Picus Capital is an early-stage technology investment firm with a long-term investment philosophy. We work together with daring technology companies to build successful, global companies challenging the status quo and shaping tomorrow. We want to become the closest partner of our portfolio companies by working together on key strategic decisions and operative challenges. As a privately financed venture capital investor with long-term and flexible capital we are looking for exceptional founders who are committed to building category leaders throughout the next 5-10+ years. We invest in early-stage technology ventures with a focus on financial services, HR, energy & climate, healthcare, logistics & mobility, real estate & construction, crypto & web3, deeptech and e-commerce. Picus makes initial investments in pre-seed, seed and series A ventures thereby starting to work together with entrepreneurs in various stages of their companies ranging from ideation phase to initial traction. We follow a very long-term investment approach investing significant amounts throughout the lifecycle of the companies. We have invested in over 50 companies to date. At Picus we work in a culture combining the discipline of a financial investor with the creativity and pragmatism of an entrepreneur. We follow a comprehensive and well-structured investment approach in order to identify the most attractive and ambitious investment opportunities in our target industries and geographies. Within our core investment team every member has a distinctive industry competence and a functional or geographic focus. We are working closely together with our portfolio companies to develop large and successful market leaders. This comprises in particular leveraging our marketing & sales expertise and our global market perspective to provide strategic advice, providing HR management to grant access to top talent, connecting our portfolio companies with our broad B2B & investor network as well as supporting the fundraising process.

Picus Capital

Carbon Removal Partners is an investment firm.

Carbon Removal Partners

Norrsken VC is a Stockholm-based impact VC fund investing in start-ups solving the world's biggest problems while building massive businesses

Norrsken VC

HV Capital is a Munich- and Berlin-based venture capital firm that supports founders in developing their internet companies. Since 2000 HV Capital, formerly HV Holtzbrinck Ventures, has invested in Internet and technology companies through various generations of funds and is one of the most successful and financially strongest early-stage and growth investors in Europe. HV Capital has already invested in around 200 companies, including Zalando, Delivery Hero, FlixMobility and SumUp. The total of all HV Funds amounts to €1.7 billion. The company supports startups with capital between €500,000 and €50 million. This makes HV Capital one of the few venture capitalists in Europe that can finance startups through all growth phases.

HV Capital

CEEZER

CEEZER is a digital platform that provides companies with easy, secure, and direct access to high-quality projects from the entire voluntary carbon market. With more than 3.5 million data points, CEEZER brings transparency to the carbon market, highlighting differences in quality, risk, and impact of projects. By connecting directly with project developers and enterprises worldwide, CEEZER enables transactions without intermediaries or hidden fees. CEEZER’s customers are leading corporations and global companies that use the platform to centrally manage their carbon credit portfolios and implement efficient climate actions. For more information, visit ceezer.earth.

CEEZER is a German digital platform that provides direct access to projects from the voluntary carbon market for its customers. The company assesses the quality, risk, and impact of carbon projects by collaborating with project developers worldwide. The company manages carbon credit fulfilments, invoices, and payments on behalf of customers and suppliers. It also keeps track of these transactions and the delivery timelines of carbon offsets.

New technology allows individuals and organizations to become carbon intelligent

Carbon Management Software

ERM and CEEZER launch groundbreaking carbon credit portal to drive sustainability

CEEZER is a German digital platform that provides direct access to projects from the voluntary carbon market for its customers. The company assesses the quality, risk, and impact of carbon projects by collaborating with project developers worldwide. The company manages carbon credit fulfilments, invoices, and payments on behalf of customers and suppliers. It also keeps track of these transactions and the delivery timelines of carbon offsets.CEEZER offers spot and forward credits, long-term offtake agreements, and climate investments for customers. CEEZER’s platform enables corporate clients to build multi-year offtake portfolios that contain different project types from many geographies. The company has an automatic portfolio builder with a filter for company targets and benchmark pricing. The platform can be integrated into the customers’ procurement systems and through an application programming interface (API).Key customers and partnershipsIn November 2022, the company collaborated with <a href="https://www.ceezer.earth/insights/milkywire-ceezer-partnership">Milkywire</a> to contribute to the latter’s Climate Transformation Fund from CEEZER’s portfolio planner. In September 2023, CEEZER partnered with <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/21831">Carbonfuture</a> to integrate the latter’s portfolio of CDR projects into CEEZER's platform. &nbsp;In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/33885">September 2024</a>, the company partnered with ERM, a sustainability consultancy, to develop the ERM Carbon Credit Portal, which provides customers with streamlined access to carbon credits.

