CDPQ & Energize Ventures
We all know venture-backed startups need to raise capital. A lesser known fact is that venture firms identify and raise capital from “Limited Partners” in their own fundraising process. When Energize’s LPs were performing due diligence on us recently, one of our portfolio executives gave excellent feedback: “I hope the Energize LP base can scale with their ambitions.” The executive was referencing Energize’s growing goal to better serve and capitalize a more sizable portion of the energy and sustainable industry transition.
At Energize, we have a foundational relationship with Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) as they are Limited Partners in Energize Ventures I and Energize Ventures II. They invest creatively, have high integrity, and own a diverse set of assets with relevance to the energy transition. And like us, CDPQ is trying to find more ways to get creative to deploy more capital into the energy transition. Therefore, I am pleased that yesterday Energize and CDPQ announced a $125 million co-investment partnership to identify and support leading digital companies addressing the energy and sustainable industry transition.
The Energize blog post can be found here. The CDPQ press release here.
Two of the relevant quotes can be found here:
“The energy transition is accelerating even faster than our predictions. With this change comes a tremendous opportunity for innovative companies serving critical infrastructure, mobility, renewables and other sustainable industries to emerge and capture outsized market share. As a leading institutional investor with deep expertise and reach in the sustainability space, CDPQ is the ideal partner to invest alongside us in digital solutions that accelerate this critical transformation.”
John Tough, managing partner of Energize Ventures
“As part of its long-standing commitment to invest in solutions that address climate change, CDPQ is leveraging opportunities with strategic partners to direct more capital towards innovative investments and sustainability initiatives. We selected Energize as our partner because they have demonstrated an ability to identify leading energy investments while also supporting a cleaner and durable future.”
Mario Therrien, Head of Investment Funds and External Management at CDPQ