Contrarian Ventures

Contrarian Ventures is an early-stage European venture capital firm specializing in climate technology investments across the energy transition, renewable energy, smart grids, electrification, carbon management, and sustainable mobility sectors. The firm invests €1-4 million per deal in seed-stage startups demonstrating initial market validation at the prototype and early revenue stages. With a strong presence in Europe and Israel, Contrarian Ventures operates a platform-based model that extends beyond capital provision to offer strategic guidance, operational expertise, investor network access, board development support, and partnership facilitation to ensure long-term founder success.

Founded in 2017 by Rokas Peciulaitis and Tomas Kemtys, two former London-based bankers who transitioned from traditional finance to climate tech investing, Contrarian Ventures was established before climate technology became a mainstream investment focus. Peciulaitis previously worked as an inflation and derivatives trader at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, while Kemtys brought M&A banking experience from Centerview Partners. The firm launched with a €12.5 million first fund in 2017 and raised a second fund in 2022. Notably, the firm returned Fund I with a single investment in Dragon, demonstrating the potential for outsized returns in early-stage climate tech.

The firm's portfolio spans 25 active companies across 11 countries with 72 founders, including notable investments such as PVcase (solar development platform), BeZero Carbon (independent carbon ratings agency), Zoomo (light electric vehicles), Ember (electric coach network), Chooose (lower carbon fuels enablement), and Beebop (power orchestration platform). In 2024, portfolio companies raised €65 million across 12 funding rounds supported by over 140 co-investors. The firm allocates 60% of capital to software-first solutions, 20% to hardware and deep tech, and 20% to hardware-enabled software, collectively targeting 77% of global greenhouse gas emissions in energy, transport, buildings, and industry sectors.

The team comprises experienced investors and entrepreneurs led by Founder and Managing Partner Rokas Peciulaitis and General Partner Tomas Kemtys, supported by principals, analysts, and venture partners across multiple European locations. Beyond direct investment, Contrarian Ventures has established itself as a platform builder within the climate tech ecosystem, co-founding the Energy Tech Summit (Europe's largest climate tech event), Climate50 (a ranking of leading climate tech investors), The Climate Brick (a scaling framework), and the At Scale Foundation. The firm emphasizes a founders-first, community-oriented approach with a stated mission to play long-term games with long-term people driven by conviction rather than consensus.