Clarity AI gets $15 million to help VCs measure the social impact of their portfolios

Clarity AI, a startup founded by Spanish entrepreneur Rebeca Minguela has raised $15 million in funding to develop tech that analyses the social impact of companies and investments. The round was led by Deutsche Börse and Mundi Ventures.

Part of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) world, Clarity AI helps investors understand the impact of their portfolios through a proprietary technology platform. The platform uses machine learning and big data — data from more than 30,000 companies, 198 countries, 187 local governments and over 200,000 funds — to assess sustainability and provide clear reports.

“Our purpose is simple: to measure the impact of companies on our society and planet,” said Rebeca Minguela, founder and CEO. “Historically it has been too hard and resource-intensive to get accurate and transparent insights. Clarity AI provides a solution for that.”

Whereas Cooler Future is developing an impact investment app for everyday users, Clarity AI is designed for the big wigs. Since its founding in 2017, the startup has attracted a client network representing over $3 trillion of assets and funding from investors such as Kibo Ventures, Founders Fund, Seaya Ventures and Matthew Freud.

Lately the startup has received global recognition, selected as a 2020 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum and receiving awards from the Harvard Innovation Lab and funding from EU Horizon 2020. Also, in the last six months, the company reports a “significant increase” in demand, signing clients with eight times the assets under management as in the preceding period.

Minguela believes it’s a sign of the times. “2020 has seen extraordinary volatility and uncertainty – from COVID-19 to social justice protests. It has never been more important for investors to have accurate insights on the true impact of the companies in which they place their trust and their money,” she said.

The latest funding will go to scaling the startup’s proprietary technology and AI, developing integrations with popular financial service platforms. Clarity and AI and Deutsche Börse are also exploring potential collaboration in various Deutsche Börse business areas, such as Qontigo, an analytics product.