VitaminºC, a new female-led early-stage venture capital firm based in Zurich and San Francisco, today announced the first close of its €18 million ($20 million) debut early-stage climate fund.
The fund is backed by European entrepreneurial families and supported by successful ClimateTech founders and experts, including Jasmine Kent (CTO and co-founder, Dufour Aerospace & Daedalean – exited), and climate policy expert Florian Egli (TUM Munich, EU Environment Agency Committee).
“We’re here to rewire climate venture capital. The first generation of climate technologies, such as wind and solar, is now cheaper than fossil fuels. Around 30% of the technologies needed to cut emissions faster are still pre-commercial. The biggest economic buildout of our generation is just getting started – and we’re investing when others are pulling back,” said Nathalie Moral, Founding Partner.
Founded in 2026 by Nathalie Moral (Zurich) and Sophie Lamparter (San Francisco), invests in climate mitigation and human adaptation. Moral was an early investor in ClimateTech unicorn Climeworks, and co-founded Clima Now to connect all three types of capital simultaneously. She received the Female Innovation Forum Recognition Award in 2022, and her professional journey includes roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Bain & Company, and LGT Venture Philanthropy (now Lightrock).
Lamparter has spent 15 years helping European DeepTech companies grow in the US. She began as a science and technology diplomat at Swissnex San Francisco, built the first US team at MindMaze during its growth from university spinout to unicorn, and later co-founded DART Ventures to support founders entering the US market. She was named one of Switzerland’s 100 Digital Shapers in 2018, 2020 and 2022 and has served as an expert to the European Commission.
The firm positions itself as a strategic bridge between Europe and Silicon Valley, blending European impact investing with US scaling expertise to assist in building global companies.
Sophie Lamparter, Founding Partner, said, “Europe’s deep tech is world-class, but many startups hit a scale cap and struggle to expand globally. We introduce founders to their first US customers, hires and investors. And as US climate policy faces uncertainty, American founders are increasingly looking to Europe’s stable regulatory environment. The bridge works both ways, and we are the boots on the ground in both eco-systems.”
According to the VC firm, global climate tech funding has slowed, valuations have reset, and many generalist funds have deprioritised the sector. Vitamin C sees this market dislocation as a key opportunity. As climate technology evolves from a niche to essential economic infrastructure, the firm states that it is making investments at more appealing valuations with solid fundamentals.
“As the world moves toward 2°C warming, demand for scalable mitigation and adaptation technologies is accelerating. Climate solutions are becoming economic infrastructure, yet only about 10% of global venture capital is currently allocated to climate and energy transition technologies, leaving a significant investment gap,” the firm mentioned in the press release.
VitaminºC targets the key climate levers, including energy, food and agriculture, carbon removal, and human adaptation. The fund invests €0.5–€1.5 million ($0.6–1.7 million) at pre-Seed and Seed stages. It stated that each investment must show the potential to cut or eliminate at least 100,000 tons of CO₂ or improve the resilience of 100,000 people within five years.
“Think of it like a car. We need to reduce the speed of emissions for mitigation while making sure the airbag is ready for the impacts already locked in. We invest in both,” added Moral.
The firm’s first investment is Satellites on Fire, an Argentine-U.S. startup that utilises AI, satellite, and ground data to detect, monitor, and prevent wildfires.
Highlighting the significance of impact for the VC firm, it stated in the press release, “For VitaminºC, impact and returns are inseparable. Impact is not a constraint. It is the thesis.”
Beyond capital, the firm notes that it actively connects portfolio companies with academic institutions for rigorous impact validation, funds non-dilutive grants to generate scientific evidence, and pilots blended capital models where venture and philanthropy work in tandem to accelerate the transition.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/03/new-female-led-vc-firm-vitaminoc-hits-first-close-of-its-e18-million-debut-climate-fund-amid-sector-funding-decline/
