KOMPAS VC

🌱 Nature is no longer a nice-to-have; it is a business imperative. Every industry reaches a tipping point where the narrative shifts. For Nala Earth, that moment was driven by data: over half of global GDP depends directly on nature. Forests, watersheds, soil health, pollinators — these are not peripheral variables. They are the living infrastructure behind every supply chain. As nature-related risks intensify and regulation catches up, Nala Earth equips companies the intelligence they need to act. Their platform enables enterprises to measure, manage, and report their impacts with the clarity and rigour this moment demands. At KOMPAS VC, we see this shift as structural — and long overdue. That is why we invested in Nala Earth. Our partner, Andreas Winter-Extra shares the full story (link in comments👇) #fundingabettertomorrow #kompasvc #nalaearth

Blueprints do not build the future—people do. That is exactly what ‘UnderConsutrction x bauma 2025 is built for. UnternehmerTUM, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Brick & Mortar Ventures, and KOMPAS VC are bringing together a handpicked group of founders, investors, and industry leaders for an evening that cuts through the noise. We are here to talk AI-powered equipment, zero-emission job sites, teleoperation, advanced safety, and how to build without breaking the planet—or the schedule. 🗓️ April 7, 2025, 5:30 PM 📍 Urban Lab, Munich - Germany 🎟️ Attendance is limited. Want in? Register now - https://lu.ma/gbd14p4y (application subjected to approval*) Hitachi Construction Machinery, UnternehmerTUM, Brick & Mortar Ventures #underconstruction #bauma #contech

April is packed, and so are our suitcases. From icy Nordic coastlines to the warm pulse of San Francisco and Miami, the KOMPAS VC team is setting out on a global sprint to meet founders, investors, and innovators transforming the industry. Here is where to find us: 🇳🇴 Mesh Nusfjord, 2025 (2–4 April, Oslo): Sebastian is heading north for a curated adventure with leading Nordic founders and investors. Before the fjord views begin, catch him at the Mesh Collective LP/GP gathering on April 1 in Oslo. 🇩🇪 bauma 2025 (7–13 April, Munich): Andreas will be at bauma, the world’s largest construction trade fair. Do not miss the return of our UnderConstruction side-event—cohosted with Brick & Mortar Ventures, UnternehmerTUM, and Hitachi Construction Machinery. Expect sharp conversation, and a highly curated room of founders, investors, and construction operators. Spots are limited. Want in? Apply here → https://lu.ma/gbd14p4y 🌴VC Platform Global Summit (7–9 April, Miami): Victoria Burrows heads stateside to Miami for three days of dynamic exchange with platform professionals from around the world. With high-impact content, peer collaboration, and honest dialogue—this one is not just another networking event. 🇺🇸 Venture West (8–10 April, San Francisco): Talia Rafaeli takes the stage to talk Sustainable Technology: Adoption and Investment Strategies. Alongside leaders from Cemex Ventures, GS Ventures, and Prologis, she will unpack how industry innovators are evaluating and integrating green tech—from materials to renewables. She will also join corporate leaders shaping the digital transformation of the built environment. 🇪🇸 Energy Tech Summit (9–10 April, Bilbao): Summit will be on the ground in Bilbao for Europe’s top climate tech gathering—connecting with disruptors, forward-thinking investors, and policy shapers redefining the future of energy. 🇹🇷 Yapı Fuarı – Turkeybuild Istanbul (16–19 April, Istanbul): Simay will be in Istanbul engaging with a powerful network of buyers, government leaders, and decision-makers at Turkey’s leading exhibition for building materials and construction technologies. 🇳🇱 Tech Tour Circular (23–24 April, Ghent): Nick Gosen joins as a jury member at this standout event focused on advancing circular economy innovations. Expect smart pitches, scalable impact, and sharp investment perspectives. 🇲🇹 EU-Startups Summit (24–25 April, Malta): Talia is back on stage—this time in Malta—discussing how unconventional scaling strategies are driving real-world impact. Join her on Day 1 at 14:35 alongside leaders from Alven, Nauta, and Visionaries Club. Will we see you at one of these events in April? Ping us below! #kompasvc #ets #eustartups #meshnusfjord #vcplatform #techtour

