Azolla Ventures backs early-stage climate innovations that even traditional venture capital won’t fund — blending philanthropic and commercial capital to give high-risk ideas a shot at market success. But as the climate tech sector cools and political headwinds grow, questions mount: when does bold investing cross the line into recklessness?
Many climate breakthroughs don’t fail in the lab, they fail in the market. They are too risky, too slow, or too unproven, consequently falling through the cracks of a financial system built for quicker wins.
It means brilliant discoveries, whether new materials, clean fuels, or novel agricultural methods, can often wither and die before they even get a chance to be tested in the real world.
Philanthropy meets venture capital
Azolla Ventures was created to change that. Named after a prehistoric fern that once cooled the Earth, the firm blends traditional venture capital with philanthropic – or what it calls “catalytic” – capital, to back early-stage ideas that are too risky for standard venture capital to touch.