Azolla Ventures

This week, Amy Duffuor takes center stage on the CleanTechies podcast. ??? In this episode, Amy shares: - How blended finance can de-risk early-stage climate tech investments. - Misconceptions and opportunities in hardware-focused climate startups. - The importance of embedding equity and justice in climate tech. Amy also shares her career journey, which led her to become a cofounder and General Partner at Azolla Ventures. Amy's journey is as inspiring as it is impactful, spanning from studying marginalized West African migrants to managing venture accelerator programs in Southeast Asia and now to leading the charge in early-stage climate tech investing. It’s an insightful conversation on rethinking how we fund and scale solutions for the climate crisis. ?? ?? Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gBnhNDMm Also available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. #ClimateTech #BlendedFinance #AzollaVentures #CleanTechies #ImpactInvesting

?? Azolla Ventures is seeking an Investment Associate for its early-stage, impact-driven venture capital fund. This is an opportunity to be part of a lean team innovating at the forefront of climate investing, catalytic capital, and technology commercialization. Key Responsibilities: ? Work with the Azolla Ventures investment team to source, evaluate, structure investments in, and monitor transformational start-up companies that could have a big impact on climate change. Focus is pre-seed, seed, and Series A stage. Investee companies will have the potential to mitigate CO2 emissions at the gigaton level, be attractive to follow-on investors, and be a fit for catalytic capital. ? Develop and maintain a network of trusted relationships among entrepreneurs, co-investors, university faculty and grad students, incubators, and technology hubs. ? Advance fund goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) through building a diverse network of pipeline partners, and sourcing diverse start-up companies that meet the fund’s internal targets surrounding geography, race, and gender. ? Conduct due diligence on prospective investments, including industry research, expert interviews, competitive analysis, and financial modeling. ? Maintain a registry of prospective investments in the fund’s target universe. ? Own and manage the fund’s investment pipeline, including coordinating regular meetings of our investment advisory committee comprising the most active venture capital investors in climate and energy. ? Respond to inbound inquiries from entrepreneurs, co-investors, and ecosystem partners in a manner that engenders respect, trust, and goodwill for the fund and you. ? Form well-articulated theses about key technology categories based on your research, analysis, and point of view. Advocate passionately for these points of view and find breakthrough entrepreneurs aligned with them. ? Contribute to thought leadership efforts through conference presentations, white papers, guest articles, and social media. ? Be able to rapidly take on new responsibilities in a fast-paced growth environment. ? Be a zealous advocate for the fund’s mission in all aspects of your professional life. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply. Please submit your resume and cover letter here: https://lnkd.in/eyPygizD See the full job description here: https://lnkd.in/eRNjnzSQ #NowHiring #InvestmentAssociate #JoinOurTeam #CareerOpportunity

At Azolla Ventures, we believe in the power of a diverse portfolio and the importance of deploying technologies with justice in mind. Sublime Systems exemplifies this by leveraging policies like Justice40 to accelerate climate tech while ensuring benefits reach communities most affected by environmental and economic injustices. By locating their new plant in Holyoke, MA, Sublime not only advances low-carbon cement but also creates job opportunities in a historically impacted community. This approach reflects our commitment to fostering both innovation and equity in climate solutions. #KeepBuilding #ClimateJustice #NetZeroBy2050 #LowCarbonCement #TechForGood #Justice40

?? Happening Today: Join the livestream of the?C3E Women in Clean Energy?Symposium to celebrate the inspiring women driving the clean energy transition. Programming starts at 9 am PT / 12 pm ET. Register and tune in here ? https://c3e.org/livestream #C3EAwards #WomenInEnergy #CleanEnergy #ClimateInnovation #AzollaVentures

Did you know Azolla Ventures has a job board? If you’re passionate about supporting climate solutions with the potential for gigaton-scale impact, it’s the perfect place to explore roles across our portfolio companies. With over 60 open positions across 23 companies—and new ones added regularly—you might just find your next career move. Interested in learning more? Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/eWeC_7nJ. If you have any questions or are interested in learning more about our portfolio: reach out to our Head of Platform, Nolan English https://lnkd.in/exXVfQcX #jobsinclimate #cleantech #climate #azollaventures #startups #climatecareers #greenjobs #sustainabilitycareers

