Founders' Co-op is a seed-stage venture fund built by founders, for founders. Based in Seattle, they help the strongest entrepreneurs in the Pacific Northwest build companies that the best growth investors in the world choose to back. As the largest and longest-running seed-stage specialist fund in the region, they are a trusted partner to early-stage founders and a trusted point of access to Pacific Northwest dealflow for out-of-region investors at the seed stage and beyond.

Founders' Co-op

Founded in 2006 as Northwest Energy Angels and renamed Element 8 in 2014, the organization was the first angel investment group in North America to focus exclusively on cleantech, and continues to be a leading funder of early stage companies across the country. Element 8 angel members are committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through clean technologies. We partner with outstanding entrepreneurs to build successful companies, and leverage our collective expertise to accelerate the transition to a cleaner future and better world. To date, members have invested close to $14 million in 43 companies in Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and British Columbia, Canada.

E8 Angels

Techstars is a global platform that provides investment and innovation. Through the Techstars Worldwide Entrepreneur Network, founders and their teams connect with other entrepreneurs, experts, mentors, alumni, investors, community leaders, and corporate partners who will help their companies grow. Techstars operates four divisions: Techstars Mentorship-Driven Accelerator Program supercharges success and Techstars Startup Programs inspire, educate, and connect entrepreneurs. Techstars Venture Capital Fund invests in innovative and disruptive companies. Techstars Corporate Innovation Partnerships help brands create products and services. Techstars' accelerator portfolio includes more than 1,000 companies with a market cap of $8.1 billion.

Techstars

Techstars Ventures (formerly Bullet Time Ventures) is the venture capital arm of Techstars. Bullet Time Ventures is a $150 million fund based in Boulder, Colorado.

Techstars Ventures

Avista Corporation (Avista Corp.) is an energy company engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of energy, as well as other energy-related businesses. The Company operates in two business segments: Avista Utilities and Ecova, Inc. (Ecova). Avista Utilities is an operating division of Avista Corp. that comprises of its regulated utility operations. Avista Utilities generates, transmits and distributes electricity and distributes natural gas. The utility also engages in wholesale purchases and sales of electricity and natural gas. Ecova is an indirect subsidiary of Avista Corp. (79% owned as of December 31, 2012) provides expense management services for utility and telecom needs, as well as strategic energy management and efficiency services that include procurement, conservation, performance reporting, financial planning, facility optimization and continuous monitoring, and energy efficiency program management for commercial enterprises and utilities.

Avista

Prelude Ventures invests in and supports early-stage startups with the greatest potential to mitigate climate change. Our goal is to help build the next generation of category-defining businesses.

Prelude Ventures

Wireframe Ventures is a venture capital firm investing at the seed and pre-seed stage. We back missionary founders using technology to positively impact people & planet.

Wireframe Ventures

TotalEnergies Ventures is the venture capital arm of Total. As part of Total's commitment to a better energy future, TotalEnergies Ventures is focused on finding, funding and fostering high-potential start-ups which will contribute to creating a low carbon future. Current areas of interest include Renewables, Distributed Energy, New Mobility, Energy Access, Energy Storage, Bio-Plastics, Circular Economy, Carbon Capture and Hydrogen.

TotalEnergies Ventures

A $148 million private equity fund investing in energy companies, is sponsored by NGP Energy Capital Management.

NGP Energy Technology Partners

Google is a multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. Their products address a wide range of use cases, including email, navigation, cloud computing, web browsing, video sharing, productivity, operating systems, cloud storage, language translation, photo storage, video calling, smart home, smartphones, wearable technology, music streaming, and more.

Google

Constellation Technology Ventures (CTV) is the venture investing organization within Exelon Corporation, the nation’s leading competitive energy provider. CTV invests in companies representing innovative energy technologies and business models, building a portfolio that represents a broad range of development stages and technology types. CTV catalyzes growth for its portfolio companies by providing equity capital, management expertise and connectivity to the broad and diverse Exelon commercial enterprise.

