€76M Footprint Fund I To Back 30 early-Stage climate And DeepTech Startups In Northern Europe

The fund has already invested in 20 startups and is backed by investors including EIFO, Novo Holdings, Realdania, and North-East Family Office.

“The closing of Footprint Fund I reflects a strong alignment with investors who value disciplined investing, deep sustainability expertise and long-term partnership. The dialogues we’ve had throughout the fundraising process have helped sharpen both our platform and our ambitions. This positions us well as we continue to scale our investment activities and prepare for future funds built on the same integrated model,” said Jakob Mathias Wichmann, co-founding partner & Managing Partner of the Footprint Fund.

Recent 2025–2026 activity highlights continued capital deployment into climate, impact, and DeepTech-focused funds similar to The Footprint Firm’s strategy.

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In Germany, Ananda Impact Ventures closed €73 million for its fifth impact fund. In the UK, 2150 raised €210 million for climate-driven urban systems and Future Energy Ventures secured €205 million for energy transition technologies. Southern Europe saw SC Net Zero Ventures launch a €210 million ClimateTech fund, while the Netherlands’ Rubio Impact Ventures closed €70 million for its third impact fund.

Early-stage players include Munich-based Vanagon Ventures which raised €20 million for pre-seed DeepTech and AI startups. Collectively these funds represent roughly €788 million in disclosed capital positioning The Footprint Firm’s €76 million Footprint Fund I as part of a broader European trend of mid-sized specialist funds driving early stage green transition investments alongside larger climate-focused vehicles.

“With Footprint Fund I, we are doubling down on our mission to accelerate what is necessary,” said Anna Søndergaard, co-founding Partner and CEO at The Footprint Firm. “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 and our expertise and network.”

Founded in 2019, The Footprint Firm is a leading Danish sustainability strategy advisory and venture capital firm. It advises companies, investors, public institutions, and research organizations, including Altor Equity Partners, Axcel, Danske Bank, EQT, Lundbeck, Polaris Private Equity, and Ørsted.

With Footprint Fund I, the firm accelerates research-based, scalable sustainable innovation, backing technologies and business models with industrial-scale potential to drive the global green transition.

Investment tickets range from €500k to €2 million, with 20 startups already funded, including Reel Energy, Kvasir Technologies, Nordic Salt Cycle, FoodOp, and Rock Flour Company. The firm also participated in Octarine Bio’s €5 million round to advance its sustainable color platform.

“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,” says co-founding Partner Christian Sparrevohn.

Footprint Fund I targets investments across biotechnology, energy, AI and climate technologies, circular manufacturing, the built environment, CO₂e reduction, and sustainable food systems.

Supported by The Footprint Firm’s team of 45 specialists, the fund actively helps portfolio companies with commercialisation, regulatory guidance, scientific validation, scaling, and strategic partnerships.

“At Novo Holdings, we invest with a long-term perspective in companies that seek to address complex challenges while delivering sustainable returns. The Footprint Firm’s Fund I has an integrated approach combining early-stage capital with sustainability and commercial expertise. Supporting strong, locally anchored investment platforms is an important part of our strategy.

“We see a continued need for patient capital to support the green transition, and we believe this investment provides a meaningful platform for backing early-stage companies with the potential to create both impact and long-term value,” says Sophia Heyde, Vice President, Planetary Health Investments, Novo Holdings.