The dollar is mostly green, but in the hands of Kompas, so are kroner, euros and shekels. The firm has an Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Tel Aviv presence, and now has a $160 million sack of funds to deploy across its focus areas: sustainability and technological innovation in the construction, real estate and manufacturing industries. The new fund in particular wants to take early-stage companies under its waxy golden wings, with check sizes ranging from $1 million-$5 million.
The fund will be managed by partners Sebastian Peck and Talia Rafaeli, and has aspirations to back breakthrough innovations that accelerate the adoption of digital technology and industrial automation in the real estate, construction and manufacturing sectors. It especially wants to reduce waste and CO2 emissions.
The fund strategy is driven by increasing regulatory pressure to reduce CO2 emissions, and the emerging desire for a greener built environment.
Kompas’ managers have a recent past in corporate VC on the automotive side; an industry that has also seen huge shifts in its desire for pastures greener. Sebastian Peck previously headed up the corporate VC arm for Jaguar Land Rover, while Talia Rafaeli led investments on behalf of Porsche’s VC arm in Europe and Israel.
The fund wants to explore startups that fall in one of three buckets:
- Smart, sustainable and healthy homes — advanced materials, smart home technology, IoT and climate technology.
- Business model and service innovation in real estate and construction — solutions for lifecycle asset optimisation, architecture and building design, construction methods and improving customer experience
- The digital enterprise — industrial automation, digital supply chain management, cybersecurity, enterprise software and the circular economy.
“Tackling the existential threat of climate change requires us to think differently how we design and build our future cities, commercial buildings and residential homes,” says Sebastian Peck. “Today, 39% of the global CO2 is emitted by the building sector and 30% of the waste generated in Europe stems from construction and demolition. To meet its environmental obligations, the sector needs to change radically, which represents tremendous opportunity for technological innovation and new business models,” he adds. “Our goal is to deliver top quartile financial returns by backing founders who will have a real impact on our industry.”
“Venture capital plays a critical role in funding the development of breakthrough solutions to mitigate the climate impact of modern industry and underpin more sustainable business practices,” says Talia Rafaeli. “We are incredibly excited to embark on this journey, and back the ambitious founders that will bring about this change.”
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