IMPACTASSETS 50™
An Annual Showcase of Impact Investment Fund Managers
ImpactAssets 50
An Annual Showcase of Impact Investment Fund Managers
Earthshot Ventures, LLC
Climate Change
Decarbonization and Carbon Drawdown
Entrepreneurship and Job CreationFirm Overview
Earthshot Ventures harnesses the power of the global network our team has built over the last two decades to accelerate climate technology adoption and create iconic brands. The fund is led by Mike Jackson, who has spent 15 years as an entrepreneur and VC in climate tech, and Dawn Lippert, founder and CEO of Elemental Excelerator.
Years of Operation: 3 – 4 years
% of Capital from Top 3 Investors: 25% – 49%
We invest across energy, food systems, mobility, carbon and industry.
Increased urgency around the need for climate solutions has driven an influx of entrepreneurial talent and renewed investor interest into startups solving meaningful problems across our four investment pillars: • Energy – Creating a 100% clean energy future • Mobility – Making oil obsolete • Food & agriculture – Making food systems carbon negative • Industry – Transforming waste into value
Sourcing - Earthshot has built out a proprietary database of startups in order to proactively source the most compelling investment opportunities based on indicators like team and investor quality. Earthshot Ventures will also have access to Elemental's pipeline, which attracts over 800 applicant companies per year. Three decades of climate investing experience - Collectively, Earthshot's team has over three decades of combined investing experience in climate tech, which will give us an advantage in information, access, and value add post investment. Network Access - Elemental works with executives from many of the biggest corporations in the world, serving more than 270 million customers. These trusted partners will refer high-quality startups to Earthshot and provide insights on which solutions have the most commercial potential.
Investment Example
KoBold Metals KoBold Metals is a company focused on using advanced technology and data science to explore and develop mineral resources, particularly in the field of battery metals like cobalt and nickel. Founded in 2018, the company aims to revolutionize mineral exploration by leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence to identify promising mining sites more efficiently and sustainably. Their approach often involves analyzing vast datasets, including geological information and historical mining data, to make informed decisions about where to explore. This innovative method not only seeks to improve the chances of finding valuable resources but also aims to minimize environmental impacts and support responsible mining practices. KoBold Metals is part of the broader push towards more sustainable sourcing of materials needed for electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies, aligning with global efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Leadership and Team
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Mike Jackson – Managing Partner More Info
Mike Jackson has worked in climate tech his entire career and has spent the last 15 years as an investor and entrepreneur in the sector. From 2009 to 2018, Mike rose from Intern to Partner at The Westly Group, one of the largest sustainability focused venture capital firms with over $400M in AUM. Mike’s track record at the firm is comprised of 10 companies, including Planet, Simple Energy (acquired by Uplight), Enerkem, Honest Buildings (acquired by Procore), Trove, RapidSOS, and Good Eggs. Mike’s deals have collectively raised over $1.1B in follow-on funding from Sequoia Capital, Benchmark, Microsoft, GV, DBL, and many others. |
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Dawn Lippert – Founding Partner More Info
Dawn created a first-of-its-kind funding model for climate tech as the Founding CEO of Elemental Excelerator. She is a widely recognized advocate for solutions at the intersection of climate and social equity. She sits on the board of climate tech SPAC Climate Real Impact Solutions II and founded Women in Renewable Energy. |
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Ramsay Siegal – Partner More Info
Ramsay worked with Elemental Excelerator for 6 years, operating one of the world’s largest climate tech portfolios and leading practice areas such as dealflow, due diligence, and corporate partnerships. Prior to Elemental, Ramsay was at eMeter, a smart metering startup acquired by Siemens in 2011. She began her career in solar developing early commercial-scale PPAs. |
Financial Performance
Impact Performance
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Percentage of Total Assets Under
Management that are Impact Investments: |
75% – 99%
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Earthshot Ventures exists to invest in companies with the potential to have a scalable positive impact on climate change and the environment more broadly, including water conservation, waste diversion, and ecosystem restoration. This is Earthshot's north star, and is strongly demonstrated through all of our team members' backgrounds. We're environmentalists who use venture capital as a lever for change, not capitalists looking to opportunistically jump on the climate tech bandwagon. Specific environmental themes for each of our sectors that we will invest behind include: • Energy – Creating a 100% clean energy future • Mobility – Making oil obsolete • Food and Agriculture – Making food systems carbon negative • Industry & Carbon – Transforming waste into value Additionally, we will build on Elemental’s climate equity and diversity and inclusion work as described above.
Sourcing diverse entrepreneurs and teams is very important to Earthshot. Not only is it the right thing to do, we believe that it will lead to stronger returns. Diverse entrepreneurs are systematically underinvested in today, creating an opportunity for Earthshot to gain access to differentiated investment opportunities that are overlooked. With regard to environmental sustainability, we plan to primarily focus on external impact rather than intrafirm practices. While we are strong proponents of internal environmental initiatives such as recycling, and expect that many of our portfolio companies will self-select into such initiatives given their environmentally focused missions, examining such practices will not be a large factor in our sourcing and due diligence processes.
Impact Tracking and Monitoring
Learn More
2555 Pulgas Avenue, East Palo Alto, CA 94303 USA
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