The Sustainable Technology Fund (STF) has declared itself to be the UK’s most prolific eco-friendly investor following eight investments in the past year.
The £30m investment fund has pumped in over £6m into early-stage businesses in the past 12 months and has led funding rounds worth over £10m.
The STF, which is managed by VC E-Synergy, targets firms which it believes will help protect natural resources by using energy efficient materials or processes.
Sam Richardson, investment director at E-Synergy, said: “Within a year, the STF has proven itself to be the most active fund in the cleantech space.
“We are turning some of the best sustainable innovations and the entrepreneurs behind them into real commercial enterprises.
Also, despite talk of an economic slowdown and disquiet caused by the chancellor’s proposed reform of capital gains tax, E-Synergy believes that there are many more investment opportunities on the horizon.
“Deal flow and investment opportunities remain strong and we look forward to another strong year in 2008,” said Richardson.
“As the profile of the fund increases, we are seeing a growing number of high quality propositions and this is very exciting.”
The eight companies it has backed are:
Eco-friendly refrigeration company Earthcare Products;
Morgan Everett, which has pioneered the innovative PyroPure system that destroys waste at the point of creation, eliminating transport of refuse to landfill sites;
Marine discovery Aquapharm which aids in the making of natural drugs, cosmetics and food ingredients;
Q Chip a pharmaceutical and life science products business;
PTL, an industrial inkjet systems company;
Vehicle emissions monitoring technologist Lysandra;
Plastic bottle recycling company AWS;
Envirotreat which decontaminates polluted land.
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2008
