AVIVA Impact Investing
Aviva Investors is a global asset management business of Aviva plc, delivering investment management solutions, services, and client-driven performance to clients worldwide. Their approach is rooted in collaboration, responsible action, and commitment, aiming to design solutions that last. The firm focuses on both public and private markets, offering a range of investment strategies and capabilities tailored for institutional and intermediary investors. Aviva Investors is committed to innovation and technological advancements that can bring positive change, as evidenced by their recent efforts to tokenise traditional fund structures. They are also focused on expanding their reach and impact through strategic investments in key sectors like renewable energy and real estate, as well as strengthening client relationships and distribution capabilities across different geographies. Aviva Investors is actively investing in climate transition strategies, seeking opportunities in core energy markets and new technologies that help industries prepare for the future. A key example is their investment in Terra One Climate Solutions to support the development of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Germany. This investment reflects their broader strategy of increasing exposure to the renewable energy sector while capturing growth and returns. Additionally, their real estate investments, such as the acquisition of New Broad Street House, align with the strategic priorities of cities like London, aiming to deliver additional office floorspace and unlock development potential. The firm's investment strategy also emphasizes the importance of client service and relationship management, particularly with institutional investors and consultants. They aim to understand the needs of these investors and provide support in navigating market challenges to reach their long-term investment objectives. The appointment of key personnel, such as Heads of EMEA Institutional Client Relationship Management and Global Consultant Relations, underscores their commitment to strengthening these relationships and driving business growth. Aviva Investors also demonstrates a forward-thinking approach by exploring tokenization of fund structures to enhance time and cost efficiency for investors.
Agronomics
Agronomics focuses on investing in companies that are addressing inefficiencies in the global food production system by pioneering new methods that require fewer resources and generate less waste. They believe that conventional agriculture is not only unsustainable but also financially unviable. Their investment strategy targets companies in the cellular agriculture sector, covering various areas like cultivated meat (beef, pork, chicken), egg proteins, dairy, palm oil, cocoa, cotton, leather, and fermentation commercialization. They aim to provide individual investors access to clean agriculture companies through a single, publicly traded stock. For institutional investors, they offer strategic exposure to innovative food tech companies that are solving food security challenges and creating local jobs, while aligning with ESG mandates and climate-focused allocations. Agronomics actively seeks companies positioned to transform the $10 trillion conventional food production market with more efficient alternatives. The firm highlights the instability and inefficiency caused by modern agriculture's reliance on complex, fragile supply chains, which are susceptible to geopolitical tensions, zoonotic diseases, and climate change. They point to statistics such as the increase in wheat and egg prices, and supply chain disruptions to underscore the urgency for alternative solutions. Agronomics positions its portfolio companies as key players in addressing these challenges and creating a more sustainable and resilient food system. Agronomics invests in companies utilizing technologies such as precision fermentation, synthetic biology, and gene editing to create alternative protein sources, improve crop yields, and produce green hydrogen. They also support companies developing pet food and other materials using these technologies. By investing in companies at different stages, they aim to contribute to the transformation of the food industry and create value for their investors.
Araya Ventures
Invests in exceptional founders globally at pre-seed and seed stages across AI, healthcare, commerce, fintech, and the future of work. Focuses on high-conviction opportunities domestically and globally, with dedicated funds for women-led startups in healthcare, climate, fintech, and deeptech/AI.
Archipelago Ventures
Archipelago Ventures invests in innovative early-stage technology companies developing solutions to material circularity, across three verticals which span the economy: Materials & Production, Circular Systems, and Recovery & Transformation. They look for IP-rich, scalable, proprietary approaches to barriers in material circularity, across plastics, metals, and fibres. The firm supports circular systems that turn used materials into long-lasting resources, focusing on resource efficiency, industrial resilience, and long-term value. They back breakthrough deep-tech that’s reshaping how materials move through the economy. Archipelago's investment team have been working together on Circular Economy investments since 2020, bringing a depth of experience and knowledge learned over decades of working in climate, renewable energy, carbon & sustainable materials, from early stage venture to later stage private equity, and always at the cusp of bold new markets.