🇪🇸 Gracias, Barcelona! Our full KOMPAS VC team touched down in the city of never-ending creation—home to La Sagrada Familia, FC Barcelona, and now, our own KOMPAS office. More than just a change of scenery, this retreat was about sharpening our strategy, strengthening connections, and setting our sights on the future. Though we work remotely across different countries, we are a tight team. These meet-ups are not just a nice-to-have; they are essential. They help us bridge distances, deepen trust, and reinforce the culture that makes KOMPAS what it is. This time, we explored how our diverse backgrounds shape our work through a culture map workshop led by Alexis Dangel. We laughed, debated, and walked away with a clearer understanding of how our differences make us stronger. ⛵ Beyond the workshops, we took to the water. Sailing together gave us fresh perspectives, a moment to pause, and a reminder of why we do what we do. Back on land, we ate our weight in tapas, soaked in Barcelona’s golden-lit streets, and admired the city that wears its history and creativity on every corner. We leave inspired and aligned and look forward to welcoming new team members to our KOMPAS family soon. #fundingabettertomorrow #kompasvc #teamretreat #barcelona

⭕ Instead of letting machine emissions pollute the air, we can now capture CO₂ and use it to make bioplastics and medicine. Our portfolio company, CyanoCapture, along with Lgem | synalgae and Mourik EGP, successfully completed a carbon capture project using cyanobacteria to absorb CO₂ directly from a fuel cell generator. By combining a methanol fuel cell, a photobioreactor, and fast-growing cyanobacteria, they demonstrated how emissions can be turned into valuable biomass for bioplastics and pharmaceuticals. This technology not only helps reduce emissions but also creates new business opportunities. The team is now working to scale it up for real-world use. Congrats to CyanoCapture and its partners on this milestone! Read more about the project below. #fundingabettertomorrow #kompasvc #carboncapture #foundernews

🏆 A big congratulations to our portfolio company, Found Energy, for winning a top prize at this year’s Hello Tomorrow Summit! Found Energy turns aluminium waste into clean heat and hydrogen, reducing fossil fuel use. Their process runs without electricity and produces a negative-carbon byproduct, creating a closed-loop solution for aluminium producers. This win perfectly reflects the key takeaway from this year’s summit: while climate tech is crucial, the future belongs to companies that deliver strong unit economics and clear performance advantages. The industry is shifting away from reliance on subsidies, focusing instead on businesses that can thrive independently of policy changes and across markets. Throughout the event, speakers emphasized that economic viability is critical to scaling industrial solutions. For climate tech to succeed, it must compete with and outperform traditional industries in cost and efficiency. The solutions that will drive the industrial transition are those that prove their worth in the marketplace. To keep these conversations going, we hosted a ‘Friends of KOMPAS VC' dinner in Paris, gathering close partners and industry peers. It was a great reminder of the importance of supporting companies that are not just innovating but building sustainable, scalable business models. 👏 A big thank you to everyone who joined us for this memorable evening. Want to be part of our community? subscribe to our event calendar and stay tuned (link in comments 👇) #kompasvc #hellotomorrow #foundenergy GTT Galp Honda Xcelerator Ventures

