Meet the Investor: Yoann Berno, Founder of Climate Insiders.

KAPITAL are proud to have been supporting Yoann Berno and his investment group Climate Insiders since 2023 with structuring their investments into high impact climate tech companies active globally.

Angel Investing into private companies has long had a high barrier of entry due in part to high minimum tickets and lack of access to quality investment opportunities. Climate Insiders are enabling a new generation of professional angel investors to align their personal values with their investment strategies.

We recently spoke with Climate Insiders' Yoann Berno to learn more about his motivations behind launching the Climate Tech investors community

• Can you introduce yourself and your background before Climate Insiders ?  
  After building and investing in top tech startups, I co-founded Climentum Capital, a Climate Tech VC fund that focuses on investing in game-changing technological solutions to combat the worsening climate crisis.
  
  Today my focus is on democratizing climate investing as a force multiplier to accelerate the climate transition. That was the genesis of Climate Insiders.
  

• What is the thesis or core beliefs behind Climate Insiders ?
  Our Climate Tech investors community supports disruptive hardware deeptech innovations that have the potential to reduce 1 million tons of CO2e emissions. We invest in the most promising Climate Tech startups in collaboration with elite venture capitalists, providing our members with the opportunity to participate. Our selection criteria are rigorous: only 1% of pitches received are funded, and we conduct thorough due diligence to ensure unbeatable terms.
  

• ⁠What type of companies are you looking to invest in?
  We invest in pre-seed/seed Climate Tech hardware startups led by exceptional founders who have the potential to accelerate the climate fight by 20 years and transform society for the better. Together, we invest $200-500k into the most attractive deals.
  

• What have you observed about the evolution of Climate Tech over the last couple of years?
  We are huge promoters of the trend of deeptechification. We've written extensively about it: https://climateinsiders.substack.com/p/the-hardware-heroes-5-reasons-why
  
  Our focus is on making hardware sexier because that's where the real impact lies. While some large VC funds may be hesitant to embrace complexity, we strongly believe that the true potential and impact can be found in hardware and deeptech solutions.
  

• ⁠What are some of your early investment you're most proud of and why?
  We are proud investors in Hephaestus, a nuclear fusion company that is currently operating in stealth mode but is poised to make significant breakthroughs. We have also backed Strong by Form, a company aiming to revolutionize construction through the use of wood. Additionally, we are excited about the enormous potential of Photocatalysis, which has the power to revolutionize the chemistry industry by utilizing light as a catalyst instead of relying on the burning of fossil fuels.
  
  You can find a list of all our portfolio companies at: https://www.climateinsiders.com/investments

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• Who should join Climate Insiders Syndicate, and what should they expect once joining?
  Our mission is to make climate tech investing accessible to all, empowering thousands of individuals to align their financial resources with their values. By utilizing money as a powerful tool, we aim to drive positive change in the fight against climate change.
  
  We welcome individuals with a disposable income of €10k+ who are eager to align their financial resources with their values.
  
  We have addressed all possible questions raised by our members in this FAQ (pricing, dealflow, accreditation, geography, benefits…etc). Please consult it as it will likely answer your question https://www.climateinsiders.com/faq