World Fund

Daria Saharova at Energy Tech Summit this week. 🔋 🇪🇺

Mein Fußballherz schlägt ja eigentlich für den 1. FC Köln & den SC Freiburg, aber Eintracht Frankfurt ist schon auch cool 😉 vor allem seit Mario Götze, von mir sehr geschätzter Co-Investor in vielen Startups, dort richtig aufdreht! ⚽ Daher freue ich mich total, am 15. Mai 2025 bei der Tech-, Blockchain- und KI-Konferenz „Block im Park“ über "Climate Tech on the Rise: Wie Blockchain und KI die Umwelt schützen können" zu sprechen. Beim World Fund haben wir ja genau zu diesem Thema gerade ein großes Whitepaper veröffentlicht (https://lnkd.in/ekSNxPd7), und haben diverse Startups die genau das tun (u.a. aedifion, Freshflow, Faircado) Weitere Informationen zur Veranstaltung und Tickets gibt es hier: https://lnkd.in/eKfDmg_6 --- und für Portfoliounternehmen & LPs vom World Fund hab ich auch noch ein paar Freitickets, gerne melden. Bis bald in Frankfurt!

We’re proud to back VÆRIDION as they tackle one of aviation’s biggest challenges: making electric flight not just possible, but practical 🌍 Their latest white paper lays out a compelling case for scalable, certifiable electric aircraft - designed to fit into the system we have today, not one decades from now 🛩️ With rising fuel prices, carbon taxation, and ageing fleets, the industry is hungry for change. VÆRIDION’s Microliner offers a capital-efficient, near-term path to decarbonising regional aviation - and World Fund we believe it’s exactly what the market needs right now. 📘 Read more below and check out their full report in the link in comments

We’re hiring: Join our Climate Investment Fellowship & Internship Programme 🌍 At World Fund, we are looking for tech-driven talent to join our team in September 2025. If you’re passionate about climate tech, startups, and investments, this is your chance to make an impact. 🔎 We’re looking for: ✅ Fellows & Interns with a tech (STEM) background ✅ Experience in VC, start-ups, consulting, or banking ✅ A passion for climate tech & sustainability What you’ll do: 📌 Conduct market research & support investment decisions 📌 Review start-up pitch decks & perform due diligence 📌 Join a high-performing, international VC team Apply by the 30th of April (or share with someone you know) via the link in the comments👇

🇪🇺 What must Europe do to become a green computing powerhouse? 🖥️ Earlier this week, World Fund - in partnership with Dealroom.co and Intel Ignite - published the report on the future of compute at a flagship event in Munich. On a panel with Daria Saharova, Markus Bohl (Intel Ignite), Orla Browne (Dealroom.co), Eishi Arima (Technical University of Munich), and moderator Wolfgang Kerler (1E9), experts highlighted the fragility of semiconductor supply chains, the growing geopolitical risks tied to China and Taiwan, and Europe’s heavy reliance on TSMC. The panelists also looked at how Munich is emerging as a key hub for climate computing. But, the challenge remains - generative AI is driving an exponential rise in computing demand, requiring 6x more resources per product update. The capital exists, but to lead in deeptech, Europe must move faster and be bolder. More perspectives from our speakers: 💡Eishi Arima, Technical University of Munich: Build resilient, sovereign tech supplies - no reliance on China or the US. 📈 Orla Browne, Dealroom.co: Inspire the next generation - this is a long-term game. We also need late-stage VC and infrastructure spending, with pension funds playing a key role. 💶 Daria Saharova, World Fund: €1 trillion in capital is needed to drive real change. ✂️ Markus Bohl, Intel Ignite: Simplification is key. Europe must cut red tape - everything takes too long. At World Fund, we’ve invested in green computing since 2021 starting with Space Forge. We also led IQM Quantum Computers’s record round of $128 million in 2022. Europe must go beyond conversations and take action. For more on this subject, download our report👇

