S2G Ventures

We are elated to release our new report, The Climate Finance Relay Race. This report examines how asset owners are approaching climate investing, the reasoning behind their strategies, and potential pathways to increase capital flows. We believe investment in what we term the “climate megatrend” offers an unprecedented opportunity to drive resource productivity, reduce volatility, and generate sustainable economic growth in a world of climate adaptation. However, climate investing is relatively new, siloed, and underrepresented. Further, there is an estimated $30 trillion in opportunity to invest in climate transition through 2030, with only about 20% of that opportunity being met. To better understand how to close this funding gap, we conducted interviews and a survey of 50+ asset owners managing trillions in capital to gather context and feedback on opportunities and frictions to climate-related underwriting. We find that the development of the enabling ecosystem is critical to navigating market and asset-owner-specific frictions to climate investment. In addition, we offer six suggestions for how the enabling ecosystem can best engage with asset owners to complete the climate “relay race” from catalytic, high-risk capital to institutional, lower-cost-of-capital projects. Read our full report, authored by S2G’s Sanjeev Krishnan, Mike Wise, and Jinchen Zou: https://lnkd.in/gJ58sCqj #climate #climateinvesting #climatefinance #assetowners #sectortransition #report #insights

It’s inspiring to see the private sector stepping up at #COP29. Our Investment Director, James Lindsay joined forces with Majid Al Suwaidi, CEO of the Altérra Fund; Régine Clément, CEO of CREO; Erich Cripton, Director at Caisse de dép?t et placement du Québec (CDPQ); and Emma Dries of the Investor Leadership Network, for a panel discussion focused on how public-private partnerships are essential to closing the climate finance gap and protecting people and the economy from the impacts of climate change. Family offices have a critical role in the transition and must leverage all forms of capital at their disposal to help build an economy that protects both people and the planet. They are essential in climate finance because they can deploy capital with agility, taking on unique risks in early-stage projects that larger institutions might avoid. Their long-term, generational mindset aligns well with the time horizon needed for impactful climate investments. A key element of this work is innovation and creative solutions. Specifically, we’ve been focusing on scaling first-of-a-kind (FOAK) projects, which are invaluable to reaching our long-term decarbonization goals. These projects, which are often new yet proven technologies, require investment to reach commercial adoption. However, they often lack investors who can help bridge the gap from early funding stages. By acting as catalytic capital, family offices like ours can help de-risk projects and attract additional institutional investment, enabling broader scale in climate solutions. Together, we’re pushing forward a vision for climate finance that matches the urgency of our time. https://lnkd.in/ggc_pQ9p???

As natural disasters grow more frequent and severe, energy and infrastructure companies face major resiliency challenges. Advanced technologies, such as predictive Al, are emerging as tools to enable a more proactive and effective response. S2G portfolio company Urbint leverages Al to identify and mitigate threats to workers, critical infrastructure, and communities. Learn more about Urbint's technology in our report, "The AI Opportunity": https://lnkd.in/gnkYf2xn In October, we announced our growth equity investment in Urbint and that we believe that Urbint is poised to play a pivotal role in transforming how utilities manage risk. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eb-36xpC Corey Capasso Bala Nagarajan #Urbint #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Report #ThoughtLeadership #Insights #Infrastructure #RiskMitigation #StormResponse

The pharmaceutical and consumer health industries have long known that plants, microbes, and fungi contain compounds with powerful health benefits. However, only a fraction of these bioactive compounds have been linked to their potential benefits, limiting their application in medicine, nutrition, and personal care. S2G portfolio company Brightseed addresses this challenge with its Al-powered platform, Forager, which rapidly identifies natural compounds and links them to human health benefits. Brightseed's Forager platform recently was named one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2024, and you can read more about Forager in our report, The AI Opportunity: Unlocking Climate Solutions and Productivity in a Volatile World: https://lnkd.in/gnkYf2xn And listen to our recent episode of the #S2GPodcast, where Brightseed Co-Founder Lee Chae, PhD shares more about the company's technology: https://lnkd.in/e4XQSpzG #Brightseed #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Bioactives #Nutrition #Food #Health Jim Flatt Sofia Elizondo