Carbon13
Carbon13 is a venture builder focused on addressing the climate emergency. They believe entrepreneurs will change the trajectory of climate change. The firm builds and backs ventures capable of mitigating at least 10M tonnes of CO2e per annum once at scale. They harness the entrepreneurial spirit by engaging with academia, business, policy makers, NGOs, consumers, new standards and finance. Carbon13 is committed to creating ventures that wouldn't otherwise exist by connecting founders, encouraging those unsure about entrepreneurship, and helping individuals find the right cofounder. They focus on supporting ventures in becoming more resilient and impactful. Their goal is to build ventures that mitigate over 400 million tonnes of CO2e per annum by 2040.
Deep Science Ventures
Deep Science Ventures (DSV) is a venture creator focused on building companies that address significant global challenges in sectors like agriculture, computation, climate, pharma, and education. Their approach involves combining available scientific knowledge with 'founder-type scientists' to create high-impact ventures. Instead of traditional investing, they actively create companies from scratch, identifying opportunity areas within each sector and then assembling teams to build ventures targeting specific, impactful outcomes. This involves deep expertise and partnerships with industry leaders, a proven methodology, and de-risked ventures with world-class investor potential. DSV aims to develop ventures that are not only scientifically sound but also commercially viable and capable of attracting significant funding and achieving substantial portfolio valuation.
Elbow Beach Capital
Elbow Beach Capital focuses on backing British technologies that solve the world’s biggest problems, specifically clean technologies that improve industrial productivity, efficiencies, and outcomes at scale. They prioritize companies with the potential to enable real cost and performance improvements for customers while also reducing emissions. The firm is driven by the belief that early-stage capital and focused entrepreneurship are needed to mitigate, arrest, and eventually reverse the damage caused by climate change on ecologies and local economies. Their investment decisions are influenced by the impact companies are having on environmental issues, focusing on tangible solutions to real-world problems. The firm believes in a joined-up approach to tackling environmental and social issues, with investments spanning decarbonization, sustainable energy, and social impact. The team is collaborative and hands-on, aiming to deeply understand the businesses they invest in to effectively support their growth and success. Elbow Beach Capital takes a practical approach, identifying companies whether they are looking for a quick exit or if they are genuinely passionate about what they do. It is conscious that investing in early-stage businesses inherently leads to delays and pivots, but as long as founders are honest with them and determined enough to make the tough decisions, they are happy to invest.
Form Ventures
Form Ventures invests in UK-based startups that operate in markets with significant public policy exposure. Their strategy centers around the belief that startups disrupting old, regulated sectors or creating entirely new markets will inevitably face scrutiny from regulators and politicians. Form Ventures positions itself as a valuable partner to help these startups navigate the complex political and regulatory landscape, turning potential challenges into competitive advantages. They offer support in understanding and engaging with regulators and policymakers, enabling founders to move quickly and effectively. They recognize that even if policy and regulation seem irrelevant in the early stages, world-changing startups will eventually need to address these issues. Their approach seems to focus on proactive engagement and strategic management of regulatory and policy risks, making them uniquely positioned to support disruptive startups in regulated industries.
Frontier IP
Frontier IP operates with the purpose of creating high-value businesses from deep technology, focusing on intellectual property developed by scientists and engineers. Their approach involves identifying IP with commercial potential, often at an early stage through partnerships with universities, academics, and industry. They take founding equity stakes in companies in exchange for commercialization and support services. This includes IP protection, smooth business operations, and hands-on technology support. They focus on validating the technology and understanding its market potential, working closely with industry partners to understand market needs and demands. Their business model focuses on being capital efficient, driven by expertise and knowledge of underlying technologies and industrial processes. They place portfolio companies into clusters to exploit synergies in expertise and develop networks, offering advantages over sector-based approaches. They aim to accelerate time to market for companies and technologies in their core portfolio, providing corporate finance support and capital raising. Frontier IP also seeks investments from relevant industrial partners to bring value through industry connections and technology validation, beyond just capital. Frontier IP provides proactive, hands-on support, including commercialization services, technology validation, early industry engagement, and fundraising. They identify and evaluate IP, take material equity stakes in return for their services, validate technology and scale up market demand in partnership with industry, raise third-party funds, and generate value through potential deferred earnings realized upon exit. The firm emphasizes a different board and team composition compared to conventional IP commercialization firms or venture capitalists, drawing directors and employees from industry with extensive business experience. They focus on tackling fundamental challenges around climate, energy, water, health, and food through their portfolio companies.
