Founded in 2015 by serial entrepreneurs Thierry Vandewalle and Xavier Gury, Wind, the Paris-based European VC firm has just announced a €90 million first close for Wind II, a debut climate tech fund, targeting early-stage European deeptech startups tackling the climate crisis head-on. Wind invests across sectors, backing tech founders working to meet humanity’s needs without compromising the planet. Wind investment thesis covers sectors such as circular manufacturing, sustainable food and clean water systems, energy efficiency, sustainable construction and new materials.
WHY IT MATTERS
As climate urgency grows and regulatory timelines tighten, European article 9 VC funds backing early-stage climate-focused deeptech are still scarce. Wind’s new fund helps fill that gap by focusing on European innovators with the science, scalability, and business models to shift hard-to-abate sectors. For the founders, Wind’s investment thesis makes both economic and environmental sense.
Wind’s strategy goes beyond capital. The firm positions itself as a long-term partner, helping founders structure financing, validate impact, and scale sustainably across Europe and beyond.
THE INVESTMENT
This €90 million close is part of Wind’s broader ambition to deploy up to €130 million in this fund. The LP base reflects strong public-private alignment: The European Investment fund (EIF), France’s national investment bank Bpifrance, the bank, BNP Paribas, and IT services company, SopraSteria. Wind is also backed by over 120 tech entrepreneurs from some of France’s most notable tech companies. The fund expects to make 20–25 investments in total, with initial checks ranging from €500K to €3M at pre-seed to Series A stage.
NEXT STEPS
Wind will actively support its portfolio companies providing advice, contacts, and ESG reporting integration. The VC is currently focused on building a strong team of deeptech investors.
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