Newsletter Q4 Jan. 2025

Driving Change, Creating Value

As we enter 2025, the world faces an increasingly complex landscape of serious challenges, from climate change to political instability. The need for collective action to drive systemic change and safeguard our planet has never been more urgent. Yet, political power is shifting toward populist and divisive agendas. Amid these challenges, the growing influx of capital into impact investing offers a beacon of hope, playing an increasingly vital role in driving meaningful progress. At Vidia Equity, we believe that impact investing is a powerful tool for tackling global challenges, delivering strong returns, and creating measurable benefits for communities worldwide. Notably, proven and profitable climate solutions – such as wind power, solar, and energy efficiency solutions – are rapidly gaining traction across geopolitical landscapes, regardless of political agendas or subsidies. Scaling these technologies is essential to achieving NetZero goals. Moreover, these solutions often generate a high impact return per Euro, reinforcing the significance of Vidia’s strategy.

Since the final close of Vidia’s Climate Fund I just over a year ago, we have successfully established four buy-and-build platforms in the DACH region and Nordics, providing strategic operational support to successfully drive growth in key markets. Entrepreneurs are increasingly aware of both the challenges and opportunities presented by the low-carbon transition, and our operational value creation strategy continues to prove itself as a winning solution for those seeking a responsible exit or a reliable partner. Vidia’s portfolio now encompasses plastics recycling, energy-efficient roof refurbishment, solar installation, and wind energy services – key sectors that are vital for driving the global transition toward NetZero. In 2024, we concentrated on scaling companies that deliver skilled labor for climate solution services, specifically within industrial energy efficiency, solar installation, and wind power value chains. With Germany’s strong technical expertise, it stands as a leader in climate solutions, but tackling the skilled labor shortage continues to be a key priority.

Vidia is committed to building a sustainable future by empowering private equity to adopt best practices in impact investing. As global climate commitments are increasingly threatened by potential setbacks due to shifting political agendas and geopolitical tensions, the need for collaboration in the climate investing space has never been more critical. In this context, we are proud to release our first Portfolio Impact Review Report, offering valuable insights and best practices from our impact strategy, which is also highlighted in our newsletter.

We continued to expand Vidia in 2024, particularly by enhancing our finance functions with the addition of seasoned fund CFO Heiko Thiel and finance manager Theresa Höfer. Additionally, we enforced our operations, investment, and impact teams, placing a strong emphasis on value creation and post-merger integration.

As we step into 2025, we do so with immense gratitude for the support of our network, portfolio companies, investors, and the broader climate investing community. Your trust and dedication inspire us as we continue our mission to drive meaningful change. 

Johanna Struthmann
Founder

Get in touch

 

Vidia Milestones in 2024

Vidia Blog

black polymer granulate

Plastic Recycling: Embracing Complexity in Challenging Times 

The European plastics recycling industry is facing pressure from low virgin material prices and low-quality imports, putting recycling targets and investments at risk. To build resilience, niche strategies focusing on specialized, high-quality recyclates are key. These strategies, driven by advanced technology, expertise, and a focused approach, are the basis for sustainable growth moving forward.

Driving Change, Creating Value:
Introducing the Vidia Portfolio Impact Review 2023 

At Vidia Equity, our mission is to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy by scaling impactful climate solutions. We are thrilled to unveil our Portfolio Impact Review 2023, which highlights our impact strategy and offers a holistic overview of our portfolio.

What’s inside the report?

  • A deep dive into Vidia’s bespoke impact methodology and strategies to drive colinearity of impact and financial returns.
  • Portfolio highlights, showcasing actionable solutions in sectors such as wind energy, plastic recycling, and energy-efficient roofing.
  • Insights into our operational approach to value creation and ESG integration.

Together with our portfolio companies, we’re proving that the industrial transition is a unique opportunity for growth and innovation. Let’s continue collaborating to scale climate solutions that matter.

New Joiner Alert​

Heiko Thiel
Chief Financial Officer 

 

Heiko brings a wealth of experience in finance, controlling, and auditing. Prior to joining Vidia, he was CFO/Managing Director at Earlybird for over 15 years, where he made key contributions to the company’s growth. (His career also includes roles in Finance & Controlling at IKB Deutsche Industriebank, and auditing positions at both Ebner & Stolz and Ernst & Young.)

Konstantin Schorer
Investment Analyst

With a Bachelor of Science in Global Business Management, a Master’s in Accounting & Corporate Finance, and hands-on experience in Investment Banking, Konstantin has been dedicated to finance from the start. After contributing to Vidia as an intern and part-time team member during his studies at the University of St. Gallen, we are excited to bring him on board full-time.

Promotions

We are pleased to announce the recent promotions of Emil Krauch and Nicolas Corsi and look forward to their continued success as part of our team. Congratulations on this achievement!

Emil Krauch 
Investment Associate 

Nicolas Corsi
Investment Associate 

Investment Criteria 

We look for leading companies with a proven business model offering climate positive products or services.

We are hiring 

We are actively searching for additions to our investment, impact and operations teams, plus roles in HR, finance and investor relations.