Future Planet Capital (Ventures) Ltd
Future Planet Capital is an impact-led VC firm founded in the UK with a global outlook. Their investment strategy is to back high-growth companies that are benchmarked against top universities and innovation centers globally. The firm's mission is to invest in companies solving global challenges in a profitable way, mapping their investments against the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which include climate change, education, health, security, and sustainable growth. They manage over $460M in assets for public and private investors and have deployed an additional $200M through co-investment initiatives. Future Planet Capital has a track record of managing deep tech funds for entities like the UK government, British Business Bank, sovereign wealth funds, and local government pension funds. They leverage a proprietary algorithm that tracks over 500,000 inputs to systematically score and benchmark innovative companies worldwide. The firm emphasizes originating and benchmarking deals from founders and scientists emerging from leading universities and innovation centers. They provide seed, venture, and growth investment, sharing their experience, global reach, and network to help these companies realize their full commercial and impact potential. Future Planet Capital also focuses on creating innovative routes for pension investment into high-growth UK businesses, exemplified by the British Co-Investment Fund (BCF) in partnership with Mobius Life. This fund aims to channel pension investment into the UK's most innovative and impactful businesses, unlocking pension capital to invest in UK private markets and support significant fast-growing companies.
Future Planet Capital Regional
Future Planet Capital is an impact-led venture capital firm founded in the UK with a global outlook. Their investment thesis centers around backing high-growth companies that are addressing global challenges aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, such as climate change, education, health, security, and sustainable growth, with the expectation of generating profitable returns. They focus on companies emerging from top universities and innovation centers, providing seed, venture, and growth investments to help them scale. The firm aims to connect the biggest investors with the brightest minds by offering pension scheme managers access to UK venture investment across the whole of the UK, with the potential for higher long-term returns for savers.
Global Innovation Fund
Global Innovation Fund (GIF) is an impact-focused investment firm that provides financial investment and strategic, post-investment support to accelerate growth and maximize impact for underserved communities. They combine financial investment with strategic, post-investment support to accelerate growth and maximise impact. GIF deploys flexible capital, utilizing grants, equity, and debt, to support early-stage innovations with proven potential to transform lives and progress toward scale. They de-risk and nurture high-potential innovations by providing deep technical, financial, and advisory support, along with connections to a powerful network of peer innovators and follow-on funders. GIF is committed to generating actionable insights and learnings that help innovators, partners, and the wider ecosystem learn, adapt, and make better decisions. The fund strategically prioritizes investments in Africa and Asia, focusing resources where the potential and need for scalable and sustainable change is greatest. GIF seeks innovations driving solutions across two critical thematic areas: building climate resilience and unlocking inclusive economic opportunities. GIF measures its impact by the amount of additional capital attracted to their innovations per dollar invested, the number of people expected to benefit, and the net social value created by their investments. For example, they report $8 in additional capital attracted per $1 invested, 157 million people expected to benefit by 2034, and $1.15 billion in net social value created by five of their earliest investments. GIF Growth offers a specific debt investment option, as demonstrated by their investment in 4G Capital, enabling the company to scale credit to both new and existing clients. By supporting on-lending to 4G Capital’s customer base, this investment promotes financial inclusion for GIF’s target beneficiaries, particularly underserved micro and small enterprises.
Greensphere Capital
Greensphere invests in science-backed businesses that address commercial challenges arising from climate stress and biodiversity loss, ensuring profitability and sustainability.
