Swiss firm launches LatAm’s first green VC fund

The Chilean unit of Swiss venture capital group Mountain Partners has launched the first green fund in Latin America which will invest solely in regional green and climate-tech startup companies, the firm announced on Thursday.

The Green-Future fund I will look to directly or indirectly decrease the region’s carbon footprint to ‘generate a positive impact on the environment’ and has already raised over $50m in capital, the firm said.

‘Our vision in the world is not possible if it is not done in a sustainable way, that is why we decided to launch the first fund in the region exclusively focused on green and climate-tech solutions,’ said Santiago Caniggia Bengolea, founder and managing partner of Mountain Partners Chile.

‘With COP26, there were many interests of actors, and we see the potential of entrepreneurs in the region as critical actors to act in the face of the environmental crisis,’ he added.

The fund will invest from seed stage to series-A funding rounds in carbon tech companies, sustainable agricultural technologies and sustainable methods of mining, alongside renewable energy and companies with zero emissions, according to Mountain Partners.

The group said it would plan to invest in roughly 20 startups in Latin America with initial investments between $1.5m to $3m, adding that the strategy would be distributed from Miami, Florida and Viña del Mar, Chile.

St. Gallen, Switzerland-based Mountain Partners AG has invested in more than 120 companies and has subsidiary units in more than 11 countries including Chile, Mexico and Colombia.