Emerald Technology Ventures to Launch €150M New Cleantech Fund; Whitney Rockley Joins as Partner
Zurich-based cleantech venture fund Emerald Technology Ventures is looking to raise as much as €150 million ($220 million) for a yet to be launched third fund and has hired cleantech veteran Whitney Rockley from Nomura as a partner to help oversee the effort.
Scott MacDonald, a partner at Emerald’s Montreal office, tells GER that investments from its €150 million Cleantech Fund II have not stopped and are ongoing. Investors in that fund include: Dow Chemical, Deere & Company — maker of the John Deer tractor — Bosch, Volvo Group, Suncor as wells as the Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec. An announcement on the launch of the third fund is expected early next year.
Rockley is relocating to Montreal from Nomura’s London office, where she oversaw late stage VC investments focused on North American opportunities. She was unable to talk with GER because she’s attending Emerald’s annual clean tech conference, the European Energy Venture Fair in Zurich.
With the improving global economy VCs are raising money again. Last week Steve Westly‘s Westly Group closed its second clean tech-focused fund, raising $120 million. Earlier, Khosla Ventures closed two new funds with more than $1 billion in capital commitment.
Emerald also promoted its Investment Director Charles Vaslet to partner. Vaslet joined Emerald’s Montreal office in 2004 from the venture investment unit of ABB, the Swiss power transmission and automation company.
