Thursday, 25 July 2024

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INVESTMENT WATCH

Natural Ventures closes USD 100 mn fund

The fund will focus on investing in technologies geared towards water and food security

UAE-based venture capital firm Natural Ventures closed its debut USD 100 mn fund, according to a press release. The Natural Ventures Fund I — headquartered in the Abu Dhabi Global Market — plans to invest in advanced technologies addressing climate change, population growth, and the sustainability of water and food systems.

Key investors in Natural Ventures Fund I include Helm AG, a German chemicals manufacturer; Chemovateq, a Swiss-based family office; and an unnamed strategic UAE investor.

Helping manage the fund will be Netherlands-based AgBioScout, which specializes in agritech scouting and advisory, and UK-based Isle Utilities, an innovation consultancy focused on water and environmental technologies, under strategic partnership agreements with Natural Ventures.

The fund’s recipients to date: The fund recently led a seed funding round for US-based water purification company Active Membranes. The fund also invested in Israel-based drip irrigation firm N-Drip, German aviation and aerospace component manufacturing firm Constellr, and Israeli microalgae specialist Brevel.