Our Climate Journey from Inception Till Date

Prithvi Ventures invests in bold early-stage startups tackling climate change by potentially reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our investment philosophy centers around identifying innovative solutions to seemingly mundane problems and leveraging a monopolistic approach to achieve the ambitious net-zero goals. The Sanskrit word ‘Pṛthvī’ translates to ‘earth,’ and we strive hard to protect our planet by going beyond just scientific research and development in the lab. The March report by the International Panel for Climate Change highlights the urgent need for scaling back CO2 emissions at an industrial scale, globally and annually starting NOW, not just over a lifetime.

We place great emphasis on conducting thorough due diligence to ensure the startups we invest in have the potential to scale rapidly and move from non-consensus to consensus. We believe a key part of this process is identifying a competitive pathway towards achieving potential unit economics and a monopolistic roadmap that can remove or reduce tons of CO2. Our focus lies in capital-intensive climate startups, ranging from battery recycling to chemicals, cement, plastics, and textiles.

So we recently started leading early-stage rounds, and are thrilled to share our first exit, Amprius Technologies, was achieved within just three years of our firm’s inception. We feel honored to be in a position to potentially return LP capital so early in our climate journey, and it is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team. We firmly believe that it is possible to do good for the planet while also generating climate wealth. Our successful exit with Amprius Technologies reinforces this belief and further motivates us to continue investing in bold, resilient climate founders & support their climate journey.

With that, we are excited to share Prithvi Ventures’ 36 portfolio companies that are changing the world.

Investing Since: December 2020

Book Value: $42.3 Million

Average Age of Investments: 19 months

Woman-Led Companies: 33.33%

Funds Raised by Portfolio: $1,662,243,000

Total Companies: 36

Standout Founders

Dr. Kang Sun: Amprius Technologies, Inc. is a manufacturer of energy and power lithium-ion batteries. The Company is engaged in the commercial production of an ultra-high energy density lithium-ion battery for mobility applications, leveraging a disruptive silicon nanowire anode. The Company’s silicon nanowire anode technology enables batteries with a higher energy density, higher power density, and fast charging capabilities over a range of operating temperatures.

Aaron Bent: 6K, is a leader in the sustainable production of engineered materials for lithium-ion batteries and additive manufacturing produced from its UniMelt® plasma technology, the UniMelt system replaces a lengthy, multi-step, high waste chemical process with one that is ultra-clean and ultra-fast. It’s the world’s only microwave production scale plasma.

Prof Dr. Melik Demirel: Tandem Repeat is an early-stage sustainable biomaterials startup commercializing a bio-manufactured protein fiber blend to replace cotton/polyester/elastane blends with applications in apparel, footwear, automotive, electronics, sporting goods, and more.

They’re developing a technology platform using the materials found in Squid Ring Teeth (SRT), a combination of hard and soft materials that provide high elasticity and the ability to stretch up to 300%.

Miranda Wang: Novoloop is turning plastic waste into high-performance chemicals and materials with applications in apparel, footwear, automotive, electronics, sporting goods, and more. Their first product is Oistre™, a TPU for use in high-performance applications such as footwear, apparel, sporting goods, automotive, and electronics.

Alan Perlstein: California Cultured produces chocolate and cocoa ingredients from cocoa DNA via cell culture technology. They use cellular agriculture to produce cocoa and coffee to stop deforestation involved in their traditional production.

Testimonials from LPs and Founders

“Kunal and his team are about 12 months ahead of other VCs, and about two years ahead of anyone else with larger ideas, and what needs funding to build a bigger future. The level of information and updates, but also bilateral interaction with LP’s is outstanding.”

– Prithvi Ventures LP

“I couldn’t be more delighted to partner with Prithvi Ventures. I sought investor partners who understood the unique challenges faced by climatetech startups, and even more unique challenges faced by companies seeking to disrupt heavy industry. Since becoming a portfolio company for Prithvi, not only have we found patient and understanding investors — but we’ve found a group of people committed to our/my well-being. It’s not always easy being a founder — the demands of the job can be overwhelming — but I can always expect a check-in text from Kunal or the team when he senses the going is getting tough.

That kind of empathy along with the team’s industry expertise is why I refer founders to the firm.” — Mars Materials Founder and CEO, Aaron Fitzgerald

“We’ve found Prithvi’s advice shared thus far to be quite helpful, particularly around strategy for fundraising, recruiting, and strategic partnerships. We have also found the team to be among the most accessible of our current investors, and appreciate how much they make themselves available to support us whenever we need it!”

– Bucha Bio CEO, Zimri Hinshaw

“Kunal enthusiastically emphasizes authenticity and that’s very aligned with my values. I don’t know where the hell he came from but I’m glad he’s on the team. Prithvi clearly rolls up its sleeves in ways that others do not, and I respect that.”

– Khepra Co-founder and CEO, Julie Kring