Copenhagen-based The Footprint Firm has completed the final closing of their €76 million venture fund Footprint Fund I, aiming to invest in 30 early-stage DeepTech companies within the green transition in Northern Europe.
Footprint Fund I has already invested in 20 startups. The fund is backed by North-East Family Office, EIFO, Realdania, Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker, TryghedsGruppen, Lauritzen Fonden, Nordea-fonden, Novo Holdings, and Velliv Foreningen.
“The closing of Footprint Fund I reflects a strong alignment with investors who value disciplined investing, deep sustainability expertise and long-term partnership. The dialogues we’ve had throughout the fundraising process have helped sharpen both our platform and our ambitions. This positions us well as we continue to scale our investment activities and prepare for future funds built on the same integrated model,” said Jakob Mathias Wichmann, co-founding partner & Managing Partner of the Footprint Fund.
Recent 2025–2026 activity shows continued capital deployment into climate, impact and DeepTech investment vehicles adjacent to The Footprint Firm’s focus.
In Germany, Munich-based Ananda Impact Ventures reached a €73 million first close for its fifth impact fund. The UK has seen larger-scale fundraises, including London-headquartered 2150, which closed €210 million for its second fund focused on climate-driven urban systems, and Future Energy Ventures, which raised €205 million for Fund II to back energy transition and digital energy technologies across Europe.
Southern Europe has also remained active, with Barcelona-based SC Net Zero Ventures launching a €210 million ClimateTech fund focused on industrial decarbonisation, while the Netherlands’ Rubio Impact Ventures closed €70 million for its third impact-linked fund.
At the earlier end of the spectrum, Munich-based Vanagon Ventures secured €20 million to target pre-Seed DeepTech and AI startups.
Taken together, these vehicles represent approximately €788 million in disclosed capital moving through climate, impact, energy and DeepTech-adjacent funds during 2025–2026.
Against this backdrop, The Footprint Firm’s €76 million Footprint Fund I sits within a broader European pattern of mid-sized, specialist funds providing early-stage capital for the green transition, complementing larger climate funds.
“With Footprint Fund I, we are doubling down on our mission to accelerate what is necessary,” said Anna Søndergaard, co-founding Partner and CEO at The Footprint Firm. “The future worth building will not arrive by chance, it must be ventured into. Europe has the talent, research depth, and industrial base needed to build category-defining climate solutions, and we want to contribute to the success of these teams with funding, ecosystem support and our expertise and network.”
The Footprint Firm was founded in 2019 as a leading Danish sustainability strategy advisory and venture capital firm. The Footprint Firm advises private companies, investors, public institutions and research institutions incl, among others, Altor Equity Partners, Axcel, Danske Bank, EQT, Lundbeck, Polaris Private Equity and Ørsted.
With the new fund, The Footprint Firm strengthens its role as a catalyst for research-based and scalable sustainable innovation. The investments focus on technologies and business models that can be realised at industrial scale and contribute to the global green transition.
Current investment tickets range from €500k to €2 million, with 20 startups already receiving fund, including Reel Energy, Kvasir Technologies, Nordic Salt Cycle, FoodOp, and Rock Flour Company.
The Footprint Firm also particiapted in Octarine Bio’s recently covered €5 million round to to advance its sustainable colour platform.
“The synergies between our advisory business and The Footprint Fund I are already visible. Our business model allows us to invest significantly more hours and expertise into all investment stages than the traditional VC-setup. That is exactly what is needed in the sustainable innovation space, which adds deep environmental, regulatory and transformational requirements to the classic investor toolbox. We are confident that that’s the way to ensure both vital impact and healthy returns,” says co-founding Partner Christian Sparrevohn.
Footprint Fund I invests in areas such as biotechnology, energy, AI and climate technology, circular manufacturing, the built environment, CO₂e reduction, and food systems.
The fund is supported by The Footprint Firm’s team of 45 specialists, who work actively with the portfolio companies in areas including commercialisation, regulation, scientific validation, scaling, and partnerships.
“At Novo Holdings, we invest with a long-term perspective in companies that seek to address complex challenges while delivering sustainable returns. The Footprint Firm’s Fund I has an integrated approach, combining early-stage capital with sustainability and commercial expertise. Supporting strong, locally anchored investment platforms is an important part of our strategy.
“We see a continued need for patient capital to support the green transition, and we believe this investment provides a meaningful platform for backing early-stage companies with the potential to create both impact and long-term value,” says Sophia Heyde, Vice President, Planetary Health Investments, Novo Holdings.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/01/e76-million-footprint-fund-i-to-support-30-early-stage-climate-and-deeptech-companies-across-northern-europe/