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 Circular IQ is a Netherlands-based digital platform that offers SaaS-based solutions for businesses to assess their circular performance through smart data-gathering and analytics. Circular IQ collects and analyzes supplier-specific data and provides tailor-made reports for businesses about the circularity of their operations.&nbsp;
 
 
 Circular IQ offers three main services 1) Circular Procurement Program, a service that monitors and reports the circular performance of a business&rsquo;s existing supply chain, 2) Product Circularity Improvement Program, a service in collaboration with KPMG to identify areas where the circularity of an existing supply chain can be improved, and 3) Circular Transition Indicators (CTI) Program, a service that supports and guides businesses through circular transition.
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 In March 2024, Circular IQ reported more than 2,000 CTI customer accounts in 94 countries. Microsoft, KPMG, Whirlpool, Saudi Aramco, Aptar, Rabobank, bp, Deloitte and Royal DSM were some of Circular IQ&rsquo;s high-profile clients.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 
</div>

Circular IQ

<div>
 
 Cloverly offers an API-based digital infrastructure for voluntary carbon markets (VCM). The Cloverly platform is used by both corporate buyers and project suppliers. Buyers can directly purchase carbon removal credits through its platform or integrate its technology into their products, services, or supply chains. Similarly, project suppliers leverage the Cloverly Marketplace and the supplier software, to manage commercial operations such as inventory management and tracking of carbon credit sales. The supplier platform offers carbon credits from suppliers including Therm, KOKO Networks and CarbonCure. For each carbon credit purchase, Cloverly produces a unique transaction receipt and certificate.&nbsp;
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 Leading companies such as American Express, Salesforce, Visa, have added Cloverly to their platforms to facilitate the purchase of carbon offset credits. The online gift card company, Instagift, also allows its customers to offset emissions through Cloverly. In November 2021, Clovery partnered with Diversifi to launch a service that offsets the crypto-carbon footprint. In May 2022, Cloverly also partnered with 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/11507">
 BeZero Carbon
 </a>
 to obtain third-party ratings and independent quality assessments and 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/11506">
 Redwood Logistics
 </a>
 to measure freight emissions and offset those via carbon credits in July 2022. In November 2023, the company also collaborated with Sustain.Life, a B2B carbon intelligence startup, to supply carbon credits. As of February 2024, the Cloverly platform was used by over 300 global enterprises.&nbsp;
 
 
 Funding and financials&nbsp;
 
 
 Cloverly&rsquo;s most recent funding was in May 2023, when it raised USD 19 million in a 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/18533">
 Series A funding
 </a>
 round led by Grotech Ventures. In July 2021, Cloverly raised USD 2.1 million in a seed funding round led by TechSquare Ventures. As a part of the transaction, Cloverly was also spun out from Southern Company, an American gas and electric utility where it was incubated.
 
</div>

Cloverly

UK-based Giki offers two mobile apps to reduce the personal carbon footprint of its users:Giki Badges is an app that allows users to find sustainable and healthy products in supermarkets through 15 unique badges to UK supermarket products based on sustainability, health, and fairness. Customers can scan the product barcode to find the badges that are being awarded to the product. Giki Badges reported awarding badges to over 280,000 supermarket products.Giki Zero is an app that allows users to calculate and reduce the personal carbon footprint. Giki Zero estimates the personal carbon footprint of a user based on a lifestyle survey (a set of detailed questions about the user’s lifestyle) and provides customized advice to reduce the user’s carbon footprint. Giki Zero Pro is an extension of the same product for businesses which allows employees to monitor and reduce their carbon footprint.Key customers and partnershipsIn April 2023, Giki partnered with <a href="https://www.compass-group.co.uk/media/news/compass-partners-with-social-enterprise-giki-to-empower-its-45k-strong-workforce-to-reduce-their-carbon-footprint/">Compass Group </a>, a UK-based food and support services provider, to calculate and reduce the personal carbon footprint of its employees. As of March 2024, Giki had worked with over 100 global customers, including NatWest Group, Federated Hermes International, BBC, Deloitte, Adobe and Accenture, among others.