Constellation Technology Ventures

Avista Development

Equinor Ventures invests in and supports innovative companies to shape the future of energy.

Equinor Ventures

MCJ Collective drives collective creativity for climate solutions by breaking down silos and unlocking problem-solving potential.

B Capital Group backs brash entrepreneurs building technology companies. With offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Singapore, B Capital Group focuses on pioneering start-ups that are ready to scale across the global stage. Partnering with Boston Consulting Group, and its incubation arm BCG Digital Ventures, B Capital delivers access to top corporations to match start-ups with the world's most powerful CEOs, platforms, and brands. B Capital Group's unique multinational presence, combined with deep industry expertise, has built a portfolio of B2B and B2B2C startups that are transforming large traditional industries across borders and geographies. It helps startups navigate business challenges, raise capital, and attract talented leadership at key points of their journeys to scale.

B Capital

Intercontinental Exchange is an operator of regulated exchanges and clearing houses serving the risk management needs of global markets for agricultural, credit, currency, emissions, energy and equity index products. It operates marketplaces for trading and clearing a range of securities and derivatives contracts across various asset classes, including interest rates, equities, equity derivatives, credit derivatives, bonds, currency, and commodities.  The company is known for providing trade processing, trade execution, listing services, clearing, post-trade processing, and market data services.  It is engaged in operating seventeen regulated exchanges and marketplaces, consisting of ICE futures exchanges, NYSE Liffe futures exchanges, New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Arca, NYSE MKT, the Euronext group of stock exchanges, 2 U.S. equity options exchanges, and the Singapore Mercantile Exchange.  Intercontinental Exchange provides its services for financial institutions, corporations, manufacturers, utilities, commodity producers and refiners, institutional and individual investors, and governmental institutions.  Intercontinental Exchange was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Intercontinental Exchange

Aster is a Venture Capital firm with offices in 4 major innovation hubs: Paris, London, Tel Aviv and San Francisco. Since 2000, they have partnered with more than 60 teams of entrepreneurs that are transforming markets with disruptive offers and technologies. They are always open to exploring new ideas related to mobility, energy and industry sectors that they have been covering until now. They invest in all stages, with a preference for the early phase. They are more than investors and they intend to act as an ally for entrepreneurs by connecting them to a valuable ecosystem of experts, influencers and business leaders. From marketing to executive talent, their commitment to the growth of their portfolio companies as well as the entire venture ecosystem also involves the commitment of their dedicated Operations team, their innovation strategy consulting firm (Aster Fab) and a crowdfunding branch to further expand opportunities (Aster Crowd). Some of their success stories include Solairedirect (acquired by Engie in 2015), Digital Lumens (acquired by Osram in 2017) and Avantium (IPOed in 2017).

Aster

NGP Energy Capital Management is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in investments in seed/start-ups, emerging growth, middle markets, later stage, growth capital buyouts, industry consolidation, recapitalization, and PIPEs. It seeks invest in the energy sector including oil and natural gas production, acquisition, exploitation, and development drilling companies, midstream and oilfield services companies, energy efficiency, alternative energy, natural gas gathering and power and processing companies, power technology, and other energy related businesses. The firm may also co-invest in direct oil and gas property interests alongside its portfolio companies. It invests in water resources and services, food and agriculture, and coastal protection sectors. It prefers to invest in companies based in Caribbean, Central American and Mexico, Canada, and the United States. The firm makes investments of between $2 million and $500 million in oil and gas companies. NGP Energy Capital Management was founded in 1988 and is based in Irving, Texas with additional offices in Houston, Texas; London, United Kingdom; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Stamford, Connecticut.

NGP Energy Capital Management

Zoma Capital invests in a wide range of market-based sustainable solutions addressing environmental and social challenge.  It invests in a broad range of market-based sustainable solutions advancing energy, water, and regional economic resiliency in Chile and Colorado. Its global investment portfolio spans multiple asset classes and sectors with an emphasis on addressing environmental and social challenges.

