RFC Ambrian Funds Management backs Tough Tech startups in Australia

Can Australia lead the Tough Tech transformation? We've got the innovation culture and natural resources, but the question is whether we can turn cutting-edge science into commercially viable solutions. 'Tough Tech' - where advanced science meets engineering and entrepreneurial grit - has the potential to reshape global energy and resource production. But as RFM (RFC Ambrian Funds Management) CIO Stefan Skorut notes: "No one will back a technology that doesn't create economic and societal value." Find out in the The Australian how RFM are combining industry experience with financial expertise to support Australia's Tough Tech ventures. 📖 https://lnkd.in/gcp6XFGb #ToughTech #Innovation #InstitutionalInvestors #MiningInvestment #CleantechInvestments #Decarbonisation #SustainableInvesting #ESGInvesting #VentureCapital

The Dantia Innovation Grant is here! We’re backing Lake Macquarie’s brightest startups and entrepreneurs with $30k in funding, to help their ideas come to life. We are focusing on key growth areas like Education & Research, Health & Wellbeing, Knowledge Industries & Professional Services, Mining & Energy Clean Tech, Digital Services, Advanced Manufacturing. Applications will be assessed on innovation, feasibility, potential economic impact, alignment with priority sectors, and capability of the team. Click on the QR Code or link for application and grant guidelines. #investlakemac #economicdevelopment #lakemacquarie #innovation https://lnkd.in/gwm9FP3t

In 2024 alone, Canadian cleantech venture capital held steady at $1.2B, with 14% of all VC investment now flowing into the sector. The momentum is strong: EDC has backed over $12B across 440+ companies, while BDC has launched $400M in climate funds. Together, these efforts have positioned Canada third globally for cleantech risk capital.For founders, the opportunity is clear. When government incentives meet private capital, the result is the funding and confidence needed to scale with an edge. At TBDC, we work with cleantech founders to bridge incentives and investment, turning policy advantages into scalable businesses. The infrastructure is here. The capital is committed. Now it’s all about execution. Discover what scaling cleantech in Canada really looks like: https://lnkd.in/epiuRJbM #Cleantech #ClimateTech #InnovationCanada #StartupEcosystem #SustainableGrowth

Excerpt of a report by J. Asbery with @Slavyangrad:- Personal assessment: The continued anti-China rhetoric is not useful to a world seeking meaningful renewable energy and power for all. Profits are now break-even but champions of global market dominance have been created, assisting in prioritizing energy security above all else. People and independence over profits. Western venture capitalists now see that investment into western companies makes no sense as catching up is basically futile. Cooperation is more beneficial than competition at this stage. Competitors need not be enemies. TEXT EXCERPT:- A group of eight Venture Capitalists from Western firms agreed to share with Bloomberg the details of a July road trip across China during which they visited factories, spoke with startup investors, and interviewed founders of companies. They knew China had raced ahead in sectors like batteries and “everything around energy,” but seeing how big the gap was firsthand left them wondering how European and North American competitors can even survive, says Talia Rafaeli, a former investment banker at both Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Barclays Plc who’s now a partner at Kompas VC. Planet A Ventures, a Berlin-based VC, has decided that investments in Western startups spanning battery manufacturing and recycling, electrolysers, solar and hardware for wind are no longer viable, says Nick de la Forge, general partner and co-founder of the firm. He says before the trip he’d suspected China was way ahead; but after going there, those sectors are now “strictly off the list.” Yair Reem, a partner at Extantia Capital, says the trip has already led his firm to halt investments in Western battery cell manufacturers. Instead, they’ll look for ways to collaborate with Chinese firms across supply chains. When it comes to battery manufacturing in the West, China’s dominance means it’s now “game over,” according to Reem. Ashwin Shashindranath, a former Macquarie Group managing director who’s now a partner at Energy Impact Partners, says what he saw on the trip made it “very clear” that Western investors live “in a bubble” in their misconceptions about China.