L&G
Legal & General (L&G) is a leading financial services group and major global investor established in 1836. Their primary focus is on safeguarding people's financial futures through investments, pensions, retirement plans, and life insurance. They are committed to creating a positive societal and environmental impact through their business practices. L&G emphasizes 'Inclusive Capitalism,' striving to align profit with purpose by considering the needs of customers, communities, and shareholders. L&G's investment strategy seems to center around long-term sustainable growth with a focus on infrastructure and environmental sustainability. They are committed to achieving net-zero emissions to prevent catastrophic climate change. The firm's website highlights investments in areas like pensions, retirement solutions, life insurance, and investment products such as Stocks and Shares ISAs. They also focus on products catering to specific life stages and circumstances, such as divorce financial planning and over-50 life insurance. They aim to help individuals prepare for significant life events, offering resources related to buying homes, retirement planning, and unexpected events. Their business model is driven by the principles of long-term ambition over short-sighted gain, striving for outcomes that benefit all stakeholders. They also emphasize providing accessible and understandable financial products for their customers to make informed decisions. Their 'Rebuilding Britain Index (RBI)' signifies their focus on social and economic progress in the UK. L&G is a large organization spanning several business areas. Therefore it may invest in different areas via different funds. It's unclear from the data provided whether L&G would be making VC-style investments directly from the parent company, or whether it would be indirectly through asset management or investment divisions. Sustainability and infrastructure appear to be important lenses for their investments.
Midven
Future Planet Capital Regional, formerly Midven, focuses on amplifying growth for innovative SMEs in the West Midlands. With over 30 years of experience, the firm has invested more than £100 million into early-stage businesses and startups. Their investment strategy goes beyond providing capital, offering a hands-on approach that includes driving growth strategies, creating value throughout the business, and concentrating on key priorities. They aim to connect entrepreneurs with a network of business contacts, offering mentoring and resources to maximize their business potential. The firm targets ambitious founders in the West Midlands, aiming to create a fertile environment for innovative early-stage businesses. They actively seek businesses with high growth potential that can contribute to the regional economy. While sector-agnostic, they have demonstrated expertise in scaling up companies in technology and SaaS. Future Planet Capital Regional manages various funds, representing over £110 million. These funds include the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF), providing up to £2 million for high-growth potential businesses, and the West Midlands Co-Investment Fund (WMCO), supporting innovative businesses with equity up to £1 million. They also manage legacy funds that have historically supported growth in the Midlands. The acquisition by Future Planet Capital in April 2021 allows Future Planet Capital Regional to leverage a global network and impact investing approach, addressing global challenges in climate change, education, health, sustainable growth, and security. This combination of regional focus with global perspective provides a unique value proposition for entrepreneurs seeking to grow and scale their businesses.
Midven Ltd
Future Planet Capital Regional, formerly Midven, invests in early-stage businesses and startups in the West Midlands. Their strategy focuses on fostering collaborations across the region to create a fertile environment for growing innovative companies. They provide capital and hands-on support, including mentoring, resources, and access to their network, to help entrepreneurs build and grow their businesses. They prioritize companies with high growth potential that can contribute to the regional economy. They also emphasize impact investment through Future Planet Capital, connecting investors to address global challenges in climate change, education, health, sustainable growth, and security. Their regional focus stems from the firm's origins as a venture capitalist firm founded by Midlands-based entrepreneurs in 1990. Every fund under their management has been regionally-focused, indicating a strong commitment to the West Midlands. They look for businesses with a well-developed proposition and a talented management team, embracing risk as an opportunity. While sector agnostic, they have proven expertise in scaling up companies in technology and SaaS. Future Planet Capital Regional manages over £110 million across various funds, each with specific investment criteria tailored to early-stage businesses and SMEs. They aim to be more than just a silent partner, offering resources and network to help companies maximize their potential. Their team is composed of experienced professionals with operational and strategic skills to assist portfolio companies in their growth journey. Following the acquisition by Future Planet Capital in 2021, they now also align their investment focus to solve global challenges and impact investment. The parent company, Future Planet Capital, focuses on connecting world's largest investors with solutions to the world's grand challenges.
