Newsletter - February 2025
Welcome to the 14th edition of the AFI Ventures’ newsletter.
As a reminder, AFI Ventures (fund managed by Ventech) is an impact VC fund that invests in pre-seed/seed startups with a strong environmental and social ambition, producing a systemic change. We invest once a month in France & Europe tickets ranging from €250K to €500K.
New format, who dis? ✨ We're iterating on our newsletter to bring you even more impact-packed content. Each month, you'll now find:
🔍 A focus or key resources on an impact-related theme
📰Our Top 15 must-read articles on the impact ecosystem🌱 Even more news from the AFI: public fundraisings, portfolio updates, and—new —where we’ve been spotted (at events) & where you can catch us next, plus a job board featuring open roles at our amazing startups.
More insights, more opportunities, more ways to connect. Let’s dive in! 💚
🔍 Key resources - Focus on our impact report 👉 You can download the full report here to access to more details.
AFI Impact report in a nutshell:
€1.4 billion was poured into France’s energy transition, spread across 79 deals (including infrastructure). Early-stage investments accounted for 8%, totaling €123M across 28 transactions.
Key trends and investments we made included:
🔋 Energy transition & decarbonization – Bohr Energie is developing an innovative green energy aggregation and trading solution.
💡 Digitalization & energy optimization – Highcast is optimizing energy consumption for energy-intensive industries.
🚗 Sustainable mobility & charging infrastructure – Entroview is shaping the future of EV charging.AFI Ventures was particularly active in this sector, with additional investments in Moonwatt, Nova Carbon, Estuaire, and Green Praxis.
Healthcare Innovation on the Rise! The medical sector was also buzzing in 2024, with three major trends emerging and investments made:
📱 Digital health & e-health solutions – Jinko, is revolutionizing cancer care with its personalized patient pathway app.
🏠 Home care & gerontology tech – Tantor is reinventing elderly home care with industry professionals through its platform.
🤖 AI & medicine – A TREND TO WATCH IN 2025!Another key investment in this space: Paladin.
In 2024, AFI Doubled Down on Impact. Last year, AFI backed 16 new startups and accelerated 4 more, bringing our portfolio to 38 impact-driven companies.
Our impact KPIs:
🌍 Climate Action – Portfolio companies helped avoid or remove 20,661 tons of CO2.
🥦 Responsible Consumption & Production – 1,500 tons of food waste saved.
🏡 Social Change – 306,000 nights of intergenerational co-living (final numbers still being updated!).
📰 Top 15 must-read articles - What Caught Our Eye This Month newsClimate Change
Natural hydrogen is emerging, a potential game-changer in the energy transition— yet significant regulatory hurdles and long investment horizons make it a high-risk, high-reward bet said Camille Wong from Les Echos
Europe facing escalating water crises due to overuse, pollution, and climate change— yet current policies and investments remain insufficient to address the scale of the challenge said WWF
“Climate tech" faces scrutiny for being too broad—investors debate rebranding it as "Growth Tech" or shifting to sector-specific positioning, said Freya Pratty from Sifted.
As climate and nature risks grow for livestock investors, funding for sustainable solutions remains critically low—this FAIRR report introduces a framework to assess 22 mitigation strategies and highlights urgent investment gaps, said Sajeev Mohankumar, Patrick O'Malley, María Montosa, and Matthew Chatsuwan from FAIRR.
As data centers' energy demands surge, water cooling is emerging as a more efficient and sustainable alternative to air cooling, despite challenges in water usage and infrastructure, said Kumar Ajjarapu from The Fast Mode.
As Europe’s shift to renewables upends energy systems, startups are building software for grid management, pricing, and optimization—turning volatility into opportunity, said Maya Dharampal-Hornby from Sifted.
As urban biodiversity gains importance, businesses are integrating greenery into their spaces—not just for aesthetics, but as a sustainability strategy, from office plants to rooftop gardens, said Maddyness.
Sustainable production and consumption
Neo-materials emerge in real estate—they promise greener homes with better insulation and durability—but can they truly transform the industry? said Alexandra from Pretto.
