Virgin Green Fund Explained

Virgin Green Fund
Type:	Private
Fate:	shut down
Foundation:	2007
Defunct:	2014
Location:	London, United Kingdom San Francisco, United States New York City, United States
Area Served:	North America & Europe
Industry:	Private equity
Num Employees:	10
Parent:	Virgin Group
Homepage:	www.virgingreenfund.com

Virgin Green Fund was established in 2007^[1] to invest in companies in the renewable energy and resource efficiency sectors in the US and Europe. It closed in 2014.

Investment history

The fund's first fundraising round raised $199m from Virgin and other investors. A notable initial investor was Wolverhampton City Council. The fund's investment focus is on established businesses rather than start ups. It had invested in 10 businesses out of 3,700 considered as of 2010.^[2]

Portfolio

As of April 2010 Virgin Green Fund's portfolio included:

• Gevo^[3]
• Solyndra^[4]
• Odersun^[4]
• Metrolight^[5]
• Wildcat Discovery Technologies^[6]
• DuraTherm^[7]
• Seven Seas^[8]
• Quench USA^[8]
• GreenRoad^[9]

Shutdown

In 2014, the firm was closed down by the Virgin Group.^[10]

See also

• Virgin Atlantic
• Aviation biofuel
• Sustainable aviation fuel

Further reading

• Virgin Green Fund leads Odersun funding round.
• Benchmark, Branson Keep Eyes on Cleantech Road.
• "Gevo Licenses UCLA Technology " – Gevo has received investments from Khosla Ventures and Virgin Green Fund.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Virgin's green fund gets first $199m . Financial Times . 27 June 2008 . 28 April 2015 . Chris Hughes.
2. Web site: Virgin Green Fund Looks to Midlife Start-ups . New York Times . 10 May 2010 . 28 April 2015 . Claire Cain Miller.
3. Web site: Portfolio: Biofuels . Virgin Green Fund . 2010-04-07.
4. Web site: Portfolio: Solar . Virgin Green Fund . 2010-04-07.
5. Web site: Portfolio: Energy Efficiency . Virgin Green Fund . 2010-04-07.
6. Web site: Portfolio: Energy Storage . Virgin Green Fund . 2010-04-07.
7. Web site: Portfolio: Waste Management . Virgin Green Fund . 2010-04-07.
8. Web site: Portfolio: Water . Virgin Green Fund . 2010-04-07.
9. Web site: Portfolio: Transport . Virgin Green Fund . 2010-04-07.
10. Web site: Virgin Group Said to Wind Down Buyout Unit, Cancel Fund. Bloomberg.com. 23 April 2014. 2016-05-18.