Climate-tech investing is no longer contrarian, but the team behind Contrarian Ventures are continuing to long into the future, to support the businesses betting on a clean energy future.
The team have closed their second fund with a big $US100 million commitment, with their first offering in 2017 a much more modest $13.6 million.
The founders Rokas Peculiatis and Tomas Kemtys, were in their 20’s when they founded the firm. Despite being young they’d already cut their teeth in banking roles, but they recognised the huge lack of support being offered to startups focussed on decarbonisation and the challenge of climate change.
Perhaps contrarian just means early, but the market has certainly come to them.
They invested in Aussie EV bike-fleet startup Zoomo, a company that raised $AUD80 million late last year, in a competitive funding round that included both Mike Cannon Brooks and Scott Farquars family offices, as well as Airtree and CEFC.
Contrarian has completed 21 deals to date, and they’re expanding their reach with offices in Berlin and London.