Breakthrough Energy Ventures
Breakthrough Energy Ventures is a Bill Gates-founded venture capital fund deploying $2 billion of 20-year patient capital into 100+ early-stage clean energy companies across manufacturing, electricity, agriculture, transportation, and buildings, targeting technologies that can cut 500 billion metric tons of annual CO2 emissions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Breakthrough Energy Ventures does
Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) is a US-based venture capital fund founded by Bill Gates in 2016, structured as a 20-year patient capital vehicle that invests in early-stage companies developing clean energy and emissions-reduction technologies. The fund has deployed approximately $2 billion across two cycles — the first $1B backed 45 startups, and a second $1B is being deployed across an additional 40-50 companies. Portfolio investments target technologies with the potential to cut at least 500 billion metric tons of annual CO2 emissions, organized across five sectors of the global economy: manufacturing (29 companies), electricity (26), agriculture (20), transportation (17), and buildings (11). The fund does not charge fees to entrepreneurs and generates returns through equity stakes in portfolio companies.
BEV's core products are investment vehicles rather than technology products. The primary fund deploys early-stage capital, supplemented by the Catalyst Fund (over $1B raised to finance later-stage green technology startups, currently suspended due to US policy headwinds), the Fellows Program supporting deeptech founders, and the oneworld BEV Fund — a $150M specialized vehicle launched in September 2025 with six airline LPs to commercialize sustainable aviation fuel. The fund's go-to-market is direct investment sourcing through Bill Gates' network and a broader ecosystem of strategic co-investors including Google, Andreessen Horowitz, ArcelorMittal, BMW i Ventures, and Lowercarbon Capital.
The fund operates globally with portfolio companies in the US, Canada, France, Israel, Spain, and Singapore. Operating geographies have expanded in 2026 to include Saudi Arabia via Kingdom Holding's secondary stake acquisition. Recent exits include Fervo Energy's $1.89B IPO on Nasdaq in May 2026 at a $10B+ valuation, validating the fund's geothermal thesis.
Breakthrough Energy Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Breakthrough Energy Ventures
- Legal name
- Breakthrough Energy Ventures
- Website
- https://breakthroughenergy.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Breakthrough Energy Ventures is a Bill Gates-founded venture capital fund deploying $2 billion of 20-year patient capital into 100+ early-stage clean energy companies across manufacturing, electricity, agriculture, transportation, and buildings, targeting technologies that can cut 500 billion metric tons of annual CO2 emissions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Breakthrough Energy Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital - Clean Energy
- NAICS
- Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Other Financial Vehicles (52599)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Climate / Clean Tech & Decarbonization Funds (FSANAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Renewables & Energy Transition Funds (Solar, Wind, Hydrogen, CCUS) (FSANAEAD), Renewable Energy & Energy Transition Funds (FSANAJAB), Energy & Power Infrastructure Funds (Generation, Transmission, Storage) (FSANAEAB)
Keywords
Where Breakthrough Energy Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Breakthrough Energy Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Investment Returns: Breakthrough Energy Ventures generates returns through equity investments in early-stage clean energy companies. The fund takes minority stakes in startups developing technologies that can cut at least 500 billion metric tons of annual CO2 emissions, with a 20-year patient fund approach.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Breakthrough Energy Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Breakthrough Energy Ventures is a venture capital fund that invests equity capital in early-stage clean energy companies developing breakthrough technologies. The fund operates a 20-year patient capital model and invests across five sectors of the global economy: manufacturing, electricity, agriculture, transportation, and buildings, targeting technologies capable of cutting at least 500 billion metric tons of annual CO2 emissions.
Product overview
Breakthrough Energy Ventures is a venture capital investment platform rather than a traditional product company. It operates multiple investment funds and programs targeting clean energy innovation across five sectors of the global economy: Manufacturing (29 portfolio companies), Electricity (26 companies), Agriculture (20 companies), Transportation (17 companies), and Buildings (11 companies). The core investment vehicles include the BEV Fund for early-stage clean energy companies, the Catalyst Fund for financing green technology startups, the Fellows Program for ecosystem support, and the oneworld BEV Fund specifically for sustainable aviation fuel technologies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) Fund
- Catalyst Fund
- oneworld BEV Fund
Quantifiable outcome
- Technologies capable of cutting 500 billion metric tons of annual CO2 emissions
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Breakthrough Energy Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Breakthrough Energy Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Breakthrough Energy Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- oneworld Alliancecoreoneworld Alliance and its member airlines (American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, IAG, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines) launched the oneworld BEV Fund with an initial close of $150 million to accelerate development and commercialization of Sustainable Aviation Fuels. BEV serves as the fund's investment manager.
- Breakthrough InstituteminorRelated organization but with declining alignment; described as shifting from constructive critic to increasingly opposing mainstream climate efforts.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Breakthrough Energy Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Breakthrough Energy Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceBreakthrough Energy Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Breakthrough Energy Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Breakthrough Energy Ventures subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Breakthrough Energy Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Breakthrough Energy Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments262 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Breakthrough Energy Ventures
What does Breakthrough Energy Ventures do?
Breakthrough Energy Ventures is a venture capital fund that invests equity capital in early-stage clean energy companies developing breakthrough technologies. The fund operates a 20-year patient capital model and invests across five sectors of the global economy: manufacturing, electricity, agriculture, transportation, and buildings, targeting technologies capable of cutting at least 500 billion metric tons of annual CO2 emissions.
Is Breakthrough Energy Ventures a public or private company?
Breakthrough Energy Ventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Breakthrough Energy Ventures founded?
Breakthrough Energy Ventures was founded in 2016. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Breakthrough Energy Ventures based?
Breakthrough Energy Ventures is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Breakthrough Energy Ventures make money?
One revenue line is on record: investment Returns.
Does Breakthrough Energy Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
What industry is Breakthrough Energy Ventures in?
Breakthrough Energy Ventures's product category is Venture Capital - Clean Energy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAJAA, Climate / Clean Tech & Decarbonization Funds, with a secondary code of FSANAEAD, Renewables & Energy Transition Funds (Solar, Wind, Hydrogen, CCUS). Its NAICS code is 5259 and its SIC code is 6282.