Venice-based sustainability and data platform illuminem has secured €2 million in a pre-seed funding round. The investment was led by BlackWood, with participation from Fortino Capital, Genesis, Eden Ventures, Sustainable Impact, Techstars, and various climate angel investors.
- Founded in 2022 by Andrea Gori, illuminem develops a sustainable data platform that allows users to monitor and compare the ESG performance of companies, discover insights from over 1,500 climate ministers, scientists, and CEOs, and stay updated with AI-curated industry news.
- The platform serves 35,000 users, including 20,000 newsletter subscribers, in approximately 110 countries around the globe.
- The startup employs a team of 20 and has partnered with several notable firms, including Taise, Dii, South Pole, Puro.Earth, BayoTech, Naked Energy, and ClimateTrade.
Details of the deal
- The funding round was led by BlackWood, a Copenhagen-based venture capital firm that focuses on fintech and cleantech startups at the pre-seed and seed stages across Europe. BlackWood's portfolio includes 10 startups, such as ZTLment, Sidekick, Hybr, Trips, and Qaptis.
"With this investment, we demonstrate that BlackWood is capable of finding and leading the most sought-after investment opportunities on a European level. This also strengthens our position as one of the most active funds out of the Nordics in the past year, which we are incredibly proud of," CEO and founder at BlackWood, Bastian R. Larsen, commented.
- The round also attracted investments from Fortino Capital, an Antwerp-based firm focusing on startups across Northwest Europe; Greece-based Genesis; Milan-based Eden Ventures; Sustainable Impact; and New York-based Techstars.
- The investment saw participation from influential climate leaders, including CEOs and Chief Sustainability Officers from major companies such as South Pole, Vestas, Tikehau Capital, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Carbonsink, Magaldi Technologies LLC, and TAQA Group. Additionally, founders from startups like iubenda and Volteris, as well as the Prime Minister of Climate of the Americas, contributed to the investment.