🇫🇷 Despite the stormy, literal and geopolitical weather, the energy at MIPIM 2025 was undeniably positive. The real estate industry is moving from talk to action, with a more substantial business case for high-performance assets and sustainable value creation. Here are our fresh key takeaways coming directly from Cannes: ⚪ Companies have now shifted from reporting to action. With new regulations and market pressures, there is a better understanding of how real estate sustainability efforts should translate into real-world implementation. ⚪ The business case for sustainability is stronger than last year. This trend is seen in the increasing demand for energy-efficient, high-performance buildings from European developers and tenants. ⚪ There is more consensus on how decarbonization needs to deliver more than just carbon savings. For solutions to be relevant, they must also provide financial, operational, and social benefits. ⚪ Case studies strengthen industry adoption. Sharing success stories and examples of mutually beneficial collaborations between startups and corporations helps streamline business integration and scale technology adoption ⚪ Before hopping onto the AI trend, companies must be data-ready. When used effectively, AI can increase efficiency, productivity, and safety across the industry. ⚪ Private-public partnerships accelerate technological progress. Industry-wide alignment, from KPI standardization (IIGCC) to the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, will help scale adoption. ⚪ Europe has an appetite for innovation but has a brand problem. Many solutions exist despite a lack of awareness. How do we ensure the industry knows about them and adopts them faster? Comment your thoughts below. Thanks to Clovis, Future Catamaran, Clément Fradet Normand, JLL Spark, MIPIM, Findable, Optiml, Treble Technologies, Vizcab, Leonard, PriceHubble, VINCI, EY, Crayon Partners, Measurabl, Pi Labs, IDEALYS + many more for the inspiring conversations. Collaboration is the key to accelerating transition—let’s keep the momentum going! #mipim #kompasvc #fundingabettertomorrow

We set sail at MIPIM this year, bringing a handful of our portfolio founders to showcase the future of the manufacturing industry and the built environment. Big ideas, and plenty of momentum—more takeaways coming this Friday!

🔋 How do we scale clean hydrogen while capturing CO₂ at the source?  The H2Boost project set out to prove it’s possible. Over 18 months, this £5M initiative in Leeds integrated hydrogen production, biogas generation, and CO₂ capture into a single system.   At the heart of this effort is Dark Fermentation, a process in which microorganisms break down organic materials without light, producing hydrogen as the primary output and biogenic CO₂ as a byproduct.   This is where CyanoCapture, our portfolio company at KOMPAS VC, comes in. Their photosynthetic microorganisms—cyanobacteria—capture and convert CO₂ into biomass using sunlight. In the H2Boost project, CyanoCapture’s technology successfully captured biogenic CO₂ from Dark Fermentation and Anaerobic Digestion, preventing it from being released into the atmosphere.   With this, H2Boost has reached ‘Partially Integrated Status’ from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (ESNZ)—a key step toward scaling low-carbon hydrogen in the UK.   🚀 A massive milestone for CyanoCapture and a glimpse into the future of clean hydrogen with built-in CO₂ removal.   🔗 Listen to Jane Harrowell discuss this milestone: https://lnkd.in/eHnH8zBN #kompasvc #portfolio #cyanocapture

⭐ Happy International Women’s Day ⭐ Even though more women than ever are starting companies, achieving record returns and driving innovation in critical industries, 98% of VC funding still flows to male-led ventures. Some may claim that women naturally gravitate towards different sectors than men do, yet our portfolio tells another story. At KOMPAS VC, we proudly back female-led companies breaking new ground in industries such as climate tech, AI, construction, and supply chain innovation. Our portfolio, led by innovators like Anna Alex, co-founder of Nala Earth, Lisa Smith, CEO of Prewave, and Elizabeth Gilligan, CEO of Material Evolution, clearly illustrates that the drive for progress and disruption is not confined by gender. Internally, our team embodies this commitment to excellence, with leadership from General Partner Talia Rafaeli—named once again one of Europe’s 100 most influential women in venture capital—and supported by Principal Ilena Mece, Head of Operations Meg George-Stark, Head of Platform Simay Arikan, Strategic Partnership and Insight Leader Victoria Burrows, Head of Marketing Pauline Jimenez, and our ever-dedicated Executive Assistant Marette Vorster. What is the best way to celebrate International Women’s Day? Fund women. Hire women. Promote women. Change does not happen by itself—recognising one’s biases is not easy. Numbers tell one story, but action tells another. Who are the women driving change in your world? Tag them, back them. #internationalwomensday #iwd2025