New start-up investors will spend half billion on greentech
The Copenhagen based venture capital company “Footprint Firm” recently launched a new impact fund focused on deep-tech solutions to sustainability issues. Their “Footprint Fund I” closed at €76m (567 mio DKK)
Hit the ground running
The fund focuses on deep tech early-stage and scale-up companies in Northern Europe contributing to the green transition. Footprint Fund I is the first fund in The Footprint Firm’s venture platform and has already invested in 20 start-ups including several incubated in Innovation District Copenhagen.
There is no time to let visions remain visions. They must be backed, scaled, brought to life. The Footprint Fund I invests in ideas that seem impossible, in founders who dare, in technologies that rewrite what is possible”: Sofie Käll, Chief Investment Officer at the Footprint Fund.
Saving the world as a good investment
Footprint Fund I is backed by a group of leading Danish institutional investors, including Innovation District Copenhagen-partner EIFO. Footprint Fund I invests in early-stage companies that address key sustainability and climate challenges while also having the potential for competitive financial returns. The completion of the fundraising marks an important milestone in The Footprint Firm’s development as an investment platform.
The Footprint Firm has built a venture model that reflects the strengths of the Nordic ecosystem, combining strong research foundations with industrial relevance and execution capability. Their platform integrates capital with deep operational and sustainability expertise, giving early-stage climate companies hands-on support as they scale. This approach creates strong conditions for science-driven innovation to translate into real-world climate impact”: Tamara Savic, Investment Director, EIFO.
Contribution to the green transition
With the closing of its first fund, The Footprint Firm strengthens its role as a catalyst for research-based and scalable sustainable innovation. The investment focus is on technologies and business models that can be realized at industrial scale and contribute to the global green transition.
With Footprint Fund I, we are doubling down on our mission to accelerate what is necessary, The future worth building will not arrive by chance, it must be ventured into. Europe has the talent, research depth, and industrial base needed to build category-defining climate solutions, and we want to contribute to the success of these teams with funding, ecosystem support, our expertise and network”: Anna Søndergaard, Co-Founding Partner & CEO at The Footprint Firm.
Advisors as well as investors
Footprint Fund I invests in areas such as biotechnology, energy, AI and climate technology, circular manufacturing, the built environment, CO₂ reduction, and food systems. The fund is supported by The Footprint Firm’s team of 45 specialists, who work actively with the portfolio companies in areas including commercialization, regulation, scientific validation, scaling, and partnerships.
The synergies between our advisory business and The Footprint Fund I are already visible. Our business model allows us to invest significantly more hours and expertise into all investment stages than the traditional VC-setup. That is exactly what is needed in the sustainable innovation space, which adds deep environmental, regulatory and transformational requirements to the classic investor toolbox. We are confident that that’s the way to ensure both vital impact and healthy returns”: Co-founding Partner Christian Sparrevohn.
Facts about Footprint Fund I
- Fund size: €76 million
- Type: Article 9 (SFDR)
- Geographic focus: Northern Europe
- Investment stage: Pre-seed and seed
- Investment size: €0.5 – 2 million
- Target no. of investments: Approximately 30 investments
- Investments to date: 20 companies, including innovation district located Octarine Bio, and Rock Flour Company
About The Footprint Firm
The Footprint Firm was founded in 2019 and is a leading Danish sustainability strategy advisory and venture capital firm. The Footprint Firm advises private companies, investors, public institutions and research institutions including Altor Equity Partners, Axcel, Danske Bank, EQT, Lundbeck, Polaris Private Equity and Ørsted, and manages €76m in assets under Footprint Fund I, operating with a 45-member team based in Copenhagen.