Ecosummit TV: Hansjoerg Sage is a Partner at Gimv and pitches the cleantech VC from Belgium at ECO12 Berlin. Gimv is around for 30 years and has €1.8B under management of which 30% is venture capital. Hansjoerg points out that cleantech investing is about solving very big problems and is driven by fundamental trends such as climate change, energy supply security, urbanisation, scarcity of resources and environmental concerns that will be a top human priority for the next couple of decades. However, cleantech investments have a particular risk return profile that needs to be managed.

The key risks from an investor’s point of view are the technology, market, regulatory, execution and financing risks. While Hansjoerg agrees that the sector suffers from too few VC backed exits with solid valuations, he remains positive that Gimv’s cleantech portfolio will continue to deliver good returns (12% over 30 years).

Tags: Belgium, Berlin, Cleantech VC, Climate Change, ECO12, Ecosummit 2012, Ecosummit TV, Energy Supply Security, Gimv, Hansjoerg Sage, Investor, Resource Scarcity, Smart Green Economy, Smart Green VC, Urbanisation