Planet A Ventures

THE WORLD HAS CHANGED. Shifting global dynamics call for a new kind of leadership. Can Europe deliver? The Financial Times talked to our GP Lena Thiede about Trump, green tech and what comes next. What is she seeing? 👀 Opportunity. IF we can capitalise on our unique strengths in sectors like biotechnology and novel materials AND start to commercialise our stellar research landscape, there is no reason the next generation of frontier technologies can’t be built in Europe. For that, we need a public sector that no longer stifles and micromanages but one that enables and accelerates. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dX5kdhRM

GREAT MINDS DON’T THINK ALIKE. 🌋📈 Tuesday April 01 we are starting Open Hours for Underrepresented Founders in Europe. WHY? At Planet A, we are in the business of trying to understand today what tomorrow will look like. We back founders building visionary solutions with the power to re-wire entire industries and drive radical systemic change. From the fossil fuel era into a clean industrial future. It is CLEAR that such complex and dazzling challenges require founders with diverse perspectives, backgrounds and mindsets. And that finding them means looking beyond the obvious. However, ACCESS to resources and opportunities is still far from equitably distributed today. That’s why we are making it easier to connect directly with us.👇 → Sign up to book a slot with our investment team: https://lnkd.in/dUank5vt → Format is open! Pitch, ask us a question or hear more about Planet A. 

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY. What Germany’s new leadership means for green tech. 👀 Friedrich Merz is likely Germany’s next chancellor, after an election notable for historic gains by the far right, losses by the Greens and its former leading party slipping into third. 🚛 Germany has historically set a global example on climate and been a force driving Europe towards the clean transition. LOOKING AHEAD, we break down what the results mean for green tech and the clean industrial shift. OUR TAKE?  All is pointing to a coalition between CDU&SPD and while this coalition might lack a strong vision for the green transition, there is great potential for climate-friendly investment and infrastructure build-up under the new regime. Plus continued support for bold EU initiatives like the Clean Industrial Deal. Jump in! DWR eco

 $30.6M offtake for Phlair’s next-gen, low-cost CO₂ capture! Frontier buyer is backing Phlair’s breakthrough electrochemical Direct Air Capture (DAC) to remove 47,000 tons of CO₂ between 2027 and 2030 — a huge milestone to fund their first commercial-scale facility in Alberta, Canada. DAC has the potential to permanently remove CO₂ from the atmosphere, but high costs, energy use, and scalability have held it back. Until now. Phlair’s hydrolyser-based system changes the game: ⚡ Built for renewables – Works with intermittent energy sources like solar & wind 🔩 Off-the-shelf components – Lower costs, easier scaling In just over a year, Phlair has gone from lab-scale to outdoor pilot, built a stellar team, and secured key energy and storage partners. And now, they have signed the first-ever multimillion-dollar deal for a German DAC company, putting Germany and Europe on the map in the race to scale carbon removal. This is how we make DAC commercially viable. Congrats Malte, Steffen, Paul and team! Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e_WGJGx5

HUGE leap for bio-manufacturing! 🧪🍔 Congratulations Arsenale Bioyards on $10m Seed Funding to drive the shift towards better, cheaper, smarter processes in global industries like food and cosmetics. Arsenale’s technology cuts costs by up to 90%, making bio-manufacturing economically viable for the first time. We’re excited to lead this round with byFounders, plus participation from CDP Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Acequia Capital, Plug and Play Europe and more. WHY IT’S EXCITING  → Precision fermentation is a key technology in bio-manufacturing, offering huge POTENTIAL to radically shift how we produce goods. From traditional animal or chemical-based processes - to clean, biology-driven processes. → It uses genetically engineered micro-organisms to produce proteins and other valuable compounds and is already commonly used in pharma. → However, COST has been a major barrier to unleashing the full transformative potential of bio-manufacturing in industries like food and cosmetics. Until now. Enter Arsenale. HOW DOES IT WORK? Arsenale's platform combines advanced lab and industrial-scale bioreactors with AI-driven software, optimising fermentation processes and increasing the speed of scaling from lab to industrial scale.  Arsenale operates a fully-operational pilot-facility in Pordenone, Italy equipped with 1,000L precision fermentation capacity Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dyVDX2xq Welcome to Planet A Massimo, Gordana, Niels, Matteo, Arnaud and the entire Arsenale team!

