Emera Joins Energy Impact Partners Elevate Future Fund to Help Drive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Energy Transition
Business Wire - Wed Jul 28, 8:40AM CDT
Emera Inc. (TSX:EMA.TO) is pleased to join the Energy Impact Partners Elevate Future Fund as a founding limited partner.
Energy Impact Partners, a global investment platform focused on a sustainable energy future, established the Elevate Future Fund to help address the disparity in access to capital for companies led by entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups.
"We're proud to be part of this important initiative to connect innovative energy companies with essential capital, helping to break down barriers all while growing and supporting a lower-carbon economy," says Karen Hutt, Executive Vice President Business Development and Strategy, Emera Inc. "Our Environmental, Social and Governance commitments are core to Emera's strategy and the Elevate Future Fund aligns with our focus on helping to build stronger, more innovative communities that are more diverse and equitable for everyone."
Investments from the Fund will focus on start-up companies that are founded or led by diverse talent, or that provide meaningful employment for underserved communities. The companies will also drive innovation in the areas of decarbonization, electrification, tech enabled infrastructure, reliability and resilience, and intelligent demand.
"We know innovation and new technology are critical to building a clean energy future that's also affordable and reliable for customers," says Hutt. "We look forward to enabling promising start-ups to make significant contributions to the energy transition in our local jurisdictions, and beyond."
Emera is committed to leveraging the already strong business and innovation networks in the areas where we operate by working with community partners to better understand the local start-up landscape, spread awareness of the Fund, and facilitate connections.
"I look forward to working with Emera on creating a more equitable, diverse and inclusive energy transition through the Elevate Future Fund," said Anthony Oni, Managing Partner of the Elevate Future Fund at Energy Impact Partners. "With the creation of the Elevate Future Fund we are addressing the need for the venture capital community to come together to provide better opportunities for underserved communities in our industry, and Emera's commitment will help us address this need."
The Fund has already made three investments in diverse companies focused on the energy transition. This includes Los Angeles-based ChargerHelp! that has developed a mobile application and web-based platform for rapid, on-demand repair of electric vehicle charging stations; Project Canary, an international environmental standards company based in Denver; and HopSkipDrive, an innovative, safe, and dependable youth transportation solution for schools, districts, government agencies and families.