Making climate software tangible

We have some investments in the climate software arena that are very tangible combinations of digital and climate: Aurora Solar designing rooftop solar, Patch as a marketplace for the carbon markets, etc.

We also have a few investments at that “digital X climate” intersection where the climate connection is harder to grasp. These companies tend to be more “digital infrastructure” and the pipes behind the emerging asset owners, managers, or parties driving new business model innovation. When we make these investments, some of our more climate focused LPs tend to scratch their heads. But these companies are equally important in the sustainability transition and we now have the data and commercial progress to prove those initial expectations. Examples from the portfolio include:

• Smartcar: API platform for the connected car
• DroneDeploy: reality capture platform (air, ground) and analytics
• Sitetracker: project management and deployment software for decentralized assets
• Nozomi Networks: OT cybersecurity for connected assets
• Handle: payments flow for construction
• Beekeeper: frontline employee communications and engagement

I’m going to cover these companies and their sustainability use cases in the next few weeks. In some customer/industry cases, I am happy that Energize had the foresight to see how emerging technology could be leverages in the sustainability markets. In other cases, the use cases ended up different than even we expected! Overall, should be an interesting topic.

JT