Startup studio 4elements secures €27.4M to launch climate change-combatting startups

Startup studio 4elements has raised €27.4 million, to provide concrete, high-impact solutions to face climate change.

Exclusively dedicated to creating startups with a high environmental impact, the studio intends to launch around ten startups within 5 years.

Co-founded by Cédric Favier (ex Elaia) and Jean-Baptiste Goffart in 2023, 4elements starts its own projects based on promising ideas and/or technologies, or co-ventures with project initiators. The team mobilises a community and ecosystem of technological and sector experts to work on impact opportunities in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The team builds and finances startups from idea to product-market validation, with operational involvement.

It plays the role of co-founder, identifying the keys to success, defining the value proposition, and preparing for market access, which includes product development, industrialisation, innovation marketing, sales, strategic positioning, etc.

Its targets are exclusively high-impact projects that meet proven or emerging market needs and benefit from a strong technological differentiator.

“This round of financing will enable us to provide adapted and progressive funding, up to 6 million euros per startup, depending on the different stages of maturity of the projects, throughout Europe, with priority given to the French market,” explains Cédric Favier, co-founder of 4elements.

4elements already has 3 startups in its portfolio.

• Bluefins: inspired by whale fins, the company has conceived, in partnership with Ifremer, a propulsion system for merchant ships that reduces fuel consumption by an average of 20 per cent.
• Cedrus Solutions accelerates the decarbonisation of real-estate assets through a solution (AI) to manage and optimise the massive renovation of real-estate assets (the “worksite of the century”), reducing costs and lead times by a minimum of 60%.
• Netcarbon has designed a solution with CNES and Inrae using satellite data and AI to measure and optimise carbon storage in natural sinks for the agricultural world, infrastructure operators, and local authorities.

The financing is provided by the European Investment Fund (EIF), part of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group. The France 2030 French Tech Acceleration 2 Fund, managed on behalf of the French government by Bpifrance, Greenpact, and several family offices are also participating.

Lead image: 4Elements. Photo: uncredited.