ESG and Sustainability
The rise of ESG factors in investment decision making will have a dramatic impact on returns and opportunities in the 21st century. A recent survey by LGT Capital Partners and Mercer showed that 57% of respondents believe that incorporating ESG standards into investment decisions will raise returns. Just 9% argued they reduce returns on investment.
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Revaia, Europe’s largest female-founded venture capital firm, has successfully raised €150 million ($160 million) for its second fund, Revaia Growth II. The funding was secured from sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and institutional investors across Europe, with support from existing partners like Bpifrance and new backers such as mutual insurer Carac and the European Investment Fund.
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More Stories on ESG and Sustainability
Artificial Intelligence: AI-Based Robotic Waste Recycler AMP Raises $91M
AMP Robotics Corp has announced a $91 million Series C round led by Congruent Ventures and Wellington Management as well as new and existing investors including Blue Earth Capital, Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP), Tao Capital Partners, XN, Sequoia Capital, GV, Range Ventures, and Valor Equity Partners. The funds will be used for AMP’s international expansion as well as to scale up its operations. The company intends to enhance manufacturing capacity to support a fleet of approximately 275 robots around the world and advance its ongoing development of AI-enabled automation applications for recycling.
Alternative Investments/ESG: Hypatia, A New Fund Manager, Files For ETF On Women CEOs
Hypatia Capital Management boasts of a network of CEO-Level women, asset managers, and public board members that form its collaborative platform. The firm has formulated the Hypatia Women CEO Index (HWCEO), which is designed to measure the performance of female leadership in publicly traded companies. Hypatia has filed with the SEC for the launch of the Hypatia Women CEO ETF (ticker WCEO).
Alternative Investments/ESG: Dimensional Announces Equity ETFs Targeting Carbon Emissions
Dimensional Fund Advisors launched three new ETFs offering broadly diversified exposure to U.S., developed international, and emerging markets equities while applying climate-focused sustainability considerations – in particular, a reduction in carbon emissions exposure. The ETFs were listed on the NYSE on Wednesday and have net expense ratios varying from 0.18% to 0.41%.
Artificial Intelligence: Israeli Research Institute MIGAL Applies AI To Quadruple Cucumbers’ Postharvest Life
The MIGAL Galilee Research Institute (MIGAL), a regional mega-R&D center supported by Israel’s Ministry of Science and Technology, has extended the postharvest life of cucumbers from two to nine weeks. The cucumber is a sensitive fruit with a high wastage rate due to its average postharvest storage lifespan of less than two weeks.
Venture Capital: Black-Owned VC Firm Collide Capital Raises $66M From Top Investors
Collide Capital, a VC firm founded in 2016 by Brian Hollins and Aaron Samuels, seeks to back founders best positioned to solve the next generation of global challenges. The firm announced Thursday its debut VC fund of $ 66 million backed by nameplate investors. These include the University of California endowment as anchor, Citi, Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL), and Twitter (NYSE: TWTR).
Alternative Investments/ESG: VanEck Launches Thematic ETF Focusing On The Circular Economy
VanEck Asset Management has launched the VanEck Circular Economy UCITS ETF (REUS), a thematic ETF focusing on the circular economy that keeps materials, products, and services in circulation for as long possible. The ETF is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Venture Capital: Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Temasek And Others To Launch Agritech For Rice Cultivation Decarbonization
Wavemaker Impact, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, GenZero, and Singapore’s Temasek have come together to create an innovative agritech that will promote rice decarbonization in Southeast Asia and the rest of Asia. The agritech will identify strategies to cut rice field emissions using a combination of climate-tech, agri-food, and venture-building capabilities.
Venture Capital: Saudi Aramco Launches $1.5B Sustainability Fund
Saudi Aramco (TADAWUL: 2222) announced Wednesday a $1.5 billion Sustainability Fund to be managed by Aramco Ventures, its venture capital arm. The Fund would support Aramco’s ambitions to achieve net-zero Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions across its wholly-owned operated assets by 2050, development of new lower-carbon fuels businesses, and furthering Aramco’s broader environmental objectives.
Alternative Investments/ESG: Global X Launches Green Metals ETF In Australia
Global X ETFs Australia, which is a part of international investment manager Mirae Asset Financial, has launched the Global X Green Metal Miners ETF (ASX: GMTL). The new ETF provides investors with exposure to international companies producing critical metals for clean energy infrastructure and technologies, including lithium, copper, nickel, rare earths and cobalt. These are all minerals used extensively in the production, transmission and storage of renewable energy, and which will be instrumental in worldwide efforts to fight global warming as governments and companies alike strive to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Alternative Investments/ESG: IndexIQ Launches High Yield And Equity ESG Funds
IndexIQ has launched the IQ MacKay ESG High Income ETF (IQHI) and the IQ Candriam ESG U.S. Mid Cap Equity ETF (IQSM). The funds expand further the firm’s existing lineup of ESG investment solutions.
Venture Capital: Climate Tech Fund Propeller Raises $100M For Ocean Climate Startups
Climate-tech fund Propeller announced its raise of a $100 million fund to support startups aiming to solve the climate crisis by innovating planet-saving, ocean-based science and technology solutions. The fund is launched in partnership with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, a private, non-profit organization established in 1930, on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education.
