There’s nothing as important as choosing the right VC. Someone from Sequoia once told me that it’s a little bit like getting married, you’re going to spend a lot of time with them, and they might often tell you off for things you don’t quite understand.

Romance aside, choosing the right VC doesn’t just inject capital into your startup, but comes with a host of different benefits, like connections in the industry, previous experience in your niche and support that is specific to you.

On the other hand, signing on with the wrong fund can become quite painful in the long run, as goals and vision diverge, ultimately halting company growth and derailing the founder’s direction.

Now let’s dive in on the best 5.

Pale Blue VC

These guys invest in climate tech startups that are busy reducing and/or reversing the climate crisis and preparing us for a new world.
I like them a lot and, if you want to be liked by them, don’t forget that they care about companies who have metrics on their social and climate impact, for example, measuring their carbon footprint!

Fund size: $87m
Stage: Pre-seed-seed
Focus: sector agnostic
Notable portfolio companies: HIVED and Phytoform

2150

The fund was launched in February 2021, and focuses on early-stage businesses creating more sustainable cities (construction is a big one for them!) for the 21st century and beyond.
They like to invest in companies which can affect big, systemic changes - so don’t forget to mention that in your pitch deck!

Focus: cities and construction
Stage: Early stage
Fund size: €270m
Notable portfolio company: Normative.io

Norrsken VC

They’re a fund investing in startups “solving the world's greatest challenges while building massive businesses” (their words!).
As sector agnostic as it gets, they have a few criteria, such as:

• you must be developing tech software, hardware or other scalable solution

• you care about both impact and profit (which you are probably doing anyway!)

• you’re addressing at least one UN SDG and have metrics to show that you measure your company’s impact

Focus: sector agnostic
Stage: Seed or series A
Fund size: €125m
Notable portfolio company: Heart Aerospace

Blue Horizon

These guys are going hard after the $200m alternative meat market, investing in foodtech and agritech startups that are changing the food system to improve on environment, animal welfare and human health. They dream of transitioning to a new Sustainable Food System that delivers outstanding returns for investors and the planet - so there’s your hook!

Fund size: €183m
Stage: Seed to Growth
Focus: foodtech and agritech
Notable portfolio companies: Mosa Meat, Planted and SuperMeat

SET Ventures

This one is Europe’s leading independent energy venture capital investor (so there’s your industry focus!), investing in digital technologies that work towards a carbon-free energy system. They started back in 2007 so they know what they’re doing.
Also, keep in mind that, while there seems to be a general interest towards hardware, they also like digital technologies and data!

Fund size: €100m
Stage: Early-stage to Growth
Focus: green energy
Notable portfolio companies: GreenEagle Solutions

Hope this quick roundup is helpful, save it for the future!
I tried to include different industries as well as sector-agnostic VC so that everyone who’s early stage and sustainability-driven can find something interesting!

Now get out there and start talking to them!

And good luck!

Lots of jargon there, just to say: how can we make better websites, that align with the sustainability mission of your startup and business?

While most of what we perceive the web to be is in fact “virtual”, the IT industry will be consuming nearly as much energy as India by 2025. It’s something that we must consider, especially as founders and business owners on-a-mission.

And, if done right, this can seriously improve your brand image for both customers and investors.

Below, I’ll be showing you 3 easy wins that you can implement today and won’t even require a redesign.
Let's dive in:

1. Move to a Hosting provider powered by renewable energy

This is one of the most impactful things you can do right now.

Electricity use isn’t quite the issue - but it does become particularly problematic when that’s obtained via fossil fuels, such as a large part of the grid in the UK.

With competitive pricing and several different plans available to suit your business needs, this is one of the easiest wins. You’d be surprised how few of your competitors have made the switch. And you can easily brag about it on your website footer to grow your green brand trust with visitors!

2. Optimize your existing images and files

While it might take you a little more time, it’s worth doing because it can reduce a website's size by over 90%. This is a win for energy use as well as loading speed - and everyone, from you, to your customers and visitors, will be all the better for it!

Note: if you are starting from scratch (or are currently busy with a website redesign) don’t forget to ask your designers to provide both high-res and compressed images from the get-go.

3. Audit third-party external services and plugins

These are big energy drains and, in my personal opinion, tend to provide little value to visitors.

Do a quick review, see what is bringing in the most value for your business, consolidate where you can and remove anything superficial. Yesterday was the best time to do this, the second best option is right now.

A lean website will make everything a lot smoother and might even be a good chance to review your yearly subscriptions.

As you will have noticed, all the tips above are win-win-win. That is for you, your customers and the planet.

I hope this was helpful and happy sustainable web development to you and your team!

Find your Green Heights with us.
It all begins here at your Green Basecamp.

Ciao for now,
Gabri

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