As water scarcity intensifies, treated wastewater remains an underutilized resource that could support agriculture, industry, and cities—if regulatory and public acceptance barriers are addressed, said CNRS.
As climate change threatens cocoa and coffee, startups are betting on plant cell culture as a solution—but cost, consumer acceptance, and flavor complexity remain key challenges, said Elaine Watson from AgFunderNews.
Social Changes
AI reshapes healthcare—France is positioning itself as a leader, leveraging innovation to improve diagnostics, treatment, and patient care, said Marion Simon-Rainaud from Les Echos.
The more impact investing evolves, the more investors are pushing to refocus on social impact, ensuring that financial returns go hand in hand with measurable, meaningful change rather than overshadowing the mission, said Maddyness.
🍃 AFI Ventures HighlightsAFI Ventures’ Investments in February
No investments were made by AFI Ventures in February.
Recent News from our Portfolio
Prolong has been shortlisted for the “Best Use of Technology for Good” award at the Drapers Conscious Fashion Awards 2025, standing alongside their longtime partner Fusalp. Sustainability never looked so sharp. Learn more
SpotLight just earned a spot on the 2024 Subsurface Top Innovators list by Darcy Partners, a nod to their breakthrough work in Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS). Cleaning up emissions, one molecule at a time. Learn more
Optimiz Construction keeps pushing the Contech game forward! They’ve been named one of Cemex Ventures’ Top 50 Contech Startups 2025 and just printed their first optimization posters for GROUPE MAZAUD’s Jardin des Balmes project. Construction, but smarter. Learn more
Kheops is all about impact! They just won the “Impact Local des Entreprises 2025” award from PIXELIS Branding Agency & Lakaa, specifically in the "Ancrage local et territorial" category. Proof that building locally creates big waves. Learn more
Entroview is powering up garages, dismantlers, and insurers with their brand-new State of Health diagnostic tool. More insights, better decisions, and (hopefully) fewer battery headaches. Learn more
VorteX-io’s, WHYLD project just bagged the Solar Impulse Efficient label supporting their mission to provide real-time, high-precision water monitoring. Learn more
Estuaire is taking off! They’re teaming up with SAF+ International Group and SAVIA Consulting to improve aviation emissions tracking. Cleaner skies incoming. Learn more
Events
We were at:
Tech & Fest on February 5th & 6th: Maybe you crossed paths with Constantin.
AI Day at Station F on February 11th: Sarah was soaking up insights on the latest AI trends.
Pitch training session with Moovelab's (ViaID) 🚙 on February 19th: The aim is to challenge the startups one last time before they go out on their own!
HEC Startup Launchpad 🎤 on February 19th: you might have caught Constantin on stage, sharing his thoughts on the startup hustle.
Nextly, join us at:
Occitanie Invest on March 19th & 20th, likely scouting the next big thing.
Deeptech Founders and & VCs Meet on March 12th during Hello Tomorrow—don’t miss the chance to meet the team!
Talent Wanted: Our Startups Are Building the Future
Flexibility Analyst - Tilt Energy (Paris)
Head of Kenya Operations - Sirona Technologies (Nairobi)
Project Finance Lead - Sirona Technologies (Brussels)
Eng, Chemists and Machine Designers (several positions) - Sirona Technologies
Senior/Lead Controls and BMS Engineer - Moonwatt (Amsterdam)
Senior/Lead Embedded Software Engineer - Moonwatt (Amsterdam)
Senior/Lead Mechanical Engineer - Moonwatt (Amsterdam)
Senior/Lead Engineer Power Electronics - Moonwatt (Amsterdam)
🤝 Our TeamCharles Fourault - charles@afi.ventures
Constantin de Chaudenay - constantin@afi.ventures
Sarah Laznowski - sarah@afi.ventures
Romain Garrigue - romain@afi.ventures
Don't hesitate to reach out if you're an impact entrepreneur or just interested in any of these topics. 🍃