Zoma Capital

Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund is an investment initiative to accelerate technology development and deployment of new climate innovations through equity and debt capital.

Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund

Constellation is a producer of carbon-free energy. They offer home services and energy plans. They offer solutions for heating, cooling, plumbing, appliances, and more, including home services and repairs, energy efficiency, energy efficiency home upgrades, and HVAC systems.

Constellation

LevelTen Energy

LevelTen Energy is a company that provides renewable transaction infrastructure. It connects renewable energy buyers, advisors, and sellers and gives them the tools and services they need to get better deals done faster. Its technology-enabled marketplace connects a broader class of C & I to utility-scale projects.

LevelTen Energy is a leading provider of transaction infrastructure for the energy transition. The company operates the LevelTen Platform, a global hub facilitating carbon-free energy transactions and insights. Through its Energy Marketplace and Asset Marketplace, LevelTen connects over 1,000 project developers across 32 countries with a vast network of corporations, advisors, traders, financiers, and other organizations seeking to advance carbon-free energy development.

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Established renewable energy technologies for a greener future

Current-gen renewables

LevelTen Energy Raises $65M in Series D Funding

Microsoft

To develop a trading and management platform for granular certificates (GCs), which verify the time and location of carbon-free energy generation.

Optimizing the future of energy with software solutions

Energy Optimization & Management Software

Software solutions that improve the reliability and performance of the electrical grid through facilitating the connection of distributed energy resources and other renewable energy sources. This includes solutions that optimize the operation of grids

Alphabet

To test a new strategy that reduces the time it takes to negotiate and carry out a renewable energy power purchase agreement (PPA) by almost 80%.

Deloitte

Deloitte has announced a partnership with LevelTen Energy – the largest online hub for utility-scale renewable energy deals.

LevelTen Energy is a leading provider of transaction infrastructure for the energy transition. The company operates the LevelTen Platform, a global hub facilitating carbon-free energy transactions and insights. Through its Energy Marketplace and Asset Marketplace, LevelTen connects over 1,000 project developers across 32 countries with a vast network of corporations, advisors, traders, financiers, and other organizations seeking to advance carbon-free energy development.
The LevelTen Platform encompasses marketplaces for power purchase agreements (PPAs), clean energy projects, and tax credit transfers. It will soon support the trading of granular certificates, verifying the time and location of carbon-free energy generation. LevelTen's proprietary analytics software and data products, including MarketPulse and PPA Price Index, provide comprehensive market intelligence to inform pricing and procurement decisions.
As of July 2024, the LevelTen Platform had facilitated the procurement of over eight gigawatts of clean energy, sufficient to power the entire city of Barcelona. Its LEAP (LevelTen Energy's Accelerated Process) technology significantly reduces overall PPA procurement timelines by 80%. In April 2024, LevelTen expanded its Platform to support the transfer of federal clean energy tax credits, unlocking additional financing opportunities for project development.
In December 2023, LevelTen announced the Granular Certificate Trading Alliance, collaborating with AES, Constellation, Google, and Microsoft to develop a platform for trading and managing granular certificates. This platform, in partnership with the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), will support the next wave of sustainability targets, including 24/7 carbon-free energy goals and emissions-first objectives.

Terra Solar is an Irish renewable energy company dedicated to developing, financing, constructing, and operating utility-scale solar farms across the island of Ireland. The company partners with commercial enterprises and private landowners to identify suitable sites for solar development, subsequently guiding these sites through the planning, grid approval, and construction phases until they become fully operational solar farms.
Terra Solar's solar power projects harness one of the cleanest sources of energy, generating electricity without emitting any pollution during production or consumption. Compared to fossil fuel-based energy sources, solar generation exerts minimal environmental impact and can support biodiversity gain.
In August 2022, Terra Solar's 65MW Ballinrea solar project located between Carrigaline and Cork City was acquired by Danish energy company Ørsted. The Ballinrea project, expected to commence construction in 2024 and become operational by 2025, will power up to 16,000 homes upon completion.
In March 2023, Ørsted acquired Terra Solar's 160MW Garrenleen project in Carlow. This project will reach commercial operation in two stages, one in 2025 and the other in 2026.
In September 2023, Terra Solar formed a partnership with Ørsted to develop a solar portfolio of up to 400MW across Ireland. These projects align with Ireland's goal of achieving 8GW of solar energy by 2030 and are targeted for completion before that year.

