Cerulean Ventures

What Cerulean Ventures does

Cerulean Ventures is a privately held pre-seed venture capital firm founded in 2022 and based in Santa Barbara, California, operating through Cerulean Ventures LLC. The firm invests in early-stage founders applying AI, open source software, IoT, and platform technologies to drive systemic change in climate-critical sectors — specifically manufacturing, supply chains, oceans and maritime, food and agriculture, and energy — that remain stubbornly under-digitized. Fund I has backed 15 or more companies, including KYVE Network, EthicHub, Elio, Asoba, Epoch, Meridia, Sustainable Bitcoin Protocol, Neutral Labs, Nibiru, Quantum Energy, CommonShare, Earthbanc, Thallo, Renoster, and Masa Finance, spanning carbon markets infrastructure, supply chain traceability, decentralized energy, regenerative agriculture, and pharma sustainability. Geographically, the firm invests globally with stated focus on the EU, US, and African continent, evidenced by portfolio operations in Kenya, South Africa, Cameroon, Uganda, Mexico, Germany, France, the UK, and Switzerland.

Cerulean operates with two partners (co-founders Matthew Stotts and Jahed Momand) plus a five-member advisory board including figures with backgrounds in climate science (Dr. Julie Pullen), ocean systems (Peter Olivier), and technology (Dr. John Clippinger, Dr. Troy Cross, Chadwick Manning). The firm frequently invests as sole investor on the cap table, indicating willingness to lead conviction-driven checks where bluechip VCs decline. Deal sourcing runs through a public founder intake form on its website, supported by content distribution via Substack and LinkedIn.

The firm's revenue model is conventional venture fund economics: management fees on Fund I's committed capital, with future upside through carried interest on portfolio exits. No fund size, AUM, LP composition, or revenue figures are publicly disclosed. Notable portfolio-company partnerships that signal co-investor quality include Ananda Impact Ventures (Munich, $200M AUM), former Merck CEO Stefan Oschmann as angel, and African Development Bank ($208B AUM) for Earthbanc's Sustainable Land Bonds initiative.

Name

Cerulean Ventures

Legal name

Cerulean Ventures LLC

Website

https://cerulean.vc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cerulean Ventures is a pre-seed venture capital firm backing founders globally who apply AI to scale climate impact in under-digitized sectors including pharma, energy, supply chains, and carbon markets, with portfolio focus across the US, EU, and Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate / Clean Tech & Decarbonization Funds (FSANAJAA)

Keywords

• Pre-seed venture capital
• Climate tech investing
• Early-stage AI startups
• Sustainable technology funds
• Impact venture capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Barbara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Fund Management / Venture Returns: As a VC firm, generates returns through equity ownership in portfolio companies. Fund I invests at pre-seed and seed stages with expectation of exits in pharma, grid, food systems, and other sectors transformed by AI/ML applied to physical world data.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Cerulean Ventures is a pre-seed and seed stage venture capital firm that backs founders globally applying AI to drive systemic change in climate-impacting sectors. The firm invests in software (preferably open source), IoT, platforms, and occasionally simple hardware, with a geographic emphasis on the EU, US, and African continent. Fund I targets under-digitized sectors including manufacturing, supply chains, oceans/maritime, food/ag, energy, and pharma, and the firm is willing to be the sole investor on the cap table.

Product overview

Cerulean Ventures is a pre-seed venture capital firm and does not offer its own products or services. The firm backs founders globally who are applying AI to drive systemic change for people and planet, with a focus on climate technology, regenerative agriculture, and sustainable ocean management. Their portfolio includes investments in various climate tech companies across carbon markets, energy, supply chain, and financial inclusion sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fund I Cerulean Ventures' first venture fund that invests in pre-seed and seed stage companies applying AI to drive systemic change in climate-impacting sectors including pharma, the grid, food systems, manufacturing, supply chains, oceans/maritime, food/ag, and energy. The fund backs open source, SaaS, and AI/ML companies globally, with emphasis on EU, US, and African continent.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fund I backed companies driving system change in pharma, the grid, and food systems