🌱 Climate innovation is where Europe’s venture pulse beats strongest. The new European Investment Fund (EIF) Equity Survey 2025 shows cautious optimism returning across European VC: deal flow is holding up and valuations are improving, especially in climate tech, deep tech and AI. But the message is clear: without more scale-up capital and institutional investors backing sustainable technologies, Europe risks falling short of its climate ambitions. At MITO Technology we see extraordinary science ready to scale and that is exactly where our capital goes. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/d4i9595R #climatetech #venturecapital #deeptech #sustainability #energytransition #Europe

In case you missed it: Catch up on some big energy storage news. Investment in cleantech startups is tracking toward the lowest level in years. But Base Power Company shrugged off the market trends and just raised $1 billion to turbocharge its home battery buildout. The colossal Series C funding round comes only six months after it raised $200 million in an April Series B. Addition led the latest round, which brought back all previous investors, including Andreessen Horowitz and Valor Equity Partners. The company’s valuation now stands at $4 billion after receiving the new investment, Base Power founder and CEO Zach Dell said. The pace and scale of those investments put the Austin, Texas–based firm in a league of its own among clean energy startups this year — beating out even the outlandish $863 million that Commonwealth Fusion Systems raised in August. Dell says his company’s traction comes down to a very clear value proposition: It’s potentially the fastest way to expand on-demand grid power at a time when everyone wants more of it.

This article examines the surge in private equity investments in Southeast Europe, driven by economic growth and sector opportunities, with insights from recent fund activities.Provectus Capital Partners' €162.5 million fund closure highlights Southeast Europe's appeal, with tech and healthcare sectors poised for high returns amid regional economic shifts.Southeast #economicgrowth #finance #healthcare #investment #markettrends #privateequity #SoutheastEurope #technology

Western VCs visiting China are finding Western renewable and electrification tech uninvestable due to China's lead. This trip revealed a stark reality for many investors, prompting a reevaluation of strategies. Some are now exploring collaboration with Chinese firms instead of competing in saturated Western markets. #China #Investment #Renewables

So Western venture capitalists go on a field trip to China and after some reflection attest that Western renewable and electrification tech is “uninvestable” because Chinese companies are too far ahead. That term univestable was applied to the Chinese stock market until recently… In any case it’s refreshing that some Westetn finance professionals make an effort and come to China asnd see what’s happening. Guys like hick cum VC cum VP JD Vance should do this too, but what’s he going to tell his boss then? Donald, we are scre**d? Insightful article by Bloomberg with paywall. Below article without. […] Planet A Ventures, a Berlin-based VC, has decided that investments in Western startups spanning battery manufacturing and recycling, electrolysers, solar and hardware for wind are no longer viable, said Nick de la Forge, general partner and co-founder of the firm. He said that before the trip, he’d suspected China was way ahead, but after going there, those sectors are now “strictly off the list”. Yair Reem, a partner at Extantia Capital, said that the trip has already led his firm to halt investments in Western battery cell manufacturers. Instead, they will look for ways to collaborate with Chinese firms across supply chains. When it comes to battery manufacturing in the West, China’s dominance means it’s now “game over”, according to Reem. Ashwin Shashindranath, a former Macquarie Group managing director who’s now a partner at Energy Impact Partners, says what he saw on the trip made it “very clear” that Western investors live “in a bubble” in their misconceptions about China. Al Gore, the chairman of Generation Investment Management and former US vice-president, said that China’s supremacy in the energy transition is now leading “many nations” to consider closer ties with the country. He describes America’s retreat from transition technologies as a “tragedy”. China manufactures about 80 per cent of the world’s solar panels, supplies some 60 per cent of the planet’s wind turbines, 70 per cent of its EVs and 75 per cent of batteries, all at a lower financial cost than the West. What’s more, China’s share of global clean energy patents stands at around 75 per cent, while the country dominates the supply chain for the critical minerals that underpin many green technologies. […] #china #vc #investment #battery #renewables #solarpanels #windenergy #business #competition #hardware #manufacturing #recycling #catl https://lnkd.in/gzVVCAKE

"Top VC's from Western firms and investment banks recently toured Chinese companies in the clean energy industry. After just days, they concluded that China's advances across the sector make competition impossible, and are pulling funds from Western startups. They hope to focus now on partnership opportunities with Chinese firms who already dominate the technology and manufacturing, and enjoy access to China's deep supply chains and logistics. But that model will also also prove difficult, as China's entire economic system is designed to destroy rent-seeking profits." #china #cleanenergy #venturecapitalist #supplychains