Terra Solar

Alight is a leading solar developer and independent power producer in Europe. The Stockholm-based company develops, owns, and operates onsite and offsite solar projects across the region. Alight adopts a subsidy-free business model, offering solar energy to commercial and industrial customers through long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) at fixed prices.
Alight's core technology involves the development and construction of ground-mounted solar parks as well as rooftop solar installations for businesses. These systems generate clean electricity, enabling companies to switch to renewable energy sources. Alight retains ownership of the solar assets and sells the power directly to customers through PPAs spanning 10 to 20 years. This approach shields energy-intensive businesses from volatile electricity prices while providing access to sustainable energy.
By the end of 2024, Alight aims to have an installed solar capacity of one gigawatt (GW) across its operational projects, with plans to expand to five GW by 2030. A notable project in Alight's portfolio is the 100 MW solar park in Hultsfred, Sweden, developed jointly with Neoen for fashion retailer H&M Group. The company has also undertaken Sweden's largest co-located solar-plus-storage plant, a 12 MW facility in Linköping completed in December 2022.
In November 2022, Alight received a EUR 150 million investment from Dutch firm DIF Capital Partners, enabling the accelerated buildout of its solar project pipeline across the Nordics and Europe. This transaction also facilitated Alight's transition into an independent power producer, with plans to retain ownership of future solar assets.
Key customers and partnerships
Alight's customer base primarily comprises large corporations and energy-intensive businesses operating across various industries. Notable clients include fashion retailers H&M Group and Kingspan, financial institution Swedbank, automotive manufacturer Toyota, and food distributor Martin & Servera.
In December 2022, Alight partnered with French renewable energy company Neoen to jointly develop and own the 100 MW Hultsfred solar park in Sweden, secured through a power purchase agreement with H&M Group. This project represents the largest solar PPA contracted in Sweden to date.
Building upon this collaboration, Alight and H&M Group signed additional PPAs in January 2024 for the construction of three solar parks in Blekinge, Södermanland, and Halland, with a combined capacity of 23 MW. These projects are expected to be operational by early 2025, further strengthening Alight's partnership with H&M Group in delivering renewable energy solutions.

Alight

Terra-Gen is a leading independent provider of end-to-end renewable energy project development, financing, and operating capabilities in the US. The company specializes in utility-scale wind, solar, and energy storage projects across diverse technologies. As of March 2024, Terra-Gen operates approximately 2.4 GW of wind and solar assets, along with 5.1 GWh of energy storage facilities across 32 renewable power sites in the country, predominantly in California and Texas. Terra-Gen has a proven track record, having successfully developed over five GW of wind, solar, and energy storage projects, and operating and maintaining over 2.7 GW across 27 projects.
In March 2024, Masdar, a clean energy company based in the United Arab Emirates, acquired a 50% stake in Terra-Gen from Energy Capital Partners (ECP). The strategic investment aims to accelerate Terra-Gen's growth and expand its presence in key markets, leveraging Masdar's expertise in funding, developing, owning, and operating clean energy projects globally. The acquisition positions Terra-Gen for continued success, building on the significant growth and transformation achieved under ECP's ownership.

