ABN Amro has created a fund that will invest in companies with a sustainable impact. The so-called 'Sustainable Impact Fund' will be filled with 425 million euros.
The bank says the sustainability fund will make 'private equity investments' in companies "with a proven business model ready for the next growth phase" and 'venture capital investments' of between €500,000 and €4 million "if there is a proven concept".
This makes both start-ups and more mature companies eligible for investment, says Rutger van Nouhuijs, member of the Executive Committee of ABN Amro. "What matters is that we provide promising companies that contribute to accelerating the transition to a sustainable society with a good capital base."
The fund focuses mainly on Dutch companies, but other companies from the northwest of Europe can also apply for an investment.
"We see that in some situations companies are in need of venture capital. With this fund we now offer a counter in that area as well," says Van Nouhuijs. "Companies that link sustainable returns to a good business plan can turn to ABN Amro SIF."
The fund is a full subsidiary of ABN Amro and distinguishes three areas in which it will invest: circular economy, energy transition and social impact. The bank already invested in sustainable energy projects through the Energy Transition Fund, but that fund will now be merged into the Sustainable Impact Fund.
Two investments have already been made in the past month. The first was made in the Dutch company Envision, which develops software for smartglasses, and the other in Foodlogica, which delivers chilled food to densely populated cities using a sustainable fleet.
