EDF Pulse Corporate Venture Capital news

For the past 50 years, EDF has been committed to ecosystem protection. In support of the Group's actions, EDF Pulse Ventures has conducted a thorough study on the subject and is showcasing 3 startups from its portfolio that are working to benefit biodiversity.

French startup Inicio identifies prime locations for successful solar and agrisolar projects across France and Europe. The rapidly growing company has secured €4 million in new funding from ISAI, EDF Pulse Ventures, and Cap Horn to accelerate its European expansion.

Residential flexibility has become crucial in addressing the increasingly complex challenges of balancing and optimizing the electricity network. Working closely with various Group entities, EDF Pulse Ventures has conducted a comprehensive analysis of the UK market to identify innovative start-ups that could unlock future opportunities for the Group in the residential flexibility sector.

Siteflow, a French start-up, has developed the first fully digitised field operations management solution for the nuclear sector. It is now expanding to other types of energy infrastructure and has ambitions to tackle other sensitive industries in the future. The fast-growing company has raised €7 million alongside LBO France and EDF Pulse Ventures. In a booming energy market, Siteflow wants to accelerate its development and strengthen its offering.

BeZero Carbon, the global carbon ratings agency, announces a US$32 million Series C led by GenZero, with additional funding from the Japan Airlines and Translink Innovation Fund. The fundraise demonstrates investor confidence in the integral role of independent carbon ratings as critical market infrastructure for a net zero world. The new funds will be used to invest in expanding BeZero’s ratings coverage of domestic and sovereign compliance markets, as well as CORSIA.

The rise of nature reporting and regulation brings increased demand for high quality biodiversity data and insights. New investors include Just Climate, EDF Pulse Ventures and Monaco ReOcean Fund with participation from existing investors 2150, BNP Paribas, Ananda Impact Ventures and SWEN Blue Ocean. This investment will enhance NatureMetrics' nature intelligence platform, AI capabilities and environmental DNA (eDNA) solution, set to underpin a new era of nature reporting.

TEEPTRAK, European leader in industrial performance monitoring and a pioneer in connectivity and data analytics for production equipment, has announced a €5 million funding. This financing is supported by its longstanding investors, XAnge and EDF, along with a new lead investor, SHIFT Invest, an impact-driven European fund known for its strategic role in supporting innovative, sustainable projects. The round also benefits from an expertise and financial partnership with management consulting firm Sia Partners through its B2B startup investment vehicle.

With additive manufacturing experiencing significant growth in recent years, the EDF Pulse Ventures team explored the opportunities offered by metal additive manufacturing. In collaboration with several Group entities, the corporate venture defined 3 major advantages for EDF of using this technique, and identified innovative start-ups in the field.

Perfesco has announced that a sustainable investment fund from DWS, a major global asset manager, has become a majority shareholder in its capital. This transaction will strengthen Perfesco's financial capacity to accelerate its investments in the decarbonisation of the industrial sector.

While investment funds are forced by regulation to take an interest in ESG criteria when they want to support a startup, corporate ventures (CVCs) still take little interest. In the age of global warming, however, these issues have become essential if a company is to remain competitive and attractive. They are also at the heart of the EDF Group's "raison d'être", which is why EDF Pulse Ventures is one of the first CVCs to launch its ESG approach.