Gregory Dewerpe, the founder of A/O, a venture capital firm, talks about his company's focus on "positively transforming" the built world, which includes real estate and construction.
A/O, launched in 2020, is the largest VC firm in Europe and globally in this sector. The company invests in various solutions, including satellite companies and AI, to address the industry's challenges, such as its significant contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.
Dewerpe emphasized the urgency of sustainable transformation in real estate and the current market conditions that create opportunities for innovation and change.
"40% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from real estate. So when you compare that to cars, everyone's so excited about electric cars, cars are high single-digit emissions. So when you think about aviation, it's 2%. So the order of magnitude is so staggering that it has to be a wake-up call for people," Dewerpe said.
"Okay, we're running out of time. Supposedly, by 2030, we'll need to be in a much better place than we are today. Where are we going to spend our time and our money?"
However, he noticed that the climate sector has become overheated lately, as many investors have raised climate funds over the last few years and startups have been unable to keep up with the investors.
"There's too much money for the amount of bankable opportunities right now," he said.
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