VitaminºC Launches €18M Climate Fund Amid Sector Slowdown

A fresh venture capital firm, VitaminºC, has successfully completed the initial closing of its inaugural fund, securing €18 million to invest in climate mitigation and human adaptation technologies. This move comes at a time when overall venture funding for the climate tech sector has seen a slowdown, with many generalist investors re-evaluating their portfolios. VitaminºC, co-founded by seasoned professionals Nathalie Moral and Sophie Lamparter, aims to capitalize on this market recalibration by backing pre-commercial innovations poised to become essential economic infrastructure.

The fund's backers include a notable group of European entrepreneurial families, alongside influential figures from the climate tech space. Among them are Jasmine Kent, CTO and co-founder of the successfully exited Dufour Aerospace and Daedalean, and climate policy expert Florian Egli. This diverse investor base underscores a shared conviction in the long-term growth trajectory of climate solutions, even as short-term funding dynamics shift.

Nathalie Moral, a recognized figure in climate investing with prior experience at PwC, Bain & Company, and LGT Venture Philanthropy, highlighted the firm's strategic positioning. "The biggest economic buildout of our generation is just getting started," Moral stated, emphasizing that approximately 30% of the technologies required for accelerated emissions reduction are still in their nascent stages. VitaminºC is targeting these critical pre-commercial opportunities, viewing the current market environment as an opportune moment for entry at more attractive valuations.

Sophie Lamparter, who brings extensive experience in scaling European deep tech companies in the U.S. market, including her work with MindMaze and as a co-founder of DART Ventures, stressed the firm's role as a transatlantic bridge. "Europe’s deep tech is world-class, but many startups hit a scale cap and struggle to expand globally," Lamparter explained. VitaminºC intends to leverage its dual presence in Zurich and San Francisco to connect founders with crucial U.S. customers, talent, and investors, while also navigating the stable regulatory environment in Europe for American climate ventures.

The firm's investment thesis focuses on key climate levers, including energy, food and agriculture, carbon removal, and human adaptation. VitaminºC plans to deploy between €0.5 million and €1.5 million in pre-Seed and Seed-stage companies. A core tenet of their investment criteria is a demonstrable potential to cut at least 100,000 tons of CO₂ annually or enhance the resilience of 100,000 individuals within a five-year timeframe, illustrating a dual commitment to both financial returns and measurable impact.

This focus on integrated impact and returns is central to VitaminºC's philosophy. "For VitaminºC, impact and returns are inseparable. Impact is not a constraint. It is the thesis," the firm articulated. Their inaugural investment exemplifies this approach, backing Satellites on Fire, a startup utilizing AI and satellite data to combat wildfires. This strategic focus on essential climate solutions, coupled with a robust transatlantic network and a contrarian investment timing, positions VitaminºC to navigate the evolving climate tech funding landscape.