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CytivacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2025Strategic partnership through Pharma Eco-design Consortium. Cytiva (formerly GE Healthcare Lifesciences) brings global scientific and technological leadership to sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing. VP R&D of Sustainable Innovation Karl Britt serves as working group chair of Elio's industry consortium.
• ten23 healthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2025Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation based in Switzerland. Partnered with Elio to combine scientific expertise with practical industry experience to develop safe, sustainable injectable treatments.
• EskomcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 July 2024Largest provider of electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Asoba secured contract for decentralized energy market pilot with Eskom and seven municipalities across South Africa.
• ClearTracecoreTechnology or Integration · 8 April 2024Clean energy verification technology company used by JP Morgan, Brookfield Asset Management, and Google. Partnered with SBP for grid energy verification of Bitcoin miners. Cleartrace co-designed sustainable bitcoin methodology with SBP and Verra for Crusoe's methane mitigation activity.
• CrusoecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2024SBP and ClearTrace co-designed methane mitigation (waste gas) methodology for Crusoe's sustainable bitcoin mining. Crusoe has raised $747.5M and is developing methodology to legitimize sustainable mining at scale.
• CleanSparkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2024Pilot partner with SBP exploring waste gas methodology for sustainable bitcoin mining, distinct from grid energy and REC purchasing approach.
• Flow CarboncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 11 October 2023Exclusive partnership for on-chain supply of carbon and renewable energy credits to Neutral's spot exchange. Part of ~200 million credits at launch.
• Toucan ProtocolcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 11 October 2023Exclusive partnership for on-chain supply of carbon and renewable energy credits to Neutral's spot exchange.
• SenkencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 11 October 2023Exclusive partnership for on-chain supply of carbon and renewable energy credits to Neutral's spot exchange.
• Jasmine EnergycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 11 October 2023Exclusive partnership for on-chain supply of renewable energy credits to Neutral's spot exchange.
• Atem.EarthcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 11 October 2023Exclusive partnership for on-chain supply of carbon credits to Neutral's spot exchange.
• ICE (Intercontinental Exchange)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 September 2023Entered product development and software licensing agreement with Meridia. ICE controls 90% and 60% of trading across cocoa and coffee markets respectively ($70B in trading value annually). Meridia will develop ICE's data platform for certified deforestation-free products as mandated by EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
• Barry CallebautcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 13 September 2023Signed contract with Meridia. One of world's largest chocolate and cocoa products manufacturers needing supply chain traceability for EUDR compliance.
• UnilevercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 13 September 2023Signed contract with Meridia. Major CPG company requiring traceability and sustainability compliance for cocoa and coffee supply chains.
• CargillcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 13 September 2023Active discussions with Meridia for supply chain data and solutions. Major agricultural trader needing traceability for EUDR compliance.
• UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 August 2023Earthbanc partnership provides potential to originate Sustainable Land Bonds across Africa's Great Green Wall. UNCCD has identified 2.5bn hectares of land and committed $43bn to restore land. Earthbanc chosen as partner to pay landholders and settle carbon registry accounts.
• European Space Agency (ESA)coreTechnology or Integration · 14 August 2023Earthbanc partnership for patent-pending remote sensing MRV technology with dedicated access to ESA satellites for monitoring carbon sequestration in land restoration projects.
• Regen NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 August 2023Earthbanc partnered with Regen Network to enable marketplace access for tokenized carbon project derivatives.
• Blackcopper (Nigeria)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 12 June 2023SME lending partner in Nigeria providing small business loans. Masa Finance integrated to provide credit access across Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DCVC: Deep tech and data-science venture firm with climate-relevant investments in AI applied to physical-world problems. Comparable on the AI-meets-physical-world thesis, but operates at larger check sizes and broader stage range.
• Khosla Ventures: Large generalist venture firm with a substantial climate tech practice and founder-friendly reputation. Overlaps with Cerulean on AI/climate thesis and founder-led approach but with significantly larger fund size and stage range.
• Energy Impact Partners: Large-scale climate and energy venture fund with a strategic LP base of utilities and energy corporates. Comparable in climate focus but operates at meaningfully larger fund and check sizes than Cerulean.
• Breakthrough Energy Ventures: Bill Gates-backed multi-billion-dollar climate fund investing across the full stage spectrum. Broad incumbent peer with overlapping climate thesis but vastly larger resources and broader stage mandate.

Direct peers

• Lowercarbon Capital: Pre-seed and seed venture firm investing in climate tech with a thesis-driven, founder-friendly approach. Most directly comparable to Cerulean on stage, sector focus, and check-size philosophy.
• Clean Energy Ventures: Seed-stage climate tech fund investing in companies commercializing clean energy and decarbonization technologies. Comparable on stage, check size, and climate-only mandate.
• Congruent Ventures: Early-stage venture firm focused on climate tech and decarbonization, investing at seed and Series A. Directly comparable on stage, sector, and the 'stubborn industries' thesis.
• Elemental Excelerator: Climate tech accelerator and investor deploying non-dilutive and venture capital into early-stage startups. Comparable as a pre-seed/seed climate capital provider with similar portfolio construction.
• Planet A Ventures: European early-stage venture fund focused on climate tech and circular economy. Comparable on stage, sector focus, and European geographic emphasis.
• Prelude Ventures: Seed-stage climate tech venture firm with a similar pre-seed/seed posture and a portfolio spanning energy, mobility, and sustainability software. Closely comparable to Cerulean on stage and sector focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cerulean-ventures
• Xx.com/cerulean_xyz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments24 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cerulean Ventures