Take the Train, Not the Plane, If You Want Our Money – Investors Tell Companies

A group of venture capitalists in Germany have joined forces against the climate crisis, enforcing regulations on financed companies in a new initiative that calls for sustainable management solutions.

The Leaders for Climate Action initiative includes a sustainability clause that requires all newly financed companies to commit to taking measures in minimizing their carbon emissions. For example, choosing to travel by train rather than plane where possible, and switching to green energy providers.

“Our goal is to trigger a domino effect that will reach other industries and especially other start-up ecosystems in the world,” says Jan Christoph Gras, co-founder of Leaders for Climate Action.  

Marin Weber, a partner at HV Holtzbrinck Ventures, adds that investors “have a great responsibility” to “get the climate crisis under control”, highlighting that young companies are key into shaping the future of the digital age. HV Holtzbrinck Ventures and Earlybird, both members of the initiative, have already signed their first contracts containing the sustainability clause.