Here’s what USV plans to do in 2023 with its $200M climate fund • TechCrunch

Downturn be damned — last month, Union Square Ventures announced that it had raised a $200 million climate fund less than two years after raising its first climate fund.

The new fund is certain to add fuel to climate tech as 2023 kicks off after a banner 2022. Nine months ago, it seemed unlikely that the market would repeat the red-hot performance of 2021, during which $44.8 billion was invested across 1,130 deals, according to PitchBook. When the final tallies roll in, it’s possible that 2022 matched or exceeded those figures.

For USV’s general and limited partners, there were many reasons to raise a new fund. Notably, the firm’s existing limited partners were interested in another climate fund for the impact — and because they are looking for a safe investment, said Mona Alsubaei, a member of USV’s investment team.

“A lot of investors, including GPs and LPs, are moving away from where it’s risky,” she told TechCrunch. “If you look at climate, it addresses some of the core issues with the market downturn right now, including energy, food and minerals. If you invest in climate, you invest in those.”