Milltrust Ventures
Milltrust Ventures, the venture capital arm of Milltrust International Group, champions 'Sustainable Prosperity' with a global presence on four continents. They invest in areas critical to sustainable development, including emerging economies, food security, healthcare, technology, and climate change. Milltrust collaborates with leading global venture capitalists to foster innovation and sustainable growth, indicating a strategy of co-investing or fund-of-funds approach. Milltrust International Group is committed to sustainable, ethical, and visionary investments that ensure enduring financial security and safeguard the planet and its inhabitants. Their vision is to leave the world a better place by focusing on the health of the planet, food systems, and the human race, a concept they label "One Health," harmonizing personal wealth with planetary well-being. Milltrust International LLP provides asset management, investment advisory, and execution services, crafting innovative, alpha-generating investment solutions since 2010. Milltrust's dedication to offering life-changing investment solutions is evident in their focus on the development of emerging economies, rising food demand, technological revolutions, and climate change.
OGCI Climate Investments
The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) is a CEO-led initiative comprising 12 of the world's leading energy companies focused on leading the industry's response to climate change and accelerating action towards a net-zero future consistent with the Paris Agreement. Their strategy revolves around three pillars: achieving net-zero operations, leading the industry in emissions reduction efforts, and helping to decarbonize society. OGCI members are targeting net zero emissions at their own operations and collaborating with partners across the industry and in other sectors to urgently reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. They also focus on partnering, capacity building, and innovations to support companies outside the group, particularly in key technologies and areas that can have the greatest impact on emissions reductions. OGCI's investment and operational focus includes carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), methane emissions reduction, and tackling emissions from transport, including shipping and aviation. Since 2017, OGCI’s member companies have collectively reduced their collective upstream methane emissions by 55% and upstream carbon intensity by 21%. They advocate for policies aligned with their goals through position papers on methane emissions reduction, carbon capture, utilization and storage, natural climate solutions, valuing carbon, and Article 6. OGCI actively collaborates with organizations like Carbon Mapper, IETA, UNEP, EDF, and IEA on projects and reports related to emissions reduction and climate action. They also provide resources like the Satellite Methane Detection Response Playbook to help oil and gas operators effectively respond to methane emissions detected from space, and reports on the potential role of CO₂ mineralizing rocks in expanding global storage capacity. Essentially, OGCI operates as a collaborative and catalytic entity aimed at decarbonizing the oil and gas sector and promoting climate-friendly technologies and practices through its member companies and broader industry partnerships.
Railpen
Railpen is the investment manager for the UK's railways pension schemes, managing over £34 billion in assets on behalf of more than 350,000 members. Their primary purpose is to secure their members' financial future, with a long-term investment horizon rooted in their rail heritage. They focus on managing the schemes effectively, supporting informed decision-making, and providing evolving services to meet member needs. Railpen integrates environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into their investment approach. A key part of their strategy is active ownership and stewardship, which includes engaging with portfolio companies to improve outcomes related to climate transition, workforce value, responsible technology, and sustainable financial markets. Railpen is committed to responsible investing and managing climate-related financial risks and opportunities. They believe that aligning their investment strategy with the Paris Agreement goals benefits their members financially and supports broader societal outcomes. They are dedicated to industry-wide stewardship on system-wide risks, and actively work with other investors to advocate for improvements in corporate governance and audit quality. Stewardship and sustainability are integral to Railpen's approach. They actively engage with companies to enhance their performance on issues that are critical to long-term value creation. This includes promoting fair labor practices, advocating for responsible technology use, and pushing for improvements in audit quality and transparency. Railpen also collaborates with industry bodies and policymakers to influence regulatory changes that are in the best interests of their members and the broader financial system. Their stewardship activities extend to voting at company AGMs to protect the value of their investments, as well as ongoing engagement with company management on ESG issues. Railpen recognizes that combining its voice, influence, and expertise with other investors can make engagement efforts more effective.
