Montreal, November 30, 2020 – Cycle Capital, Canada’s most important private cleantech venture capital investment firm, announces the launch of a new water tech impact fund, the BleuImpact Fund, and the appointment of Simon Olivier as Senior Partner to spearhead the initiative on the platform. Focused on innovative water technology companies, the BleuImpact Fund is a seed/early-stage venture capital fund with a target size of $15-20M.
“Water is a finite natural resource unlike any other, which is critical for life itself and for almost every natural and industrial process on the planet. Increasing water pollution, exploitation and waste present evolving risks for our society, our health and our economy. The good news is that an increasing number of startups are developing technologies to solve water-related problems, yet they lack access to venture capital to fund their growth. With BleuImpact we intend to accelerate innovation in the water industry to develop, implement and scale solutions to water problems. Simon’s unique set of expertise in clean technology and innovation is very valuable for our team,” says Cycle Capital’s Founder and Managing Partner Andrée-Lise Méthot.
“Water has absolutely no economic substitute, whatever its price. Yet, paradoxically, water remains undervalued, wasted and polluted. Deploying venture capital to fund innovation in the water sector is the biggest opportunity for Quebec and Canada to create sustainable wealth, for the benefit of its citizens, its environment, and its economy,” says Simon Olivier, Senior Partner & Head of the BleuImpact Fund at Cycle Capital.
Simon Olivier is an executive Leader with an international track record in innovation, strategy, entrepreneurship and financial services. Simon worked with Fortune 500, medium-sized businesses, coop and startups across various industries; all related to social development such as Energy, Water, Healthcare, Finance and Food. Career highlights include; largest asset-based financial deal for GE Capital in Canada (2000), pioneer of GE’s renewable business (wind ,solar, biomass) by building a multi-billion-dollar franchise (2003-2012), head of GE’s business development (M&A, GE Ventures) in Canada (2012-2016) and launched a $40M co-investment partnership between Agropur Coopérative and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec to invest in innovative dairy startups (2018).
Simon holds an engineering degree from Polytechnique Montreal and an MBA in finance from McGill University where he is a member of the McGill Global Leadership Council. In 2009, he was named Quebec’s young international leader (Arista).
About Cycle Capital
Cycle Capital Management (CCM) is an impact investor and Canada’s largest cleantech venture capital investment platform with AUM (assets under management) close to $0.5B. With offices in Montreal, Toronto and Qingdao – in continental China – and a presence in New York and Seattle, CCM invests in companies at the development and growth stages that commercialize clean technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, optimize resource use and improve process efficiency throughout North America and China. CCM is the Founder of the Ecofuel Accelerator and the Co-Founder of the Ecofuel Fund.
Cycle Capital brings together seasoned investment professionals, strategic advisors and industrial partners with in-depth knowledge of the sector. The firm has many industrial partners such as Suez, Rio Tinto, Hydro-Québec, Brookfield, Innergex Renewable Energy, Énergir, Cascades, Lonza, Aluminerie Alouette, Qingdao City Construction Investment Group and impact investors including Vancity Credit Union, McConnell Foundation, Trottier Family Foundation and few family offices. For more information on Cycle Capital, visit: www.cyclecapital.com .
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Catherine Bérubé
Vice President, Sustainability, Investor Relations and Public Affairs
[email protected]
+1 514 629-1022