Every day is Earth Day because all we have comes from the Earth - including the materials that make up the computers we work on, the food that fuels us, any form of electricity that powers our days. Techstars is proud to have invested in over 300 startups focused on solving climate change and environmental sustainability. But we believe that there is so much that we can—and should—do. To mark the official occasion of “Earth Day 2022”, we want to share three of the many ways Techstars aims to leave a vibrant and sustainable Earth for future generations. 

1. Education: We do better when we know better. To further our commitment to doing better for the earth through responsible investing, Techstars is partnering with Terra.do to provide Techstars employees training about climate change. Terra.do is a standout climate change education and action organization which aims to get 100M people to work on climate change by 2030. They believe that every job is a climate job and that we can all take action to be part of the climate solution. This desire to learn, take action, and be part of the solution resonates with Techstars’ values and our employees. We are excited to see what comes out of this engaging, world class training! We are also thrilled that terra.do is now offering a Climate Change for VCs course.

2. Commitment and Accountability. Beyond empowering employees to take action, Techstars understands that what we invest in and how we invest can catalyze a new future for the economy and the Earth. This one reason why we became a signatory of the UN Principles of Responsible Investment in 2021. To help us keep this idea at the front of our minds and hold fast to our commitments, we have a new internal Responsible Investment Policy to guide our investment decisions. This company policy enables us to ensure we invest with the planet and humanity in mind. 

3. Investment in Solutions. Paris Techstars Accelerator is an example of a Techstars accelerator already devoted to keeping sustainability and ESG in mind. Managing Director,Raphaele Leyendecker, says, “We focused our company selection on founders willing to build a better world thanks to technology. We prefer to measure impact rather than privileging any sector in particular. This is the best way for us to tackle the biggest challenges of our time with like minded entrepreneurs.” The companies selected for the April 2022 class are tackling challenges such as climate change, energy transition, deforestation, access to drinkable water, pollution, clean mobility, small farmers autonomy, and ESG compliance. And, 40% of the founders in this April 2022 Class identify as women. Learn more about the new Paris program and its inaugural class here.

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