Zero Carbon Capital

Zero Carbon Capital is a deep tech climate venture fund established in 2019, dedicated to combating climate change by investing in early-stage European companies. The firm focuses on breakthrough scientific innovations that can drastically reduce CO2 emissions, aiming for a reduction of at least 0.5 gigatonnes annually by 2050. They prioritize ventures that offer transformative solutions to the root causes of climate change, rather than incremental improvements, across high-impact sectors such as energy, food and agriculture, materials, and transportation.

The firm was founded by Pippa Gawley and Alex Gawley in 2019, drawing on their experience as angel investors in Silicon Valley and backgrounds in technology and finance. Their mission was to support scientist-entrepreneurs in developing hard-science solutions for decarbonization, particularly in Europe. Zero Carbon Capital operates as an appointed representative of Sapphire Capital Partners LLP, which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Zero Carbon Capital invests primarily in pre-seed and seed-stage companies, with a willingness to take risks on ventures developing physical science solutions. Their portfolio includes companies like Level Nine, which is rebuilding the chemical industry with AI-designed catalysts; NetZeroNitrogen, focused on reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers; Twig, pioneering sustainable ingredients; Spark e-Fuels, producing sustainable aviation fuel; Epoch Biodesign, addressing textile and plastic waste; and Exergy3, developing thermal batteries. The firm closed its second investment fund at £20 million, expanding its focus across Europe.

The team at Zero Carbon Capital comprises experienced investors, business experts, and world-class scientists, including founders Pippa Gawley (Managing Partner) and Alex Gawley (General Partner), along with Chloe Coates (Research & Analysis Lead), Sarah Jones (Principal), and Max Werny (Venture Associate). They adopt a hands-on approach, providing guidance on commercialization and business strategy to help founders translate scientific breakthroughs into scalable, impactful solutions. The firm emphasizes a blend of scientific innovation, significant emissions reduction potential, and commercial viability in its investment thesis.