Investor SHIFT Invest expands fund to €110 million to make mobility and logistics more sustainable
With a total fund size of EUR 110 million, SHIFT Invest is now the largest Dutch venture capital fund to invest in entrepreneurs who are combatting climate change, biodiversity loss and natural resource depletion. SHIFT Invest welcomes among others KLM, NS and Royal Schiphol Group as new partners, who have already invested in the Mainport Innovation Fund. In addition, a number of existing investors, including the European Investment Fund (EIF), Invest-NL and TNO have increased their investments with this expansion.
Venture capital investor SHIFT Invest is one of the first impact venture capital funds in the Netherlands and is known for its investments in Protix, Vandebron, ViriCiti, Pieter Pot, SupplyStack and Meatless. The fund specialises in accelerating young companies that make a climate impact in the agro-food, energy, and industrial sectors. With the newly raised capital, the focus is expanded to support impact entrepreneurs in mobility and logistics as well.
Great urgency for sustainability in the mobility and logistics sectors
Activities related to mobility and logistics account for one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. Besides this, the negative impact on the environment and biodiversity is enormous. Making these sectors sustainable is challenging, partly due to the complexity of the industries. An important role is reserved for innovative start-ups and scale-ups, which can contribute to this task with new technologies, services, and business models. SHIFT Invest will support them with funding, expertise, and network.
Cooperation with KLM, NS and Royal Schiphol Group ensures faster adoption and greater impact
Together with the new investors KLM, NS and Royal Schiphol Group, SHIFT Invest aims to accelerate the sustainable transition of mobility and logistics. The additional capital for young companies combined with the network, knowledge, and activities of these leading players in the market increases the likelihood of success and thus also positive environmental impact.
Mieke Struik, Head of Aviation Solutions at Royal Schiphol Group, states: "The cooperation with SHIFT Invest and other partners such as KLM and NS is in line with our ambition to become the most sustainable, high-quality airport in the world. We focus on the quality of our network, our service, and the living environment. We are innovating and working hard together with the aviation sector to create a sustainable future so that we can continue to connect future generations to the world via Schiphol in a safe and responsible manner."
The previous cooperation between the parties through the Mainport Innovation Fund has proven to be very successful, as shown by the achievements of e-mobility company ViriCiti, which was acquired by Chargepoint last year.