FootPrint Coalition Ventures is a series of ESG-focused rolling venture capital funds.

Robert Downey Jr., producer, investor, and Iron Man star, launched FootPrint Coalition Ventures (FCV) at the World Economic Forum’s Digital Agenda on Wednesday. FCV comprises two ESG sector funds that will accelerate groundbreaking technologies to tackle the world’s largest environmental challenges. (Euronews)

The safety of our world

“Having spent the last 18 months in dialogue with scientists, engineers, and technologists, I now have a firm grasp of the obvious: this global existential threat is not something that’s going to be solved by a smattering of elite mega-corporations. I think that paradigm must be smashed in favor of innovation by a broad set of new companies,” said Downey Jr. in a statement.

“Investment in sustainable technology is a critical pathway toward the discovery and scaling of better solutions for our planet. We need to mobilize more people and catalyze more capital. Thus – FootPrint Coalition Ventures, a group of investors, technologists, and storytellers committed to scaling enviro-tech solutions.”

View Downey Jr. here:

https://www.footprintcoalition.com/act?wix-vod-video-id=476f89cc521b421fa925249c79c9e520&wix-vod-comp-id=comp-kkd2s50z

FootPrint Coalition Ventures

FCV will initially launch two funds. One is an early-stage (Pre-Seed, Series A) fund, and the other is late-stage (Series B and beyond).

The early-stage fund will invest, alongside a top-tier institutional investment partner, in businesses that are poised for scale and high growth and led by world-class entrepreneurial talent. These would be at the late stage to Series A with a well-defined product/market fit and a measurable sustainability impact. The minimum investment is $50,000.

The late-stage fund will invest similarly as above but in businesses in Stage B to pre-IPO and a minimum investment of $250,000.

Furthermore, the funds will concentrate on six priority areas: sustainability-focused consumer products and services; food and agriculture technology; materials and industrial tech; energy and transportation; education and media; and advanced environmental solutions.

Rolling subscription

The “rolling funds,” run in collaboration with AngelList, will accept new commitments every quarter from accredited investors.

FCV will invest alongside these investors as an LP for at least 10% of the fund or $500k ($1M for the late-stage fund) annually, whichever is lower.

Typical VC fund charges will apply (a 2% management fee and 20% carried interest).

Democratizing VC

Said FootPrint Coalition Ventures Co-Founder, Jonathan Schulhof: “We see two powerful trends working together to support the environment.  First, engaging content and media distribution enable us to create a passionate community from Robert’s 100 million followers and to use that audience to access great investments. Second, a turnkey technology platform now enables us to manage a broad set of individual investors.”

“Venture funds traditionally have high minimums that exclude only the wealthiest individuals, or endowments and foundations,” he added. “With much lower minimums and shorter investment periods, we can now offer access to these same companies to a much broader group.”

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