Cleantech has 41 investors with a stated climate or sustainability thesis on Sesamers – more than any vertical except fintech. What is distinctive is how many are climate specialists rather than generalists dipping in: Planet A, Satgana, 4impact, Soulmates, Vireo and SWEN Blue Ocean exist for this vertical alone. Ranked by published fund size, with the specialist early-stage funds ordered by ticket range where size is not disclosed.
1Rank
Public investment bank – seed to Large Venture, climate and deeptech Paris, France €10.5B into venture 2013-2023 · up to €10M first cheque
France's public investment bank and the largest single actor in French venture. Two thirds of French VC funds that raised from professional LPs between 2013 and 2023 took Bpifrance money. Its Large Venture arm writes first cheques from around €10M into rounds above €20M.
Why it is hereThe anchor LP behind most French climate funds and a direct co-investor in the biggest rounds – if you are raising in France at scale, Bpifrance is in the room either way.
2Rank
Pre-seed to Series A – digital, climate and deep tech Paris and London €700M
Founder-operator VC founded 2015, B Corp certified, with partners across Europe's and Africa's main hubs. Climate portfolio includes Carbon Maps and 011h alongside deeptech names like Alice and Bob and Exotec.
Why it is hereOne of the few €700M European funds where climate sits alongside deeptech as a core thesis rather than an add-on.
3Rank
Growth debt – VC-backed tech, life sciences and climate London, United Kingdom €575M · up to €100M
Non-dilutive venture lending for VC-backed European companies. Fund IV at €440M plus €135M in affiliated mandates. Climate and deeptech are named priority sectors alongside life sciences.
Why it is hereThe only entry here offering debt rather than equity – the option for a capital-intensive climate company that wants to extend runway without another dilutive round.
4Rank
Early to growth – applied AI and the energy transition Paris, France €1B raised · €100K-€15M
Paris VC founded 2008 whose stated focus pairs applied AI with the energy transition. Runs the Racine2 impact fund at €80M. Climate portfolio includes Electra, the EV charging network.
Why it is hereA generalist that has made the energy transition an explicit half of its thesis – the widest cheque range on this list for climate founders.
5Rank
Ocean impact – overfishing, marine pollution, aquaculture, shipping decarbonisation Paris, France €170M
SWEN Capital Partners' ocean strategy, launched at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in 2021. Works with the French marine research institute Ifremer on scientific diligence and impact measurement.
Why it is hereThe only dedicated ocean-impact venture fund in Europe at this scale – if your climate problem is wet, this is the specialist.
6Rank
Seed and Series A – sustainability across air, water, energy, food, circular economy Prague, Czech Republic €62M · up to €3M
Prague-based sustainability investor with a €50M Article 9 fund inside its €62M under management. Works across Central and Eastern Europe with reach into North America, South Asia and the Middle East. Recently led Rightcharge's growth round.
Why it is hereThe reference climate fund for Central and Eastern Europe, and Article 9 classified – which matters for founders whose next investors will ask about SFDR alignment.
7Rank
Pre-seed to Series A – manufacturing, energy, resources, infrastructure Berlin, Germany €500K-€4M
European early-stage investor concentrating on systemic environmental challenges and deeply technical teams. Invests from London to Zurich, looking for companies that shift how systems work rather than add product features.
Why it is hereBerlin's leading climate-specialist VC, with a stated preference for hard technology over software – the right first call for industrial and materials founders.
8Rank
Seed to Series A – climate tech, clean energy, sustainability software The Hague, Netherlands €250K-€2.5M
Impact VC investing across Benelux, the Nordics and DACH in technology-driven sustainability businesses. Argues explicitly that dual-return companies outperform purely profit-led ones.
Why it is hereThe Benelux climate specialist, with a geographic reach into the Nordics where the grid and heat-pump ecosystem is deepest.
9Rank
Pre-seed and seed – the energy technology stack Berlin, Germany €1M-€2M
Berlin energy-tech specialist covering electrification, renewables, grid, EV charging, energy services and AI applied to energy. Team drawn from operators who built and scaled European energy companies.
Why it is hereThe most narrowly focused fund on this list – energy only – which means the deepest operator network for grid and charging founders.
10Rank
Pre-seed and seed – earth tech across energy, mobility, food, buildings, carbon removal Luxembourg €100K-€500K
Invests at the earliest stage in Europe and Africa, working to bridge the two continents. Offers a network of over 200 climate and impact professionals alongside capital.
Why it is hereThe smallest cheques on this list and one of the only European climate funds actively investing in Africa – for pre-seed founders and for anyone whose market spans both continents.
Another 31 funds carry the cleantech tag on Sesamers, including ISAI (whose ISAI Venture IV names decarbonisation as a focus) and MITO Technology in Milan. They are omitted from the ranking only where their records do not yet publish a fund size or ticket range. The list skews to Paris and Berlin because those are where climate-specialist funds have formed and documented themselves; London capital in this vertical is largely generalist or debt.
Common questions
Which cleantech investor writes the largest cheques?
Claret Capital Partners at up to €100M, but as growth debt rather than equity. Among equity investors, Serena's range runs to €15M and Bpifrance Large Venture starts around €10M for rounds above €20M.
Which European climate funds are specialists rather than generalists?
Planet A Ventures, Satgana, 4impact capital, Soulmates Ventures, Vireo Ventures and SWEN Blue Ocean all exist for climate or sustainability alone. Breega and Serena are generalists with climate as an explicit core thesis.
Is there a European fund for ocean and marine climate tech?
Yes – SWEN Blue Ocean, a €170M strategy dedicated to overfishing, marine pollution, aquaculture and shipping decarbonisation, with scientific diligence from Ifremer.
Does Sesamers take payment for placement on this list?
No. Investors are listed because they carry a verified cleantech thesis in the Sesamers database and are ranked by published fund size.