, Dupraz–who spent six years at Encevo and a year at Ezzing Solar, a company that develops software to manage the lifecycle of solar panels–will head up the new fund, dubbed the “ClimateTech Fund.”
Ilavska Vuillermoz was founded by Luxembourgers Laurent Hengesch and Alain Wildanger in 2019. The first fund-raising round is to close this summer, with a target of €60m to invest in European early-stage startups that develop hardware or software that enables or facilitates decarbonisation. The firm will invest between €650,000 and €4m per company, in seed or series A funding, and either leading the round or co-investing in it, depending on the opportunities.
“Upon careful evaluation, we quickly concluded that climate tech was the most captivating choice,” comments co-founder Laurent Hengesch, adding: “we remain committed to our sector-specific investment strategy.”
Ilavska Vuillermoz’s portfolio includes some 20 companies, including N26, Solaris, Qonto and Teylor.
