"Savia Ventures Celebrates One Year of Investing in Climatech Startups: Now Our Mission is to Prove that Climatech is Applicable to All Industries'"
During an episode of Entreprenerd Radio, Andrés Baehr, Managing Partner at Savia Ventures, shared his vision and the mission of Savia Venture after a very peculiar 2023 and an expectation-filled 2024.
Savia Venture s has just marked its first year of operation, supporting new businesses and generating solutions to tackle climate change in Latin America, establishing itself as a key player in driving sustainability across the continent
In this context, during an episode of Entreprenerd Radio, Andrés Baehr, Managing Partner at Savia Ventures, shared his vision and the mission of Savia Venture after a very peculiar 2023 and an expectation-filled 2024.
“Part of our mission now with Savia 1 (upcoming fund) is to demonstrate that Climatech is applicable to all industries. There is a perception that ‘Climatech’ was only related to energy, to renewables. That is the older view; Climatech is much broader and applies to every industry,” Andrés Baehr, Managing Partner de Savia Ventures a Entreprenerd
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Who is Savia Ventures
Founded by Andrés Baehr (with experience at BHP Billiton and Engie) and Matthew Mulrennan (Xprize, Kolossal), Savia Ventures is a venture capital (VC) firm made up of a team of investors experienced in climate technologies and scientists, entrepreneurs, and consultants involved in sustainability.
Their focus is on investing in and supporting early-stage startups operating in Latin America, with the goal of connecting them with international resources to scale not only regionally but also globally.
They boast an extensive network of 23 advisors, including Philipp Willingmann (Vontier); Carolina Smith (former Minister of the Environment of Chile); Claudio Magnolia (Magnolia Lawyers); Jonathan Sieber (Abstraction Industries); Mauricio Chiong (Inti Tech); and Emilia Díaz (Allbiotech).
Andrés also mentioned that for 2024, they are advancing in creating more content to help people learn more about Climatech.
“We want to generate a lot of digestible content that is easy to explain and tell many of these stories coming from our advisors,” Said Andrés Baehr in an interview with Entreprenerd.
Additionally, this VC organizes in-person events in key cities like Santiago, Mexico City, Los Angeles, and New York, where they will have a stronger presence during Climate Week.
The Verticals of Work
Savia Ventures operates in six major areas of development, within which they seek to find innovative, scalable business solutions that simultaneously impact global environmental care.
These areas include Energy, aiming for cleaner and more efficient solutions; Mobility, supporting companies developing technologies to improve mobility and reduce the industry’s environmental impact; and Blue Economy, focusing on sustainably harnessing marine resources.
Additionally, the verticals of Agtech, Foodtech & Land Use focus on improving agricultural technology to enhance the efficiency and development of this industry and creating innovations to reduce food waste.
The FinTech and CarbonTech verticals involve investments in financial and carbon technologies that help manage and reduce carbon emissions; Industry, Manufacturing and Built Environment is also a priority, supporting startups that are revolutionizing manufacturing and the construction environment to make them more sustainable.
Highlighted Startups of Savia Ventures
Savia Ventures has invested in a variety of startups operating in Latin America that are addressing measurable climate change-related issues. These companies have not only proven to be forces of nature in their respective fields but have also managed to expand beyond the region.
- Strong By Form: Aims to create high-performance structural biocomposites, ultralight and “freeform,” capable of replacing steel and concrete in applications where wood is not an alternative today. They developed a digital technology called Woodflow that allows for the creation of structural pieces based on the shape and alignment of wood fibers, using a robotic manufacturing process that includes wood and resin.
- Ruedata: Claims they can achieve up to a 30% savings on tire expenses through their SaaS administration based on technology and data analysis, impacting the transportation, logistics, and associated industries.
- Splight: Offers an artificial intelligence solution that optimizes energy use in transmission lines, with savings reported around 30%. They have experienced significant growth in Chile.
- Solfium: This startup has software that allows visualizing the decarbonization of the value chain and the environmental impact of companies.
2024 and Beyond: Expansion and Education
The plans for Savia Ventures over the next 12 months are demanding. Beyond having an “open window” to find or synergize with different startups within their scope of action, the challenges come in the line of content, in-person events, and continuing to enhance their portfolio.
In this regard, Baehr commented to Entreprenerd that the “Savia Sprouts,” short audiovisuals aimed at making the work regarding climate change more digestible and understandable to the public, are coming soon.
Furthermore, 2024 will see a series of in-person events intended to take place in three main cities: Santiago of Chile, Mexico City, Los Angeles, along the Climate Week in New York
You can find more information on the Venture Capital website.
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