NOW Venture Studio’s Post

2024: What a ride it has been! Let’s revisit some highlights from our journey this year: ✅ We welcomed 9 pioneering startups, carefully selected from thousands of promising #DeepTech and #ClimateTech companies. This brings our total portfolio to 20, each driving forward a critical climate tech solution at a time in #EnergyTransition, #GreenManufacturing, #SustainableAgriculture ✅ We expanded our investments beyond Emerging Asia to now include Sweden, Germany, the UK, and the USA - pushing the boundaries of global climate innovation. ✅ Three of our portfolio companies successfully raised subsequent funding rounds. Watch the full 2024 update below ⤵️ A special shoutout to our incredible team, whose dedication and vision have driven our progress every step of the way. Thank you for being a part of our whirlwind journey this year. Here’s to a bolder, more sustainable 2025! Tien Nguyen Luke Nguyen Duc Pham Nam Tran Tâm Tô . Lan Nguyen Chi Tran Nhat Anh Le An Tran Van Dinh Tam Pham The An Ha Nhat Anh Le (Kyle) Son Vu Atlan (Linh-Anh) T. Nguyen Phuong Ha Nguyen Nguyen #EarthVC #ClimateTech #DeepTech #DecarbonizeAsia #BoldMoves #SustainableInnovation

Reflecting on an interesting week in climate tech 🌍✨ March ended with two notable events: - ChangeNOW, the planet's largest gathering dedicated to actionable solutions, attracted an impressive crowd of 35,000 attendees. - The Top Tier Impact Europe OpenHouse, an official side event of ChangeNOW, featured three panels with over 150 participants. Highlights included: - 25/03: A panel on enhancing the impact of investors and asset managers, featuring insights from leaders at EcoVadis, Sycamore Partners, SWEN Capital Partners, and more. - 26/03: The "Disruptive Impact Entrepreneurship" session showcased six innovative startups pitching to a VC panel including: Andre Lorenceau, Sabine Andria, Tiphaine Guerout, Nicolas Weber, Alex Haag, Francois Thierart. - 27/03: Discussions focused on how large companies can amplify their impact, with contributions from executives at Monoprix, Kering, and Bouygues Group, among others. I had the privilege of serving on the jury for the startup pitching event, alongside esteemed investors such as Vincent BRILLAULT, Alice Lauriot dit Prévost, Jahed Momand, Romain Diaz and Dr. Terhi (TJ) Vapola. I want to extend my gratitude to Pierre Lorenceau🌳 and the entire #TTI team for orchestrating such a remarkable event. The caliber of startups was exceptional, showcasing cutting-edge solutions in fields such as AI for #agritech, #biodiversity, #circulareconomy, #energyoptimization, and even #autonomous train systems. Such an awesome week. Can't wait for next year!

Can we bridge the critical ‘Valley of Death’ for deep tech startups? Navigating the complex path of commercializing and scaling a deep tech startup is tough. The capital for scaling climate tech is available, but we must rethink how to attract it to avoid the 'Valley of Death'. At DI - Dansk Industri, we're committed to building bridges and tackling this challenge head-on with our friends at Look Up Ventures 💪 We recently brought together the most promising and inspiring founders, academia, the industry, and the finance sector to explore solutions to this pressing issue. The goal? 👀 To make more capital for scale accessible for game-changing climate tech. A special shoutout to the speakers of the event, Sofia Graflund, Anders Spohr, and Tim Woodcock, for sharing their valuable insights and emphasizing: 🚀 Establishing the right project culture from the beginning 🚀 Shifting mindset from technology push to market pull 🚀 Leveraging off-take agreements with big, renowned corporations Thank you to everyone who contributed to the fruitful discussions at the Roundtable. Your insights and energy are invaluable. 