???? Podcast Alert! ???? Amy Duffuor, Co-founder and General Partner at Azolla Ventures, is a featured guest on a must-listen panel discussion as part of the 2024 SOSV Climate Tech Summit! The conversation focuses on early-stage climate investing, where we're seeing shifts in the landscape. While early-stage climate investments have felt the impact of a tough market, deal sizes are growing—indicating exciting potential for those who remain committed to this space. This panel dives into these trends and what they mean for the future of climate tech. Joining Amy are Sophie Bakalar (Partner, Collaborative Fund) and Duncan Turner (General Partner, SOSV & MD HAX), with Tim De Chant (Senior Climate Reporter, TechCrunch) moderating the discussion. Tune in to hear expert insights on navigating early-stage climate investing! ?? Watch the full session here: https://lnkd.in/eAAe3zxP #ClimateTech #VentureCapital #EarlyStageInvesting #Sustainability #AzollaVentures #SOSV #TechCrunch #DeepTech

We’re incredibly proud to announce that?Amy Duffuor, Co-Founder and General Partner at?Azolla Ventures, has been honored with the prestigious 2024 Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) Award in the Finance & Investment category by the?U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)!??? Amy’s remarkable leadership in investing in early-stage climate technology companies has been transformative, driving forward solutions for a more sustainable future. Her vision, passion, and commitment to making a lasting impact on climate change continue to push the boundaries of innovation in the clean energy space. Please join us in celebrating Amy and all the incredible women recognized by the C3E Initiative for their outstanding contributions to the clean energy transition. Together, they are paving the way for a future that benefits every community. Read more:?https://lnkd.in/gHw8nyvN #CleanEnergy #WomenInEnergy #ClimateLeadership #C3EAwards #SustainableFuture #AzollaVentures

We are excited to share that C-Motive Technologies?was recently featured in The Wall Street Journal?for its groundbreaking work in electrostatic motors. C-Motive is transforming an 18th-century invention into a modern technological breakthrough. C-Motive motors, which are up to?80% more efficient?than traditional electric motors, could revolutionize industries like robotics, renewable energy, and logistics, while reducing reliance on rare-earth materials and copper. With partners like FedEx?and Rockwell Automation?already testing these motors, C-Motive could unlock a bright future for energy-efficient industrial systems. We’re proud to be part of C-Motive's journey to bring this game-changing technology to the world! ?? Read more in the?WSJ?article: [https://lnkd.in/eZqAFH6n] #WSJ #Cleantech #Innovation #ElectrostaticMotors #Sustainability #EnergyEfficiency #PrimeImpactFund #CMotive

Coming off the heels of the recent news that Heaten was acquired by AI Alpine and Advent International, catch up on some of the media coverage below. As our first portfolio company exit, we couldn't be more proud to see how combining catalytic capital and conventional venture capital has resulted in this opportunity to rapidly scale Heaten’s industry-leading, high-temperature-heat-pump solutions! ImpactAlpha:?https://lnkd.in/ezfJGVsi Fortune:?https://lnkd.in/d-_fF6uY Sightline Climate (CTVC):?https://lnkd.in/esNexFx5

We are thrilled to announce that our first investment, Heaten, was acquired by AI Alpine and Advent International.?This strategic partnership empowers?Heaten?to rapidly produce and scale its very-high-temperature industrial #heatpump technology to #decarbonize industrial processes. A significant milestone for Azolla, the acquisition represents our first portfolio company exit (less?than three years after initial investment) and showcases how our unique model of combining catalytic capital and conventional venture capital can accelerate transformative climate solutions. We offer our congratulations to the entire?Heaten?team led by Jeroen Koot and Harald Nes Risl? and our co-investors Shell Ventures, Nysn? Climate Investments, and Valinor. We are excited about?Heaten’s bright future?in?its pursuit of gigaton-scale climate impact and feel privileged to be a small part of?Heaten’s journey. Onwards! Read the full press release here: https://lnkd.in/eb8dZNPW