Extantia Capital is a Berlin-based, climate-first venture capital firm founded in 2020 that backs pioneers in climate. Its stated mission is simple: “powering industry-changing tech entrepreneurs.” The firm starts from the belief that capital is the greatest asset in the fight against climate change, and it operates as a climate tech generalist, investing in software and hardware solutions that address large, near-term market opportunities with the power to redefine industries.
The firm runs two investment strategies. Extantia Flagship makes direct investments in scalable deep decarbonisation technology companies, while Extantia Allstars is a fund-of-funds that backs climate tech venture capital funds around the world — building an ecosystem of fund managers that share know-how, deal flow and best practice. A third pillar, Extantia Ignite, is a sustainability hub where scientists, ESG and sustainability experts produce science-based impact analysis and guidelines for the climate innovation ecosystem.
The firm's sweet spot is early stage: Seed to Series A rounds across Europe, with initial tickets ranging from €1M to €5M. Its areas of primary interest are energy, industrial processes, buildings, transportation and carbon removal — from sustainable fuels and the hydrogen supply chain to renewable baseload power and direct air capture. Every potential investment passes through a rigorous “Carbon Math” assessment before any engagement, and part of the fund manager's own remuneration is tied to pre-defined sustainability targets.
On fund size, Extantia launched in September 2022 with a €300M platform: a €150M Flagship fund, a €150M Allstars fund-of-funds and the Ignite hub. In 2024 it announced the final close of its oversubscribed Article 9 flagship fund at €204M, beating its €150M target, with backing from investors including the European Investment Fund, Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank, the Danish Export Investment Fund, KfW Capital, the Allianz insurance group, industrial companies and family offices. The firm's own announcements put assets under management at roughly €300M.
Notable portfolio companies named by the firm include H2Pro, INERATEC, GA Drilling, BeZero and Reverion. More recent featured investments on its site include battery technology maker LeydenJar Technologies, factory humanoid robotics company Motion1 and energy-transition financing infrastructure startup Bees & Bears.
The founding partners are Yair Reem, Sebastian Heitmann and Joern-Carlos Kuntze, who founded Extantia in 2019–2020; Oliver Schwarzer and Torben Schreiter joined the partnership to launch the first fund. Dr Laura-Marie Toepfer is also a partner, leading Extantia Ignite's scientific work. The firm is headquartered in Berlin with team members across the UK and Germany, and describes itself as a long-term, hands-on partner supporting portfolio companies across commercialisation, organisation-building and fundraising — including a portfolio-wide careers ecosystem for hiring.
For founders, the most distinctive programme is Extantia Ignite: the hub builds the carbon-impact tools used in the investment process, helps portfolio companies implement ESG best practice and publishes its research to advance public discussion on climate innovation. Separately, the firm launched the Super Climate event series globally in 2023, which later evolved into a standalone company.
Why it matters for founders
For a climate founder in Europe raising Seed or Series A, Extantia is one of the most specialised doors to knock on: a pure climate mandate, €1M–€5M initial tickets and an Article 9 fund whose managers have their own pay tied to sustainability outcomes. Come prepared with defensible emissions-impact numbers — this is a firm that checks the carbon maths before it writes the cheque.