The investment platform will bolster Air Liquide’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2050 and allow the partners to focus on companies which demonstrate a positive impact on the environment and society across Europe.
Sectors targeted will include clean energy, sustainable food and agriculture, circular economy, clean water and sanitation, smart cities, sustainable mobility, and industrial innovation.
About the development, Benoit Potier, Chairman and CEO of Air Liquide, said, “Sustainable development is at the heart of Air Liquide’s strategy. With this initiative, led through ALIAD (Air Liquide Venture Capital), its venture capital arm, Air Liquide aims to foster the development of technologies in line with its global ambition to ACT for a sustainable future.”
“We are delighted to be able to contribute with Air Liquide’s expertise to the emergence of innovative companies in the impact field, alongside Rothschild & Co and the Solar Impulse Foundation, of whom we have been a long-standing partner.”
With the need for a cleaner future building momentum over the past few years, Air Liquide has recently announced its new ESG objectives to ACT for a sustainable future and consider this initiative vital to accelerating Energy Transition.
Of the partnership, Alexandre de Rothschild, Executive Chairman of Rothschild & Co, said, “We are delighted to partner with Air Liquide and Solar Impulse Foundation in this initiative.”
Since 2013 with the first successful round-the-world solar-powered flight, Air Liquide has been partnering with the Solar Impulse Foundation.
Bertrand Piccard, Founder and Initiator of the Solar Impulse Foundation, said, “We’ve proven that over 1000 profitable solutions exist to protect the environment.”
“Now we need to show that investing in new and clean technologies makes both economic and ecological sense.”
Since its inception in 2013, ALIAD has invested in more than 35 companies for a total capital committed of nearly €100m.