🌱 Green Computing in the AI Era: here are the key takeaways from our great keynote speakers at the European Southern Observatory in Munich! 🌍 Our GP Daria Saharova talks about how in Europe, “we have the capital, but we’re not unlocking it - only 1% of institutional capital went into climate tech in 2022. To lead in climate and deep tech, we need significant funds and stronger government support.” We were also joined by Cyrillic CEO Anastasiia Nosova, who also spoke about how novel technologies such as photonics, quantum and probabilistic computing are being developed to enhance energy efficiency of compute. Inés De Vega, VP at our portfolio company IQM Quantum Computers looked at how Europe is developing real-world solutions to complex challenges, with quantum computing being the key example. Fellow portfolio firm Space Forge’s CEO Joshua Western gave us his mission statement - that - ‘the 19th century was defined by coal, the 20th by oil, and the 21st by the semiconductor industry. We agree with Joshua that ‘Europe must aim for global tech recognition - just as Intel Corporation is in every laptop, Space Forge should be a household name in advanced materials.’ You can download our full report - produced in partnership with Dealroom.co and Intel Ignite in the link in comments 👇 Thanks also to Sebastian Lindner-Liaw for being a fantastic moderator.

The AI revolution is here, bringing profound climate implications and accelerating the need for decarbonisation 🌍 📄 In response to this critical challenge, we've joined forces with Intel Ignite and Dealroom.co to release a timely white paper: Green Computing in the AI Era - Innovations Tackling Computing's Carbon Impact. The demand for AI computing power doubles every few months, while data centres continue to rely heavily on fossil fuels. To prevent worsening the climate crisis, we must fundamentally rethink our computing approach. Key findings: 🔮 The AI industry is projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2030. ⚡Breakthroughs in Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) promise major efficiency gains. 🌿 Quantum, neuromorphic, and optical computing are leading us toward a greener future. 🚀 Startup growth: Our report features 65 green computing startups that have raised $1.5B globally, with 54 European next-gen computing startups securing over $900M, including $305M in 2024. Read the full white paper for exclusive data, market mapping, and investment insights - link in comments 👇

🌍 Is climate tech the key to securing Europe’s long-term resilience? At World Fund, we believe now is the time for Europe to invest in four key areas to reduce reliance on global market. Our Principal Dr. Nadine Geiser spoke with Mattias Karen at Impact Loop 🇸🇪 about why securing resilience means: ✅ Urgently investing in climate tech for decarbonisation ✅ Creating strong regulatory frameworks to attract private investment They also explored: 💡 Why climate tech is about backing companies that outperform existing solutions, even for climate sceptics 💰 The urgent need to boost late-stage funding in Europe Read more in the article - link in comments! 🔗

“Europe’s answer to Google and IBM”- that is the vision IQM Quantum Computers founder CEO Jan Goetz has for his company, as you can read in Sifted. ✍ Miriam Partington sat down with Jan to discuss progress and goals at IQM as the global quantum race intensifies. 💻 Quantum computing will be an essential part of delivering a decarbonised future, through reducing the carbon footprint of computing, optimising energy use, advancing climate modeling, improving supply chains and more. The article explores how IQM, which World Fund has supported since 2022 when we led the company’s €128m Series A2, aims to achieve its goal of becoming Europe’s answer to Google or IBM when it comes to quantum. IQM designs, builds, and sells superconducting quantum computers, providing both on-premises full-stack quantum computers and a cloud platform to access its computers anywhere in the world. Its customers already include leading centres, enterprises, and research labs which have full access to its software and hardware 🔬 📈   As Jan told Sifted: “We’re focusing on building the most performant quantum processors when it comes to speed, quality and stability.” Read the full article at the link in comment👇

🌍 Europe’s leadership in climate tech innovation offers a second chance* to build leading industries and strengthen its resilience 🔋🏗️ 🌱 With world-class talent, top-tier R&D, and a thriving ecosystem of climate & deep tech startups, Europe is well-positioned - backed by policy leaders committed to a bold climate agenda. This is the core argument of our latest paper at World Fund, Climate Tech for European Resilience, launched last month - calling for long-term strategic policy and investment action. It's great to see others stepping up! Congrats to our friends at Norrsken on launching Norrsken Brussels 🇧🇪 with #SustainableHub - a state-of-the-art physical hub and community, to bridge the gap between those who are building Europe’s future and those who are shaping its policies. 🤝 The program will be designed in collaboration with Cleantech for Europe. And if you haven’t done so yet, here's another opportunity to check our White Paper for actionable recommendations for European investors and policymakers. Link in comments 👇 *Germany led in solar, wind, and electric vehicles in the early 2010s.