Elevation Ventures grew out of a partnership between Sustain SoCal and Octane.
Led by former Google executive, Neal Rickner, the Fund focuses on Seed to Series A climate and sustainability companies, leveraging Octane’s LaunchPad accelerator and Sustain SoCal’s extensive network of energy and sustainability professionals to accelerate progress and amplify impact.
The partnership recognized that by leveraging each other’s respective strengths and capabilities it could have an immediate and meaningful impact on the climate crisis and economic growth in the region while providing attractive returns to the investors.
Founders’ access to capital in the Southern California has been the single major impediment to climate tech growth in the region. Elevation Ventures aims to change that.
INVESTMENT THESIS
Net Zero Transformation is a Massive Market Opportunity.
Fueled by the availability of public and private capital and tailwinds from public and private ESG, net zero, and sustainability commitments.
SoCal Generates Category-Leading Companies but Lacks Sufficient VC.
Southern California is an innovation hub with high per-capita R&D investment and high GDP but less available venture capital than regional peers.
Google[x] Approach + Octane Strategy + Sustain Experts Will Generate Wins.
Google[x] thought leadership in tech innovation and moonshot thinking combined with the Octane strategy that has produced top-decile venture returns, and Sustain Socal’s industry expertise will lead to great investment decisions.
Market Research
We are excited to be a part of the fast-growing Southern California climate tech startup scene. To better understand the market dynamics and opportunities, we are grateful to have partnered with the Three Cairns Group and Columbia Business School to sponsor the market report linked here.
- Human Capital & Expert Talent
- Community Awareness & Commitment
- Government Support & Local Infrastructure
“Nearly half of all the additional emissions reductions in 2050 relative to current policy plans will be from technologies that have not yet reached the market today”
– According to the IEA (2020), Clean Energy Innovation, IEA, Paris
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