New climate VC VitaminºC closes EUR 18M debut fund

Global climate tech funding has slowed, valuations have reset, and many generalist funds have deprioritized the sector. VitaminºC - a Zurich & San Francisco female-led early-stage venture fund investing in climate mitigation and human adaptation, views this market dislocation as a defining opportunity. As climate technology matures from a niche category into critical economic infrastructure, they're investing at more attractive valuations with stronger fundamentals—exactly when specialized capital matters most.

Founded by Nathalie Moral (Zurich) and Sophie Lamparter (San Francisco), the firm acts as a strategic bridge between Europe and Silicon Valley, combining European impact investing and U.S. scaling expertise to build global companies from day one.

Investing in the Infrastructure of a 2°C World
As the world moves toward 2°C warming, demand for scalable mitigation and adaptation technologies is accelerating. Climate solutions are becoming economic infrastructure, yet only about 10% of global venture capital is currently allocated to climate and energy transition technologies, leaving a significant investment gap.

"We're here to rewire climate venture capital,"  said Nathalie Moral, Founding Partner. "The first generation of climate technologies, such as wind and solar, is now cheaper than fossil fuels. Around 30% of the technologies needed to cut emissions faster are still pre-commercial. The biggest economic buildout of our generation is just getting started - and we're investing when others are pulling back."

VitaminºC targets the largest climate levers: energy, food and agriculture, carbon removal, and human adaptation. The fund invests €0.5M–€1.5M ($0.6–1.7M) at pre-seed and seed stage. Each investment must demonstrate the potential to mitigate or remove at least 100,000 tons of CO₂, or improve the resilience of 100,000 people within five years.

"Think of it like a car," said Moral. "We need to reduce the speed of emissions for mitigation while making sure the airbag is ready for the impacts already locked in. We invest in both."

The firm’s first investment is Satellites on Fire, an Argentine-U.S. startup using AI, satellite, and ground data to detect, monitor, and prevent wildfires. "The founding team combines deep expertise in satellite technology and wildfire science scaling rapidly from Latin America to the US market," said Sophie Lamparter, Founding Partner. "Their AI-driven system detects fires 30 minutes to two hours earlier than existing alternatives—a critical advantage when most customers still rely on ground patrols. This dramatically improves response times and protects communities, forests and billions in economic value as climate-driven fire risk accelerates."

The Transatlantic Edge

"Europe's deep tech is world-class, but many startups hit a scale cap and struggle to expand globally," said Sophie Lamparter. "We introduce founders to their first US customers, hires and investors”. And as US climate policy faces uncertainty, American founders are increasingly looking to Europe's stable regulatory environment. The bridge works both ways and we are the boots on the ground in both eco-systems."

Impact as a return driver

For VitaminºC, impact and returns are inseparable. Impact is not a constraint. It is the thesis. Beyond capital, the firm actively connects portfolio companies with academic institutions for rigorous impact validation, funds non-dilutive grants to generate scientific evidence, and pilots blended capital models where venture and philanthropy work in tandem to accelerate the transition.