Terra-Gen

Chiron Energy is an independent Italian group that develops, builds, and operates state-of-the-art renewable energy plants and infrastructure with a very low environmental impact. The company specializes in constructing and commissioning incentivized photovoltaic plants across various regions of Italy, including Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
Established in late 2020 by Mario Pesaresi and his son Paolo, Chiron Energy has rapidly emerged as one of the leading solar developers in the Italian market. The company has an authorized pipeline of over 250 MWp of greenfield solar projects and has already secured financing for several projects through green loans from lenders like UniCredit.
In November 2021, Chiron Energy concluded the authorization processes for six photovoltaic plants in northern Italy with a total capacity of 25 MW. These plants, scheduled to become operational in 2024, are expected to produce 100% renewable energy, avoiding the release of approximately 9,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
In June 2022, the company issued a EUR 5 million ESG-linked minibond with a bullet maturity of December 31, 2026, fully subscribed by the Progetto Minibond Italia fund. This minibond provides rate benefits linked to Chiron Energy's sustainability and ESG rating, supporting the company's ambitious growth and investment plans.
In April 2023, Chiron Energy secured a EUR 17 million green loan from UniCredit to fund the construction and commissioning of four new renewable energy production plants with a total installed capacity of over 19 MWp. Once operational by November 2023, these plants are expected to produce around 27 GWh of electricity annually, covering the needs of approximately 9,000 Italian households while avoiding emissions of over 14,000 tons of CO₂ equivalents per year.

Chiron Energy

Silicon Ranch is a Nashville-based independent power producer specializing in solar energy, battery storage, and carbon solutions. The company owns and operates all its projects across the US and Canada, with a contracted portfolio exceeding five gigawatts. Silicon Ranch pioneered a transformative approach called Regenerative Energy, which incorporates regenerative agriculture practices to restore soil health, promote biodiversity, and improve water quality on the same land where it generates renewable energy.
In 2022, Silicon Ranch installed nearly 700 megawatts of new solar capacity, setting a company record while maintaining its unblemished track record of successfully delivering every contracted project since its inception in 2011. The company signed contracts for over 1,100 megawatts of additional solar and battery storage projects last year, further expanding its multi-gigawatt pipeline.
Silicon Ranch's unique business model involves purchasing land for its facilities and committing to long-term ownership, fostering deeper connections with local communities. The company has deployed significant investments totaling approximately USD 1.5 billion for over one gigawatt of solar capacity across Georgia in partnership with the state's electric cooperatives. In 2021, Silicon Ranch acquired Clearloop, a platform that enables businesses to offset their carbon footprint by directly investing in new solar projects.
To support domestic manufacturing and lower its carbon footprint, Silicon Ranch has secured supply agreements with First Solar for 4.7 gigawatts of thin-film solar modules, 1.5 gigawatts of Nextracker solar trackers, and partnered with SOLARCYCLE for recycling damaged panels. The company's solar facilities have generated substantial tax revenues for host communities while creating thousands of construction jobs.
Key customers and partnerships
Silicon Ranch has established strategic partnerships with utilities, electric cooperatives, and corporate offtakers across its multi-gigawatt portfolio. Notable utility partners include the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Mississippi Power, United Power Cooperative, and Green Power EMC, a renewable energy supplier for 38 Georgia electric cooperatives.
Major corporate customers span diverse sectors, with Silicon Ranch providing renewable energy and carbon solutions to Meta (formerly Facebook), Nike, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Volkswagen, and Rivian Automotive, among others. As of January 2024, Silicon Ranch has 16 operational solar projects totaling 630 megawatts for Meta in Georgia and Tennessee, with several additional facilities under construction.

Silicon Ranch

Manufacture solar panels, inverters, and other equipment for both residential rooftops and utility-scale solar projects

Develop, operate, and maintain solar power plants, excluding solar+storage and community solar project developers and operators

Develop, operate, and maintain solar power plants along with BESS

Facilitate solar power generation through shared solar or solar garden projects and operate on a subscription-based model

Manufacture wind turbines, towers, blades, and other related systems for wind power generation

Develop and operate onshore wind power projects

Manufacture hydroelectric turbines and develop and operate hydropower plants

Develop and operate facilities to convert organic waste streams into renewable energy

Facilitate the buying and selling of renewable energy certificates, contracts, and credits between producers and consumers

Set-up and maintenance of renewable energy systems for residential, commercial, and industrial applications

Provides current-gen renewable energy sources for sustainable energy consumption

LevelTen Energy

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