Giki

<div>
 
 Canada-based Metrio primarily offers SaaS-based Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting solutions for businesses. Metrio allows companies to monitor their ESG performance in real-time using dashboard tools to create customized reports based on any standard ESG framework. In addition to ESG reporting, Metrio also offers ESG industry benchmarking, supply chain ESG monitoring, and ESG investment management services.&nbsp;
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 In June 2022, Metrio was acquired by Nasdaq. After the acquisition, Nasdaq integrated Metrio&rsquo;s SaaS platform into its suite of ESG solutions. Metrio continued to remain an independent company and brand after the investment. 	
 
 
 As of January 2024, Metrio software was used by over 5,000 clients, including 100+ multinational companies across financial, food, manufacturing, retail, and transportation sectors. Major customers include Target, Air Canada, Decathlon, and Aldo.
 
</div>

Metrio

<div>
 
 Proof (formerly Proof of Impact) is an Impact-as-a-Service (IaaS) company based in the Netherlands. Proof offers a range of SaaS-based digital tools for businesses and investors to collect, verify, and analyze real-time sustainability data from community assessments, IoT devices, and corporate disclosures. The company also verifies and secures them using blockchain technology and presents them in a quantifiable form for sustainable decision making.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Proof&rsquo;s services include: 1) Digital consultancy&ndash;digital assessments to create and deploy a company&rsquo;s sustainability strategy, 2) Impact dashboard&ndash;an end-to-end solution to collect, verify, analyze, and report sustainability data, and 3) Impact Catalyst Cloud&ndash;cloud-based tools and API solutions for tracking, verifying, and investing in sustainability projects. Proof also operates a marketplace for sustainability projects where investors may directly select, and fund verified sustainable projects.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 
 
 In May 2023, the company 
 <a href="https://resources.proof.io/press-release-assetmetrix-and-proof-join-forces-to-offer-an-integrated-sfdr-focused-esg-solution-to-private-market-clients/">
 partnered
 </a>
 with AssetMetrix, a German-based next generation asset servicer, to offer an integrated solution for ESG data collection, reporting and optimization.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 
 
 Proof&rsquo;s most recent funding was in August 2022, when it raised USD 6 million in a 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/12037">
 pre-series A funding
 </a>
 round led by Rakuten Capital. Previously in December 2021, the company raised USD 2.3 million in a seed funding round led by Altera Investments.&nbsp;
 
 
 
</div>

Proof of Impact

Pure-play software solutions that measure, monitor, analyze, and report carbon footprints of internal business operations including ESG management and reporting software. Excludes supply chain and other Scope 3 carbon intelligence solutions.

Software for offsetting business carbon footprints including carbon intelligence startups that also offer offsetting solutions. Primarily includes instant offsetting services and carbon trading marketplaces.

Pure-play software solutions to measure, monitor, and analyze personal carbon footprints.

Software solutions to reduce, and offset personal carbon footprints including carbon intelligence startups that also offer offsetting solutions.

Pure-play software solutions that measure, monitor, analyze, and report carbon footprints from supply chains and other Scope 3 emissions.

Carbon trading marketplaces that allow individual and business users to buy and sell carbon offsets.

Solutions used improve carbon tracking transparency across internal and external business operations

Provides tools to monitor and offset CO2 emissions using reforestation, renewable energy credits, etc

Some carbon trading marketplaces are blockchain based (e.g., Nori)

Some carbon tracking companies use AI to measure and report CO2 emissions (e.g., Persefoni)

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 CEEZER, a German carbon credit platform, is collaborating with sustainability consultancy firm ERM. The aim is to facilitate clients with seamless access to carbon credits, which is instrumental in supporting emission reduction strategies. ERM will utilize CEEZER's digital platform to birth the ERM Carbon Credit Portal. This portal will offer an all-inclusive carbon credit portfolio and management solutions. Besides the technology from CEEZER, the partnership will also take into account the services from ERM such as carbon market strategy and due diligence. Furthermore, ERM has made a strategic investment in CEEZER, intending to support the expansion of its data-driven solutions.
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 The collaboration aims to meet the growing demand for high-quality carbon credits, with <a href="https: 
//sciencebasedtargets.org/resources/files/BVCM-Results-of-corporate-engagement-survey.pdf"> 65% of companies </a> surveyed by the Science Based Targets Initiative engaged with companies on the topic of beyond value chain mitigation to increase their carbon credit activities over the next five years.

CEEZER

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