ENERGY SOFTWARE: Tackling the grid’s biggest challenge ⚡️ The energy sector is in flux. With renewables surging, the grid is becoming more complex than ever—creating both a challenge AND a massive opportunity. The challenge → Most new renewables are intermittent, making energy supply (and pricing) more volatile. The opportunity → Smart software solutions can turn volatility into value, optimising grids, trading surplus energy, and unlocking new revenue streams. In this Sifted article, our GP Nick shares his take on the sector—and who will be the clear winners over time. Dive in here: https://lnkd.in/eu2ABzzS

RENEWABLES! Turning volatility into a billion-dollar opportunity ☀️🌪️⚡️ While the energy transition comes with considerable challenges, solving them creates the opportunity to create exciting new revenue streams. Here, we dive into:  → Why surging renewable energy supply is causing a flexibility problem in the energy system → The power of harnessing distributed energy assets like home solar panels and EV batteries to manage supply and demand AND why our latest investment, Podero, is a pivotal player in the shift to a more flexible and resilient energy grid. There's no time to lose! Jump in: https://lnkd.in/dBEFzNUJ

MEET THE TEAM - Christian! 🧪🏭 Chris is Planet A’s expert on all things chemicals, food tech and industrial biotech, recently co-leading our investment in Project Eaden. 🥩 ICYMI the team just announced €15m Series A funding to bring their breakthrough, ultra-realistic, meat alternative to market, and a grocery aisle near you soon. SO, WHAT’S HE EXCITED ABOUT IN GREEN TECH RIGHT NOW? 👀 ”Materials, materials, materials!” WHY?  → A new generation of startups is focusing on new material discovery → These startups are poised to bring entirely new materials to market that are a crucial piece of the puzzle for new technologies addressing climate change → From new chemistries to polymers to circular solutions Pretty exciting, right? Founder building something in the space? Get in touch!

Fresh funding for 44.01 - to remove C02 from the atmosphere, forever! 🪨 The team has landed an extra $5m from Nysnø Climate Investments and Jasoor Ventures, bringing their Series A round to a total of $42m.  44.01’s pioneering (and Earthshot prize-winning!) technology eliminates captured CO2 by turning it into rock. 🏜️This accelerates a natural process from decades to just 12 months. Rock capable of mineralising CO2 is found on every continent making this a truly global climate solution. New investment from Norway and MENA-based investors reflects international appetite for the potential of mineralisation technology to really move the needle in the path to Net Zero. Equinor Ventures and Shorooq Partners led the round, with investors including Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund Breakthrough Energy Ventures also participating. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/d_JMw93n Great news Talal, Karan and Ehab - let’s go! 

SAY HELLO to cheaper electricity prices and lower emissions! ☀️🔥 Podero has raised €5.5m to help utilities win on grid flexibility, stability and pricing. The team’s software solves one of the BIGGEST challenges holding back the energy transition: Unlocking the power of decentralised energy sources while maintaining grid stability. That’s why we are super excited to to lead this round alongside Systemiq Capital and existing investors Pale blue dot and PUSH Ventures. WHAT’S THE SOLUTION? Podero’s software enables utilities to deliver up to 25% cost reductions on flexible customer devices like heat pumps, EVs and home batteries. How? Podero’s unique forecasting and recommendations gives utilities trading the power aggregated across these devices on energy markets a competitive edge. Amid regulatory pressure for more dynamic pricing, growing volatility in the market and the rising cost of living, Podero’s ability to offer cheaper, better energy is a win-win scenario for customers, utilities and the planet! 💼 Existing customers already include E.ON, and partners include TotalEnergies and Huawei. Welcome to Planet A Moritz, 🟣 Chris and the entire team! Read more in https://lnkd.in/dSe79aPu