Welcome to the 19th edition of the AFI Ventures’ newsletter.
As a reminder, AFI Ventures (fund managed by Ventech) is an impact VC fund that invests in pre-seed/seed startups with a strong environmental and social ambition, producing a systemic change. We invest once a month in France & Europe tickets ranging from €250K to €500K.
Each month in this newsletter, you'll find :
🔍 A focus or key resources on an impact-related theme
📰Our Top must-read articles on the impact ecosystem🌱 Even more news from the AFI: public fundraisings, portfolio updates, and—new —where we’ve been spotted (at events) & where you can catch us next, plus a job board featuring open roles at our amazing startups.
More insights, more opportunities, more ways to connect. Let’s dive in! 💚
🔍 Focus on...getting back to school fellows! ✨ Big news from our parent fund Ventech:
They just closed Ventech Capital VI at €175M, the largest fund in their 26-year history. With a 95% LP renewal rate and even founders turned investors, it’s a strong vote of confidence in their model. Half of this new fund will back the once-in-a-generation shift in AI, alongside key bets on digital health, industrial software, cybersecurity and sovereignty. 🚀
📣 AFI Ventures is hiring!
We’re on the lookout for our next VC Analyst intern to join us in Paris from February 2026. If you’re passionate about impact, eager to dive into the fast-paced world of venture capital, and want to experience a real closing from the inside, this is your chance. 🌍💡🔥
📰 Top must-read articles - What Caught Our Eye This Month Climate Change
Advanced energy solutions like long-duration storage, green hydrogen and carbon capture must scale 10x within this decade to keep 1.5°C alive—demanding faster innovation cycles and unprecedented public-private cooperation, said Radio Davos.
Over 80% of Europe’s protected habitats are in poor or bad condition, while water stress already affects 34% of the population—making biodiversity loss and climate impacts a systemic risk to food, health and financial stability, said the European Environment Agency
Water scarcity could cost companies $200–300 billion—five times more than fixing the problem—putting the trillion-dollar livestock sector and its investors at risk without urgent action on water resilience, said FAIRR via AgFunderNews.
A climate-tech startup raised over $1 billion in just three years but collapsed after rushing into factory scale-up—echoing Northvolt’s $16 billion bankruptcy and showing how overfunding can wipe out early investors, said Laurie Menoud of At One Ventures in Net Zero Investor.
Sustainable production and consumption
AI adoption is outpacing every past tech wave—global revenues hit $280B in 2024 and could near $2T by 2030, with European startups like Mistral, Helsing and Synthesia emerging as global contenders, said Headline.
AI’s true revolution lies beyond chatbots—biology is nearing its “ChatGPT moment” with protein design and microbiome breakthroughs, while robotics is quietly transforming agriculture through specialized, non-humanoid machines, said Louis Monier in conversation with Eric Archambeau on Medium.
No “Hockey Stick” for AgTech: Why Agtech Automation’s growth is linear while tech giants grow exponentially, explanation by Walt Duflock, VP of Innovation at Western Growers, on LinkedIn.
Global demand for rare earth magnets is set to triple by 2035—yet supply could fall short by 30%, making circular recovery from scrap a critical but still underdeveloped lever for resilience, said McKinsey.
Health & Social Changes
Generative AI is transforming corporate learning—but rather than replacing humans, it amplifies the need for uniquely human skills like problem framing, collaboration and creativity to unlock its full value, said Harvard Business Review.
Danone is doubling down on gut health—launching a new intestinal microbiome lab to develop next-generation nutrition products aimed at immunity, metabolism and overall wellness, said Les Échos.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has added GLP-1 diabetes drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy to its essential medicines list—signaling their central role in treating obesity and reshaping global health priorities, said Les Échos.
🍃 AFI Ventures HighlightsRecent News from our Portfolio
Paladin is launching a new, modern, and digital occupational health service with Sano, the first DRIEETS accreditation granted in over 30 years, to simplify employers’ lives and improve employees’ well-being. AMAZING MILESTONE 🚀!!! Learn more
Dionymer has launched its pre-industrial pilot unit, scaling from lab to production with the capacity to manufacture one ton of biopolymers per year from food waste, a key milestone on the path to building the world’s first plant turning waste into fully biodegradable materials. Learn more
Dift, after raising €20M in corporate donations, is now opening to the public with a new platform of 100% solidarity fundraisers and “Challenges Dift,” enabling everyone to support their favorite cause and associations to multiply their impact through matched giving. Learn more
Tilt Energy has just been selected as the first French startup in Google’s “AI for Energy” program, a strong recognition of its mission to harness AI for a more decarbonized, competitive, and resilient electricity grid. Learn more
Talent Wanted: Our Startups Are Building the Future
Product Manager Junior, Business Developer, Sales Development Representative, Network Animator – Alpagga (Paris)
Right Hand COO - Dift (Paris)
Biomass Pretreatment Manager, Strain Engineering Manager, Downstream Process Manager, Analyses Manager, Industrial Project Manager, Production Technician, Regulatory & Quality Coordinator, Sales Development & Market Strategy Manager - Dionymer (Bordeaux)
Senior Backend Engineer - Ed.ai (Paris, Lyon)
Battery Modelling & State Estimation, R&D Engineer/PhD Li-ion Batteries - Entroview (Nanterre, Paris)
Aerospace Data Scientist - Estuaire (Paris)
Sr./Lead Skin Tissue Engineering Scientist, Bioprocess Engineer, Cell and Molecular Biology Technician, Technicien·ne en Chimie / Physico-Chimie, Chief of Staff, Product Manager, Leather Goods Project Manager, Project Manager - Faircraft (Paris)
Finance & Operations Manager - Inarix (Paris)
Senior Software Engineer | Site Controller, Lead Engineer Power Electronics | PV & ESS - Moonwatt (Diemen)
Right Hand CEO (Internship) - Optimiz Construction (Paris)
Marketing & Communications Manager, Lead Generation & CRM Automation Specialist – Resortecs (Paris)
Head of R&D - Revcoo (Lyon, remote possible)
Machine Designer, Build & Test Engineer, Automation Engineer, Electromechanical Engineer, Supply Chain Associate, Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Technical Operations Manager (UAE), Engineering Students Graduating Soon – Sirona Technologies (Brussels)
Senior Software Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer - Tilt Energy (Paris)
Senior Process Engineer – DSP, Senior Process Engineer – USP, Head of Food Science & Innovation, Lead Process Engineer - Verley (Lyon)
Events
We were at:
The Drop (Sept 16th –18th) – Constantin represented AFI at The Drop, a leading climate technology conference that brings together founders, investors, and experts with the aim of accelerating solutions to the climate crisis.
France Digitale Day (Sept 17th) – Charles, Sarah and Alexandre joined the French VC & startup community at FDDAY, meeting founders and strengthening ties with the broader tech ecosystem.
Where you can find us next month:
Impact/Week Barcelona (Oct 1st -2nd) – Charles, Constantin and Sarah will be present at Norrsken’s Impact Week, where global changemakers, investors and entrepreneurs gather to scale impactful solutions for a better future.
🤝 Our TeamCharles Fourault - charles@afi.ventures
Constantin de Chaudenay - constantin@afi.ventures
Sarah Laznowski - sarah@afi.ventures
Alexandre Bérenger - alexandre@afi.ventures
Don't hesitate to reach out if you're an impact entrepreneur or just interested in any of these topics. 🍃
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