Our Partner Puiyan LEUNG recently spoke on the topic “Green Horizons: ClimateTech Innovations Solving Asia’s Challenges” at Echelon X, where she discussed the unique challenges of Southeast Asian climate startups as well as potential opportunities with the other esteemed speakers on the panel. In this nascent space, one may ask, how do we balance #impact and #profit? Puiyan shares that for Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India, seeking potential returns for our LPs is the ultimate north star. Hence, our approach is to seek out opportunities in the space that generates outsized returns. For more insightful discussions, check out the e27 (Optimatic) article below by Anisa Menur A. Maulani. #impact #sustainability #impactinvesting

Today, my colleague Joe Cohen and I had the opportunity to dive into the world of innovation and cutting-edge technology at the TechConnect Conference in Washington, DC. One of the highlights of our day was learning more about the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, a vital source of government seed funding that plays a crucial role in fostering innovation. 🌱✨ Government seed funding through SBIR is more than just financial support; it's a catalyst for groundbreaking ideas and transformative projects. Here’s why it's so important: Empowering Startups: SBIR funding helps early-stage companies bring their innovative concepts to life, providing the resources they need to develop and refine their technologies. 🚀🔧 Driving Economic Growth: By investing in innovative small businesses, SBIR contributes to job creation and economic development, ensuring a robust and dynamic economy. 📈💼 Advancing Technology: The support from SBIR accelerates technological advancements, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and driving progress in various industries. 🛠️🔬 Enhancing Competitiveness: SBIR-funded projects often lead to breakthroughs that enhance national competitiveness on a global scale. 🌍🏅 Promoting Collaboration: The program encourages collaboration between the private sector, academia, and government, fostering a rich ecosystem of innovation and knowledge exchange. 🤝💡 Attending #TechConnect2024 has been an inspiring experience, and we're excited to bring back new insights and ideas to our work. Big thanks to all the speakers and organizers for a fantastic event! #Innovation #TechConference #SBIR #GovernmentFunding #Startups #EconomicGrowth #Technology #Collaboration

Some upcoming event news for the Synonym team - we’re delighted to be taking part in Sifted Summit in London this October to connect with fellow founders, operators and investors in the European startup ecosystem! Our Co-Founder and CEO, Edward Shenderovich, will be speaking on October 2nd on the topic of ‘Building climate tech 2.0: Tapping into the big infrastructure funders’, discussing what it takes for next-gen hardware and infrastructure startups to secure essential funding. We’d love to see you there! Drop us a comment or email (contact@synonym.bio) if you’re attending and want to connect. #siftedsummit #startupeconomy #bioeconomy #biomanufacturing #innovation #precisionfermentation #deeptech #climatetech #sustainability

More exciting event news for the Synonym team - we’re delighted to be taking part in Sifted Summit in London this October to connect with fellow founders, operators and investors in the European startup ecosystem! Our Co-Founder and CEO, Edward Shenderovich, will be speaking on October 2nd on the topic of ‘Building climate tech 2.0: Tapping into the big infrastructure funders’, discussing what it takes for next-gen hardware and infrastructure startups to secure essential funding. We’d love to see you there! Drop us a comment or email (contact@synonym.bio) if you’re attending and want to connect. #siftedsummit #startupeconomy #bioeconomy #biomanufacturing #innovation #precisionfermentation #deeptech #climatetech #sustainability

🌍 Upcoming Climate Tech conferences to look out for 👇 We have put together this comprehensive list of upcoming conferences in October, November, and December 2024, that are important to the ecosystem. 📆 In the upcoming months, our team will attend EIT InnoEnergy's TBB, Trellis Group VERGE, Smau, Ethical Assembly, London Climate Technology Show, and Greentown Labs Climate Tech Summit 2024. Feel free to reach out if you are there too! The link to the entire list is mentioned in the comments section. You can filter through region, scope, dates, and themes to find the events that meet your needs.🔗 #climatetech #conferences #netzeroinsights #startups #events

#Vivatech 2024 : One more step to make visible and tangible all the achievements of ENGIE Research&Innovation in #EnergyTransition, #RenewableEnergy, #Decarbonization, #collaboration, #ClimateChange, #climatetech, #everydaycounts