Breakthrough Energy

Mantle8 has raised €31M to advance a new frontier in energy—natural hydrogen.    “Geologic hydrogen is one of the most surprising energy developments of the past decade. The Mantle8 team has made impressive progress in advancing its rigorous, geology-driven approach to exploration” says our CIO Carmichael Roberts.    This work sits deep in the physical world—subsurface resources, drilling, and infrastructure. The goal is to identify and develop hydrogen that can be produced at costs that change how the market operates.    When a new resource enters at a different cost point, it creates a real advantage for those who can develop and use it—shifting the balance in how energy systems compete and grow.    https://lnkd.in/enMsAbPz

We invested early in Redwood Materials with a view that the next era of energy would be shaped by how intelligently we use what already exists.    That’s now playing out on the grid. Second-life EV batteries are being deployed as scalable storage, supporting data centers, reducing reliance on new supply, and bringing power online faster—supporting digital systems with the physical infrastructure they need to run.    When energy systems work better, economies grow, industries expand, and everyday life becomes more reliable. https://lnkd.in/e5pd6T4G

Clean energy innovation is moving into the field. Across our portfolio, successful deployment is happening. Companies are delivering first commercial systems, securing customers, expanding domestic capacity, and entering public markets—building the foundations for repeatable deployment.    Our latest looks at what these signals tell us about crossing the chasm from first-of-a-kind projects to repeatable deployment—and the scale of the opportunity ahead. 

 “Fusion needs to be delivered, not just developed” says Chris Mowry, CEO of BE-backed Type One Energy.    Type One is joining forces with Tokamak Energy and AECOM to form the UK Infinity Fusion Consortium, aimed at delivering one of the first private-sector-led, commercially viable fusion power plants.    This brings together the pieces needed to move fusion forward: a power plant design, advanced magnet manufacturing, and the engineering capability to build at scale.    Building projects that can be financed, constructed, and operated at scale is how fusion becomes part of the energy system. https://lnkd.in/ga-pQ9yq

A proud moment for Southeast Asian innovation at 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗛𝗶 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗧𝗼𝗸𝘆𝗼 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲. Malaysia’s agritech startup Qarbotech has emerged as the winner of the 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗛𝗶 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, one of Asia’s most competitive global startup pitch platforms, taking home the ¥10 million grand prize. The SusHi Tech Challenge attracted more than 800 applications from over 60 countries, with only 20 startups making it to the semifinals before the final pitch competition at Tokyo Big Sight held as part of SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 on April 27-29. The winning company receives a ¥10 million prize and access to valuable investor and corporate networking opportunities Qarbotech’s recognition highlights the growing strength of Southeast Asia’s climate-smart agritech ecosystem and reinforces how sustainability-led innovation is attracting global investor attention. Our latest ABT feature looks at: • why Qarbotech stood out on the global stage • how agritech is becoming central to startup investment conversations • what this win means for Malaysia’s innovation ecosystem • why SusHi Tech Tokyo continues to grow as Asia’s most important startup platform From Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo, innovation with real-world impact. Read the news report here: https://lnkd.in/gZejZmfk #SusHiTechTokyo2026 #Qarbotech #StartupEcosystem #AgriTech #MalaysiaStartups #Innovation #AsiaBizToday Chor Chee Hoe Katuhisa Oda Moe Aoki Tokyo Metropolitan Government Tokyo Gov Intl PR Team Lina Sakai Watanabe Lauren Nham ✈Mika Fukutomi Raymond Spencer Gen OZEKI Nanaho Taniguchi Kiyoko Hashiba Kazuya Katayama

With a new $134M manufacturing facility in South Carolina, BE-backed TS Conductor is scaling production of next-generation conductors designed to increase grid capacity using existing infrastructure.    The expansion comes as utilities face mounting pressure to move more power across aging networks—serving new loads while maintaining reliability and avoiding long build timelines for new transmission.    By enabling utilities to double or triple transmission capacity without rebuilding entire lines, advanced conductors offer a faster path to strengthening the grid, improving reliability while keeping costs in check.    This is how foundational industries evolve—by improving what already exists rather than waiting for entirely new systems. When that happens, it creates a clear advantage for those who adopt it and raises the bar for how the grid performs.    https://lnkd.in/gYsbj_P9

Firm power for the grid. Reliable electricity for industry. Jobs where projects are built. Energy people can afford.    That’s the opportunity behind Fervo Energy going public.    Enhanced geothermal is showing how new infrastructure can compete in trillion-dollar markets—and help beat business as usual. When the right thing can make money, what’s possible starts becoming probable. https://lnkd.in/gyTW2m2M

Today is a huge day for geothermal—and for energy innovation broadly. Fervo Energy entering the public markets is a powerful signal of how fast and how far enhanced geothermal has moved from idea to real-world impact.    The story traces back to a Stanford University Climate Ventures classroom in 2016, where our Senior Partner David T. Danielson worked hand in hand with Tim Latimer in his class as he developed the initial ideas behind Fervo. After this course, Dave, Christina Karapataki and Breakthrough Energy Ventures continued to work closely with Tim and Jack Norbeck as they founded Fervo Energy and BEV became their very first investor. What began as that idea is now being built at commercial scale, with projects like Cape Station in Utah on track to deliver hundreds of megawatts of clean, always-on power. Execution has driven that progress. Drilling performance has improved, costs have come down, and long-term power agreements with leaders like Google, Shell, Southern California Edison (SCE), Vallourec, and Turboden S.p.A. signal growing demand for dependable, around-the-clock energy.    We’re proud to have supported Fervo throughout its journey—from leading their Seed and Series A, helping build a community of investors and partners as the company’s scaled, and providing deep company building and technical expertise at each step. That capital and coordination helped move the work from early validation into repeatable systems.    Fervo is part of a broader portfolio of 130+ companies transforming manufacturing, electricity, agriculture, transportation, buildings, and more. These are complex, long-cycle efforts—but they are central to how modern economies function.    Congratulations to Tim, Jack, and the entire Fervo team. This milestone shows how new technologies can beat business as usual and turn into infrastructure that serves people and economies at scale.

Digital innovation requires physical systems that can keep up. Our portfolio is advancing solutions that meet rising electricity demand, while strengthening the foundational systems that underpin economic growth and modern life.    ▪️Redwood Materials is deploying second-life EV batteries as grid storage to support new sources of load.  ▪️LuxWall, Inc. is advancing high-performance glass that reduces energy use and helps ease peak demand.  ▪️Lilac is scaling a more efficient approach to lithium production to support the buildout of batteries and storage.    Innovations that beat business as usual by expanding capacity, lowering costs, and sharpening competitive advantage—for companies and countries building for what’s next. https://lnkd.in/gzk6evYj

Mill is partnering with Compass Group, one of the world’s largest foodservice and facilities management companies, to bring food waste prevention technology into commercial kitchens at scale.    Beginning next year, Compass will deploy Mill Commercial across dining facilities it operates, from corporate campuses and hospitals to universities and stadiums. Mill’s system processes food scraps on-site, reducing volume by 80% and creating a dry, shelf-stable material that can be used as animal feed, compost feedstock, or soil amendment.    The AI-enabled devices show operators what is being discarded, in what quantities, and when. Those insights can support smarter procurement, streamlined operations, and lower food costs—helping Compass move toward its goal to cut food waste 50% by 2030.    Food is the most common material in landfills, representing more than $400 billion in wasted value each year. Better waste data can help kitchens keep more food value in use. https://lnkd.in/gP2ukYVD