After the success of its Smart City I Venture fund, Eurazeo has announced the initial closing of its Smart City II Venture fund at EUR80 million to invest in the most promising energy, mobility proptech and logistics start-ups worldwide.
The success of this round of fundraising reflects the strategy adopted by the Smart City Venture team which, through its Smart City I Venture Fund, has already made nearly 25 investments spanning not only Europe but also thanks to the Group’s international presence, Asia and North America. Most of these portfolio investments have already demonstrated their international growth potential. This is the case, for example, for the Spanish last-mile logistics specialist Glovo, the American leader in charging networks for electric vehicles, Volta Charging, and the Chinese pioneer of autonomous mobility, Weride.
Matthieu Bonamy, Partner at Idinvest Partners, a subsidiary of Eurazeo, says: “We are proud of the trust given by our investors. The Smart City Venture strategy aims to select and support the future global leaders in each of their sectors thanks to an expertise in our investments themes and a selectivity rate at the level of the best generalist funds. The fund benefit is also extra-financial as we support entrepreneurs who take decisive action to reduce carbon emissions and enable the development of more inclusive and resilient cities. This is crucial today as cities consume 78 per cent of the world’s energy and produce more than 60 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gases.”
Read more at: Private Equity Wire
