The Footprint Firm closes €76M Article 9 climate tech fund
The Footprint Firm, a Copenhagen-based venture firm focused on the green transition, has closed Footprint Fund I at €76M, targeting early-stage climate and deep tech startups across Northern Europe. The fund is classified as an Article 9 vehicle under the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), a designation typically reserved for products with an explicit sustainable investment objective.
The firm says the fund has already backed 20 companies and aims to make around 30 investments in total. Initial check sizes range from €0.5M to €2M, with a focus on “re-seed” and seed-stage rounds where technical risk, regulatory hurdles, and early commercial validation often determine whether a climate innovation can reach industrial scale.
Backers include Nordic institutions and family offices
Limited partners in Footprint Fund I include North-East Family Office, EIFO, Realdania, Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker, TryghedsGruppen, Lauritzen Fonden, Nordea-fonden, Novo Holdings, and Velliv Foreningen. The investor mix underscores continuing institutional interest in climate-focused venture strategies, even as broader venture markets remain selective on early-stage risk.
A venture model built around hands-on execution
Founded in 2019 by Jakob Mathias Wichmann, Anna Søndergaard, and Christian Sparrevohn, The Footprint Firm positions itself as more than a capital provider. Its model combines venture investing with an in-house advisory platform designed to help technically complex startups overcome bottlenecks that can slow or derail deployment.
In comments shared with TFN, Jakob Mathias Wichmann described the approach as an “integrated venture model” that pairs early-stage financing with deep operational support throughout the investment lifecycle. He contrasted this with traditional venture capital support, which often centers on board participation, introductions, and periodic strategic guidance.
According to Wichmann, the firm is supported by a team of roughly 45 specialists who work with portfolio companies on issues such as scientific validation, regulatory readiness, commercialisation pathways, industrial scaling, sustainability strategy, and commercial introductions. For founders, he said, the goal is to provide a long-term operating partner rather than a purely financial investor.
Investment focus: biotech, energy, circularity, and food systems
Footprint Fund I targets startups across a broad set of climate-related themes, including biotech, energy, AI-powered climate tech, circular manufacturing, the built environment, CO₂ reduction, and food systems. The geographic emphasis on Northern Europe aligns with the region’s strengths in industrial innovation, clean energy infrastructure, and sustainability regulation—factors that can help early technologies move from lab results to commercial pilots.
Among the fund’s existing portfolio companies cited are Reel Energy, Kvasir Technologies, Nordic Salt Cycle, FoodOp, and Rock Flour Company. The firm did not disclose individual investment amounts or ownership targets in the announcement.
DEI framed as value creation and resilience
Sofie Käll, Chief Investment Officer at The Footprint Firm, said the firm approaches DEI as a value-creation and resilience strategy rather than a standalone policy. At the general partner and organisational level, she pointed to initiatives focused on mental health, psychological safety, and inclusive leadership practices, including transparent compensation principles, regular employee feedback, and structured wellbeing initiatives.
On the investment side, Käll said the firm evaluates governance, leadership composition, and organisational culture during selection, and aims to back diverse founding teams. For portfolio support, she highlighted a program called “First Footprints”, described as a DEI initiative co-created with portfolio companies. The effort includes toolkits for inclusive recruitment, feedback culture, employee listening, and psychological safety.
What comes next: Copenhagen expansion and Fund II preparation
With Fund I closed, The Footprint Firm said it plans to scale its Copenhagen headquarters, continue focusing on Northern Europe, and begin preparations for Fund II. The firm’s emphasis on combining capital with embedded specialist support signals a broader trend in climate venture investing: as technologies become more complex and deployment timelines lengthen, investors are increasingly competing on operational capability, not only on access to capital.
For founders building in climate and deep tech, the next phase will test whether integrated models like The Footprint Firm can consistently accelerate validation, regulatory clearance, and industrial partnerships—key steps required to turn early innovation into measurable emissions impact.
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