Artificial Intelligence: French Privacy Watchdog CNIL Hits Clearview AI With 20M Euro ($19.6M) Fine
Privacy advocates across the globe have cause to celebrate. Clearview AI, a facial recognition firm that scraped an estimated 20 billion photographs from the internet and social media without permission, has been slapped with a 20 million euro fine by French regulator CNIL for not cooperating with its previous order.
Artificial Intelligence: Reducing Sulfur In Shipping Fuel Cut Sea Air Emissions (NASA AI Model)
An AI model built by NASA confirmed that an IMO move to slash sulfur content in shipping fuel paid off in spades, because it led to the lowest air pollution levels at sea in 2020. However, part of the credit must also go to the reduced shipping traffic volumes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alternative Investments/ESG: VanEck Launches “Green Infrastructure” Equity ETF
VanEck, an asset manager with $60.8 billion under management, announced the launch of of VanEck Green Infrastructure ETF (NASDAQ: RNEW), an equity ETF offering exposure to companies that would address the huge opportunity in making U.S. infrastructure more “green” and sustainable.
Alternative Investments/ESG: HSBC Launches Four ESG ETFs Across Value And Small Caps
HSBC Asset Management has launched in London four ESG focused ETFs. Two of these are equity value-oriented and span World and Emerging Markets respectively. The other two are equity small-cap oriented and similarly invest across World and Emerging Markets.
Alternative Investments/ESG: New Paris-Aligned World Equity ETF From Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs Asset Management has launched the Goldman Sachs Paris-Aligned Climate World Equity UCITS ETF (WRLD) on the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Boerse. WRLD is labelled ‘light green’ Article 8 under the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).
Alternative Investments/ESG: Harbor Capital Launches US Equity ETF Focusing On Corporate Culture
Harbor Capital Advisors, Inc. has launched the Harbor Corporate Culture ETF (NYSEARCA: HAPI) to give investors the ability to access the power of a company’s most important asset – its people, based on the premise that “doing the right thing pays and is strongly linked to future investment performance.”
Alternative Investments/ESG: VanEck Australia Launches Global Carbon Credits ETF
VanEck Australia has launched the VanEck Global Carbon Credits ETF (ASX:XCO2), a new global carbon credits based ETF that will allow retail investors in Australia exposure to international carbon credit markets. The ETF is a valuable diversification for these investors because the local bourse is heavily dominated by climate-sensitive sectors and companies in mining, energy and other resources.
Alternative Investments/ESG: KraneShares Launches ETF Focused On Metals Required For The Energy Transition
Asset management firm Kranes Funds Advisors LLC launched on Thursday the KraneShares Electrification Metals ETF (NYSE: KMET) on the New York Stock Exchange. The ETF offers exposure to the core metals expected to see strong demand from a range of electrification uses including EVs and their batteries, transmission and distribution grids, electrical wiring, and in solar panels and wind turbines.
Digital Assets: Using The Metaverse To Restore Chinook Salmon To A Native American Watershed In California
Pom, a Native American tribe leader in Northern California, will use blockchain to revive the native species of Chinook salmon his community once relied on. Pom and his team have created Salmon Journeys, a video game on Decentraland. A user who snags a Chinook salmon in the game wins an exclusive non-fungible token (NFT) by Sawalmen, a Web3 entity that represents Indigenous spiritual values and raises funds for restoration efforts and the landback movement.
Venture Capital: Soli Organic Lands $125M Round For New, Soil-Based Indoor Farms
Soli Organic has closed a series D funding round of nearly $ 125 million. Led by global investment group CDPQ, the round also saw participation from leading European investment firm Movendo Capital, B.V. and existing investors S2G Ventures, Cascade Asset Management Company and XPV Water Partners.
Alternative Investments/ESG: Amundi Launches Paris-Aligned ETF Focused On Large And Mid-Cap Stocks Globally
Amundi has launched the Amundi MSCI ACWI SRI PAB UCITS ETF on the Deutsche Börse Xetra in US dollars (WELB GY) and euros (WELA GY). The new fund is linked to the MSCI ACWI SRI Filtered PAB Index which is constructed from the parent MSCI ACWI universe of large and mid-cap stocks from 23 developed market and 24 emerging market countries globally. The fund has an expense ratio of 0.20% and is classified as an Article 9 product under the European Union’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).
Alternative Investments/ESG: Thrivent Launches ESG ETF Focused On Small And Mid Caps
Thrivent Asset Management has launched the Thrivent Small-Mid Cap ESG ETF (NYSEARCA: TSME) an ESG-focused exchange traded fund that will invest in small- and mid-cap stocks. The actively managed fund will maintain a portfolio of small- and mid-cap stocks across the growth and value spectrums that meet certain criteria for environmental, social, and governance practices. It is the firm’s first ETF launch.
Alternative Investments/ESG: AXS Investments Launches A “Next Economy” Focused ETF
AXS Investments and Green Alpha Investments have partnered to launch the AXS Green Alpha ETF (NXTE) which will invest in the latter’s trademarked Next Economy™ philosophy and investment strategies, identifying companies poised to be leaders in the rapidly unfolding and expanding sustainable global economy, while possessing growth potential at attractive valuations.