SIS Ventures
Social Investment Scotland (SIS) provides mission-driven loan funding and support to social enterprises and charities across Scotland, enabling them to scale impact. Focused on fostering an 'Impact Economy,' SIS aligns with ethical business practices, diversity, and climate action. Loans are tailored to support resilience, growth, and sustainability in underserved communities, with a strong emphasis on reinvesting profits back into the mission.
Sandbrook
Sandbrook Capital is a private investment firm focused on building businesses crucial to transforming the world's energy infrastructure and combating climate change. They partner with entrepreneurs to create impactful companies while delivering strong returns for their investors. The firm's foundation is built on the extensive experience of its founders, who have worked together for over 14 years, developing a deep understanding of the climate infrastructure sector and a refined investment philosophy. Sandbrook aims to combine consistent financial returns with real climate impact. Their investment strategy centers around electrifying the world by supporting the modernization, resilience, and decarbonization of energy supply. They target companies that are addressing the challenges posed by aging equipment, accelerating electricity demand, and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events in North American power grids, and globally. Sandbrook fosters a diverse and inclusive environment, valuing integrity and skillset equally. The firm encourages independent thinking and strives to create positive change through entrepreneurship. The firm emphasizes collaboration and support among its team members, aiming to help entrepreneurs and management teams build long-lasting, impactful companies. Sandbrook targets investment opportunities in renewable power generation, electric grid infrastructure, and related supply chains, investing in companies that provide equipment, infrastructure, and solutions for a sustainable energy future.
Seraphim Accelerator
Seraphim VC is a global leader in SpaceTech investment, focusing on companies solving the world’s greatest problems. They invest in the brightest minds and smartest ideas to provide trailblazing, high-value solutions that disrupt, transform, and improve life. Their mission is to accelerate humanity’s next giant leap by transforming science fiction into science fact. They support space entrepreneurship from inception to exit, providing capital, expertise, and global partners. Seraphim backs pioneering space and deeptech ventures at the forefront of global security, sustainability, and resilience. Their portfolio companies redefine how critical infrastructure is protected, defense capabilities are strengthened, and pressing global challenges are tackled, including real-time Earth observation, secure communications, and climate intelligence. They aim to harness the power of space to build the next generation of game-changing companies. Their interconnected model is designed to identify, support, and grow early-stage SpaceTech companies across the full lifecycle, from inception to exit. They are backed by leading space corporations and international space agencies across their activities, including investors in their funds like Airbus, SES, Teledyne, and Telespazio, SSTL MDA. They also have accelerator partnerships with the UK and European Space Agency. Their approach generates co-investment opportunities for their LPs at Series B and beyond. Seraphim identifies as “mission control” for Spacetech founders.
Turquoise
Turquoise International is a financial advisor and investor focused on climate technologies. They operate in both financial advisory (M&A, capital raising) and direct investment, primarily through the Low Carbon Innovation Funds (LCIF) and the soon-to-be-launched Redwheel Turquoise ClimateTech Fund. Turquoise aims to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions through investments in new technologies and business models and supports later-stage (post-revenue or early-profit) ClimateTech companies. Their strategy encompasses providing advisory services to climate technology businesses, assisting them in securing funding from various sources like venture capital, private equity, infrastructure and sovereign wealth funds, corporate & strategic investors, banks, and high net worth individuals. They also advise companies on mergers, acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, and secondary share sales, working with early and growth-stage businesses, large corporates, and financial institutions. On the investment side, Turquoise actively manages funds like LCIF, which is currently fully allocated, and is in the process of launching the Redwheel Turquoise ClimateTech Fund to target later-stage ClimateTech companies in the UK. They also offer investment-related services to other investors, including fund establishment and management, investment and advisory committee membership, and individual investment advice. Turquoise’s approach is supported by a team of experienced investment professionals and a network of advisors with expertise across the climate technology landscape. They demonstrate a commitment to supporting companies that contribute to a greener future and offer both financial advisory and investment services to achieve this goal.
Bethnal Green Ventures
Invests in ambitious, diverse founders building tech-driven solutions to address global challenges like climate change, inequality, and health disparities. Focuses on scalable, sustainable businesses that deliver measurable positive impact alongside commercial growth.