IMPACTASSETS 50™
An Annual Showcase of Impact Investment Fund Managers
ImpactAssets 50
An Annual Showcase of Impact Investment Fund Managers
Cycle Capital
Climate Change
Food Systems and Agriculture
Water and SanitationFirm Overview
Cleantech venture capital platform that partners with ambitious entrepreneurs to build global innovative companies. Cycle Capital manages CA$0.5B across early and growth stage funds and has offices in Montreal, Toronto and Qingdao, and a presence in New York and Seattle. Cycle Capital is the founder of Cycle Momentum and the leader of Cycle Central innovation zone.
Years of Operation: 10 years or more
% of Capital from Top 3 Investors: 50% – 99%
We invest purpose driven venture capital in leading innovative companies producing more with less, using less resources and transforming those efficiencies into significant returns.
With its 100% focus on cleantech, Cycle Capital is committed to providing capital to develop low carbon economy. We invest high-yielding growth-stage companies that commercialize clean technologies that reduce GHG emissions directly or indirectly, optimize resource use and improve process efficiency. Here are the 5 subsectors of cleantech targeted by our investment strategy:
- Clean Power Storage and Energy efficiency (advanced materials, power electronics, grid technologies, AI, etc.)
- Clean Transportation and Smart City Technologies (eco-mobility, transportation (EVs), sharing economy, AI etc.)
- Sustainable agriculture (biotechnologies, precision agriculture, sustainable farming, etc.)
- Green IoT, big data, and AI (green mining, emission monitoring, IoT, AI, etc.)
- Green Chemistry, Waste, Biogas, Biofuel, and Biomass Transformation
Cycle Capital is a cleantech investment pioneer with a track record both in fund management and in growing strong sustainable cleantech companies. In addition to that, it is one of the only Canadian growth-stage platforms of funds with a cleantech focus. As such, we are well positioned to expand in the North American cleantech ecosystem and support Canada’s strategy to become one on the leading countries in global sustainability. Cycle Capital’s secret sauce starts with the combination of seasoned professionals with engineering, entrepreneurial and finance backgrounds. This team conducts rigorous selection processes and thorough due diligences that include full Intellectual Property review (Freedom to Operate). As a lead investor, Cycle also builds strong investor syndicates with financial and corporate investors. The team relentlessly works on a daily basis to create value in each portfolio company to build successful companies who will lead to great exits for Cycle Capital’s investors.
Investment Example
ESS Tech. Inc is an energy storage provider that offers an iron sodium hybrid flow battery that overcomes the challenges of traditional flow batteries. The company is focused on the long duration storage market (4-16 hr segment) that typifies utility grade and large renewable project applications. ESS leverages low-cost abundant nontoxic electrolyte material and a hybrid design to produce one of the lowest proven leveled costs of storage currently available in the market, generating substantial traction with a pipeline of opportunities in the billions. ESS is now publicly traded on the NYSE.
Leadership and Team
 |
Andrée-Lise Méthot – Founder and Managing Partner More Info
Andrée-Lise is the Founder and Managing Partner of Cycle Capital – Canada’s leading private cleantech venture capital platform with AUM of $0.5B. In addition to serving on portfolio companies’ boards of directors, she is the Founder and Chairperson of the Cycle Momentum Accelerator and the Co-Founder of the Ecofuel Fund. She is a member of the Société Québécoise des infrastructures. She is a member of the Paris Green Fund’s strategic committee, a member of the Task Force on Women in the Economy of the Canadian Government as well as Investissement Quebec’s cleantech ambassador. Named Officer of the Ordre national du Québec, she received tribute awards from the Association of Quebec Women in Finance and Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec. She was also named Clean16 and on the top 20 cleantech investors by CleanTechnica. |
 |
Claude Vachet – Managing Partner More Info
Claude has more than 30 years of experience in venture capital investment and portfolio management in Cleantech and IT&C sectors, as well as operational experience in cleantech. He has built a solid track record by managing several venture capital portfolios, and successfully worked with portfolio companies building value and performing a large number of exits. Before joining Cycle Capital, Claude was Managing Partner at Kirchner Investment Management and Multiple Capital where he managed a large portfolio of early stage venture backed companies (IT&C, Life Science and Advanced Technology). |
 |
Shirley Speakman – Senior Partner More Info
Shirley Speakman is a senior partner at Cycle Capital, based in Toronto. She sits on the boards of directors of Cycle Capital portfolio companies located across North America. These companies come from the plastics and polymers reuse and transformation industry, the Internet of Things, storage and energy efficiency. Prior to joining the team, Shirley was Director of Investments for MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund (IAF), a venture capital fund of over $40M established by the Government of Ontario to invest in early stage technology companies based in Ontario. |
Financial Performance
Impact Performance
|
Percentage of Total Assets Under
Management that are Impact Investments: |
100%
|
We strictly invest in companies that are developing technologies with a strong potential of environmental impact, most of the time reducing GHG emissions.
For each investment, we perform an ESG assessment where we identify the risks and opportunities related to the companies on several social, environmental and governance topics.
Impact Tracking and Monitoring
Learn More
1000, Sherbrooke O., Suite 1610, Montreal, Quebec H3A 3G4, Canada
Apply for the IA 50 2022
The application period to become an ImpactAssets 50 2022 Fund Manager will open in September 2021!
To stay informed on the application process, sign up here.