Breakthrough Energy Ventures is an investor-led fund that aims to build the new, cutting-edge companies that will lead the world to net-zero emissions.
Our strategy links government-funded research and patient, risk-tolerant capital to bring transformative clean energy innovations to market as quickly as possible.
Investment Strategy
Breakthrough Energy Ventures brings together individuals and companies with the capital, the commitment, and the relationships to navigate the exceptionally complex process of developing and deploying pioneering energy solutions for the future. We invest creatively and flexibly, and our goal is to generate a financial return on our investments – each of which will have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
We also aim to help overcome one of the biggest challenges to investing in climate change solutions: the need for patient capital that accounts for the time it will take to get these innovations to scale. Sectors of the economy like agriculture, housing, and transportation operate – and emit greenhouse gases – at far greater levels than other human activities. As a result, fully deploying new technologies in those sectors will take decades, not years. Given this timeline, our investments don’t just respond to today’s circumstances – they also anticipate tomorrow’s urgent needs.
To help foster innovation as broadly as possible, we don’t limit ourselves to early- or late-stage companies, to small, medium, or large enterprises, or to particular geographies or technologies.
Any one of these companies can have a big impact—and impact, ultimately, is our goal.
To reach a net-zero emissions future, we need new models of investing in clean energy innovation. Working together, governments and investors can help scientists and entrepreneurs develop, scale, and sell the next generation of low-carbon technologies.
Breakthrough Energy Ventures-Europe (BEV-E) is a first-of-a-kind €100 million pilot fund that invests in groundbreaking technologies to decarbonize every part of the economy. It was created in May 2019 as a partnership between Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) and the European Commission (EC), a worldwide leader in establishing climate targets and supporting clean energy research and development. Half of the equity comes from BEV and the other half from InnovFin, the EC’s financing tool for pioneering research and innovation.
This novel partnership connects patient, flexible private-sector investors who know how to build strong companies with a public sector committed to cutting-edge research and development. BEV-E will work with Europe’s robust public clean-energy innovation ecosystem to get successful projects up and running as quickly as possible.
The result? More innovation, better products, and world-class companies that can deploy radically new low-carbon solutions around the world and deliver significant and lasting reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions.
BEV-E is eager to support Europe’s best clean energy innovators as they accelerate the transformation of the energy economy, in the EU and around the globe.
In partnership with the European Commission, executed by the European Investment Bank
Breakthrough Energy Solutions Canada (BESC) is a public-private partnership between the government of Canada and Breakthrough Energy.
Announced in May 2019 with an initial investment of up to $30 million, BESC will accelerate the development of clean energy technologies in the electricity, transportation, building, and manufacturing sectors.
The goal of the partnership is to inspire and support Canadian innovators working to commercialize zero-GHG technologies. The Canadian government, under Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) Energy Innovation Program, and Breakthrough Energy will provide support, guidance, and, potentially, financial investments to help Canadian entrepreneurs bring zero-GHG technologies to market.
Learn more about BESC and the current grant awards at: www.nrcan.gc.ca/breakthrough
