ESG_VC joins VentureESG to further harmonise and strengthen ESG for VC
Joining forces
ESG_VC will merge with VentureESG to create a joint organisation focused on driving meaningful ESG integration in venture capital.
Our work has long been complimentary: Two community-led non-profits, with a shared mission of driving ESG adoption across the venture ecosystem. By pooling our expertise and resources, we will strengthen the quality and depth of our guidance to the industry.
As the ESG integration matures, the necessary next step is greater harmonisation and standardisation. By speaking with one voice, we will bring greater clarity and direction to a field that can often feel opaque.
Together, we will now support the entire VC value chain under one roof — coordinating seamlessly between LPs, VCs, and founders.
The context: Growing scrutiny of ESG practices demands a stronger voice
In Europe, increasing understanding of ESG has led to calls for standardisation and professionalisation of approaches. In response, VentureESG has been a critical advocate for harmonisation of ESG in venture — as shown by its recent launch of a standardised reporting template for VC fund managers in partnership with InvestEurope and seven of Europe’s largest limited partners.
In the US, the world’s largest and most influential VC ecosystem, a shifting political and ideological landscape has increased pressure on defining the role of ESG in the venture capital industry and beyond.
We are at an inflection point where the engaged community of LPs, VCs and founders across ecosystems needs to work together to define what material ESG for VC looks like.
Bringing together VentureESG and ESG_VC creates a stronger voice to grasp this opportunity. Together, we will continue to build ESG standards and resources for a more resilient, more profitable, and more sustainable venture capital and tech industry.
Structure: What will the new organisation look like and do?
The change is taking effect immediately, and the merged organisation will retain the name Venture ESG. The current ESG_VC team will continue to lead on work with early-stage companies, including the next reporting with the ESG_VC framework. We have more news on this stream of work soon.
None of the core activities of VentureESG will change; new insights from the portfolio-facing work will further strengthen our approach around the following pillars:
Events: For LPs, VCs and founders to discuss emerging themes and practical considerations for embedding ESG and responsible investing.
Resources: A comprehensive library of guidance, toolkits and off-the-shelf policies for LPs, VCs and companies to integrate ESG into their processes — all based on research and evidence.
Training: For venture capital firms and LPs to build knowledge of ESG throughout their organisations and operations.
Venture ESG’s membership structure (for VCs) will be rolled out further; ESG_VC members will be invited to join VentureESG with a discount while a wide range of resources will remain accessible to all non-paying VCs in the wider community.
New horizons, together
Operationally, very little will change once we are fully merged; with regards to our merged visions, however, new horizons await. Further harmonisation, e.g. on the reporting front, is on the agenda and so is further coordination from LPs and VCs down to portfolio and founder level.
We are excited to make new plans together — now with a unified voice for the ecosystem! Join us for this next chapter of our journey together!