Investments & Finance

Juicy Marbles Investor World Fund Secures €50M from EIF

Climate tech VC World Fund announced a €50 million investment from the European Investment Fund (EIF) to support environmental and climate tech-related ventures that contribute to decarbonising the world’s economy and its businesses. 

The Slovenian plant-based whole-cut specialist Juicy Marbles and Germany’s Planet A Foods, a precision fermentation platform that makes cacao-free chocolate, were eligible to receive funding from the World Fund due to their carbon offsetting schemes. 

juicy marbles' plant-based raw whole cut loin product
© Juicy Marbles

Supported by InvestEU

The EIF’s investment in the World Fund is supported by InvestEU, the region’s sustainability and innovation investment programme, which provides the European Union with crucial long-term financing to achieve the zone’s climate goals.

“This is one of the largest investments EIF has made into a first-time VC fund,” EIF said, adding that “the investment is part of the EIF’s mission to support high-growth and innovative small and medium enterprises (SME) across Europe.”

Counting EIT, the German climate VC has now over 200 backers supporting the next generation of climate tech companies, including PwC Germany, Ecosia, and the UK Environment Agency’s pension fund. 

a coca-free chocolate bar made by plant a foods
Nocoa @ Planet A Foods

Saving at least 100 million tonnes of CO2

The World Fund was founded in 2021 by Daria Saharova, Danijel Višević, Craig Douglas, and Tim Schumacher, the team behind the tree-planting search engine Ecosia.

From F&B to materials, energy, manufacturing, and transport, the climate firm invests in European startups capable of saving at least 100 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. World Fund’s team has created a climate performance potential (CPP) assessment to measure a startup’s capability of reducing emissions avoiding greenwashing.

The World Fund has backed ventures such as quantum computing leader IQM, Europe’s Space Forge, the credit card treecard, and the already mentioned food tech companies.

Danijel Višević, World Fund’s co-founder, said: “We’re thrilled to have EIF on board as an anchor LP in fund I, alongside the likes of the UK’s Environment Agency pension fund, PwC Germany and Ecosia. We see this landmark investment – one of the largest EIF has made in a first-time VC fund – as a strong signal that the European Union is serious about tackling the climate crisis. It will help us continue our mission to back the founders that will deliver decarbonisation at scale.”

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