Eurazeo has successfully completed the first close of Eurazeo Planetary Boundaries Fund 1 (EPBF) with €300m secured. This represents 40% of the fund’s threshold target of €750 million, ten months after its marketing launch.
EPBF’s first investors include a wide range of institutional investors including prominent European financial institutions, insurance companies, asset managers, and family offices.
According to a press statement, this impact buyout fund, led by partners Erwann Le Ligné and Wilfried Piskula under the supervision of Eurazeo Executive Board member Sophie Flak, has been designed “to scale profitable environmental solutions to reverse or adapt to the overstepping of Planetary Boundaries while delivering best-in-class buyout returns”.
EPBF’s investment strategy is based on the Planetary Boundaries framework developed by Johan Rockström at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, as well as the support of a distinguished advisory board combining both economic and environmental sciences experts. EPBF applies this science-based methodology to shape the investment strategy and effectively measure and quantify the investments’ environmental impact.
Alongside the fundraising activity, the EPBF team has identified a strong pipeline of diversified opportunities throughout Europe and announces the completion of its first investment in Bioline AgroSciences, the third largest player worldwide in macrobials. The company designs, produces and markets biologicals-based solutions to allow growers for a targeted and effective pest control in agriculture.
EPBF has acquired a majority stake in Bioline AgroSciences, alongside the family-owned impact investment fund Aurae as minority shareholder, to accelerate its growth through organic investments as well as an ambitious buy-and-build strategy.