When the world seems so deeply divided, how can we step across barriers and preconceived notions to build avenues for conversation and collaboration? In our next episode of the #S2GPodcast, Kaitlin Yarnall, Chief Storytelling Officer at National Geographic Society, argues that storytelling could hold the key. Kaitlin shares the components for effective storytelling, from the narrative elements to tapping into the right emotions and having a clear understanding of your audience and how to reach them. Listen to her conversation with S2G's Sanjeev Krishnan: https://lnkd.in/dFEW9v-S Tune in on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dTvXnR_i Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/dsckHHZK This episode so beautifully illuminates the potential of storytelling and how to tap into its power to move audiences and bring more people into the conversation. #Podcast #NationalGeographic National Geographic #Storytelling #Messaging #Climate #Collaboration #Insights

Training generative Al models like ChatGPT requires a tremendous amount of computation and has driven rapid increases in data center electricity usage, putting strain on power grid operations. S2G portfolio company LineVision seeks to transform grid management with an Al-driven platform that leverages non-contact sensors and local weather data to monitor transmission line performance and capacity. Learn more about LineVision's Dynamic Line Ratings technology in our recent report, "The AI Opportunity: Unlocking Climate Solutions and Productivity in a Volatile World," which you can read here: https://lnkd.in/gnkYf2xn For more on LineVision's technology in action, learn about the company's partnership with National Grid: https://lnkd.in/gU768iUs Hudson Gilmer #LineVision #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #gridmanagement #electricity #powergrid #dynmiclineratings #thoughtleadership

Thank you TIME for recognizing Sandeep Nijhawan and Electra among the 100 most innovative leaders and companies driving business climate action. ?https://lnkd.in/gyMxiYKq Electra’s inclusion on the TIME #100Climate this year is a testament to our team’s dedication and commitment to reinventing the ironmaking process to maximize the value of Earth’s resources while minimizing our environmental footprint and carbon emissions. #100Climate

Companies in the aquaculture industry are navigating complexities in managing farm operations, with production heavily relying on water quality, environmental conditions, and fish health. S2G portfolio company ReelData AI has developed an Al-powered platform designed specifically for land-based aquaculture operations. By integrating Al, ReelData enables farmers to make informed, proactive decisions. Learn more about ReelData's AI applications and other use cases from across the S2G portfolio in our report, "The AI Opportunity: Unlocking Climate Solutions and Productivity in a Volatile World." Read it here: https://lnkd.in/gnkYf2xn And listen to our recent episode of the #S2GPodcast with ReelData CEO Matt Zimola, who talks further about the company's AI technology: https://lnkd.in/e4XQSpzG #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Aquaculture #ReelData #Fish #Oceans #ThoughtLeadership

We’re thrilled to share the news of Shiru’s Series B, as well as plans to expand ProteinDiscovery.ai – our AI-powered discovery platform. This is hot on the heels of being named a TIME Best Invention of 2024. So you might ask what’s ahead? We’re scaling our capabilities to support more partners across food, personal care, and agriculture – bringing natural, high-value ingredients to life faster and more efficiently than ever before. Curious about how AI is disrupting ingredient discovery? Get in touch.

At S2G, we believe there is a global need for a "fit-for-purpose" capital market system to fund a more sustainable productivity engine for the 21st century. In our view, the asset owners (e.g., family offices, pensions, insurers, sovereign wealth funds) that engage thoughtfully in this new productivity leap over the next decade have the potential to increase climate investment levels by orders of magnitude and to create wealth by building a more sustainable economic system. S2G's report, "The Climate Finance Relay Race," examines how asset owners are approaching climate investing, the reasoning behind their strategies, and potential pathways to increase capital flows. In addition, we find that the development of the enabling ecosystem is critical to navigating market and asset-owner-specific frictions to climate investment. Read our full report: https://lnkd.in/gJ58sCqj #Climate #ClimateFinance #ClimateInvestment #Finance