CDPQ to co-invest up to $125 million insustainable solutions
CHICAGO and MONTRÉAL, April 1, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ – Energize Ventures, a leading global alternative investment manager, and Caisse de dépot et placement du Québec (CDPQ), a global investment group, announced today the beginning of a new co-investment partnership under which CDPQ will invest up to US$125 million over the next three years in ventures that aim to accelerate the digital transformation of energy and sustainable industry sectors.
CDPQ selected Energize as a partner after a full market review and diligence of potential co-investment opportunities. The co-investment agreement expands CDPQ’s existing relationship with Energize Ventures: CDPQ is a Limited Partner in Energize Ventures I, and an anchor Limited Partner in Energize Ventures II. Both organizations agreed CDPQ’s institutional investment platform and global infrastructure portfolio fit well with Energize’s goal of delivering premier financial returns while also accelerating the sustainable energy and industrial transition.
As part of this agreement, Energize and CDPQ will share industry knowledge with respect to climate and sustainable investments, emphasizing digital innovations that advance the energy transition. Examples of aligned investment focus areas include technologies aimed at addressing climate change, electrifying mobility, accelerating the deployment and adoption of renewable energy, and more.
“The energy transition is accelerating even faster than our predictions,” said John Tough, managing partner of Energize Ventures. “With this change comes a tremendous opportunity for innovative companies serving critical infrastructure, mobility, renewables and other sustainable industries to emerge and capture outsized market share. As a leading institutional investor with deep expertise and reach in the sustainability space, CDPQ is the ideal partner to invest alongside us in digital solutions that accelerate this critical transformation.”
“As part of its long-standing commitment to invest in solutions that address climate change, CDPQ is leveraging opportunities with strategic partners to direct more capital towards innovative investments and sustainability initiatives,” said Mario Therrien, Head of Investment Funds and External Management at CDPQ. “We selected Energize as our partner because they have demonstrated an ability to identify leading energy investments while also supporting a cleaner and durable future.”
Since 2017, CDPQ has committed to reducing its portfolio’s carbon footprint by 25 percent per dollar invested by 2025. By doing so, CDPQ became the first institutional investor in North America to set a greenhouse gas intensity reduction target covering all its asset classes. Climate is now factored into all its investment decisions, affording it an essential position to make its portfolio more sustainable. Over the last two years, CDPQ’s portfolio of low-carbon assets has increased 95 percent, to reach US$34 billion.
Energize Ventures invests in digital technologies that accelerate the sustainable transition of energy and industry, with a focus on software and business model innovations. Energize Fund I has invested nearly $200 million across 14 companies to date. Investments include Volta Charging, Aurora Solar, Jupiter Intelligence, Fast Radius and DroneDeploy.
About Energize Ventures Energize Ventures is a leading global alternative investment manager focused on accelerating digital transformation in energy and sustainable industry. Founded in 2016, Energize has funded 14 companies to-date and is backed by strategic and institutional LPs including CDPQ, Invenergy, Schneider Electric, General Electric, Caterpillar, and more. With an unmatched depth and breadth of industry and operational expertise, Energize works in partnership with its portfolio companies to realize their full potential from early commercialization to growth scaling and into the public markets. For more information on Energize Ventures, please visitwww.energize.vc.
About CDPQ At Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), we invest constructively to generate sustainable returns over the long term. As a global investment group managing funds for public retirement and insurance plans, we work alongside our partners to build enterprises that drive performance and progress. We are active in the major financial markets, private equity, infrastructure, real estate and private debt. As at December 31, 2020, CDPQ’s net assets total CAD 365.5 billion. For more information, visit cdpq.com, follow us on Twitter or consult our Facebook or LinkedIn pages.
SOURCE Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
For further information: MISSION CONTROL COMMUNICATIONS For Energize Ventures, [email protected]; CONRAD HARRINGTON, Senior Director – International Media Relations, CDPQ, + 1 514 847-5493, [email protected]
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was down more than 200 points in late-morning trading, weighed down by losses in the technology, base metal and energy sectors, while U.S. stock markets also fell.
The S&P/TSX composite index was down 239.24 points at 22,749.04.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 312.36 points at 40,443.39. The S&P 500 index was down 80.94 points at 5,422.47, while the Nasdaq composite was down 380.17 points at 16,747.49.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.80 cents US compared with 74.00 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down US$1.07 at US$68.08 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up less than a penny at US$2.26 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$2.10 at US$2,541.00 an ounce and the December copper contract was down four cents at US$4.10 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 150 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in technology, financial and energy stocks, while U.S. stock markets also pushed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 171.41 points at 23,298.39.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 278.37 points at 41,369.79. The S&P 500 index was up 38.17 points at 5,630.35, while the Nasdaq composite was up 177.15 points at 17,733.18.
The Canadian dollar traded for 74.19 cents US compared with 74.23 cents US on Wednesday.
The October crude oil contract was up US$1.75 at US$76.27 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up less than a penny at US$2.10 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$18.70 at US$2,556.50 an ounce and the December copper contract was down less than a penny at US$4.22 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2024.
The crypto market has recently experienced a significant downturn, mirroring broader risk asset sell-offs. Over the past week, Bitcoin’s price dropped by 24%, reaching $53,000, while Ethereum plummeted nearly a third to $2,340. Major altcoins also suffered, with Cardano down 27.7%, Solana 36.2%, Dogecoin 34.6%, XRP 23.1%, Shiba Inu 30.1%, and BNB 25.7%.
The severe downturn in the crypto market appears to be part of a broader flight to safety, triggered by disappointing economic data. A worse-than-expected unemployment report on Friday marked the beginning of a technical recession, as defined by the Sahm Rule. This rule identifies a recession when the three-month average unemployment rate rises by at least half a percentage point from its lowest point in the past year.
Friday’s figures met this threshold, signaling an abrupt economic downshift. Consequently, investors sought safer assets, leading to declines in major stock indices: the S&P 500 dropped 2%, the Nasdaq 2.5%, and the Dow 1.5%. This trend continued into Monday with further sell-offs overseas.
The crypto market’s rapid decline raises questions about its role as either a speculative asset or a hedge against inflation and recession. Despite hopes that crypto could act as a risk hedge, the recent crash suggests it remains a speculative investment.
Since the downturn, the crypto market has seen its largest three-day sell-off in nearly a year, losing over $500 billion in market value. According to CoinGlass data, this bloodbath wiped out more than $1 billion in leveraged positions within the last 24 hours, including $365 million in Bitcoin and $348 million in Ether.
Khushboo Khullar of Lightning Ventures, speaking to Bloomberg, argued that the crypto sell-off is part of a broader liquidity panic as traders rush to cover margin calls. Khullar views this as a temporary sell-off, presenting a potential buying opportunity.
Josh Gilbert, an eToro market analyst, supports Khullar’s perspective, suggesting that the expected Federal Reserve rate cuts could benefit crypto assets. “Crypto assets have sold off, but many investors will see an opportunity. We see Federal Reserve rate cuts, which are now likely to come sharper than expected, as hugely positive for crypto assets,” Gilbert told Coindesk.
Despite the recent volatility, crypto continues to make strides toward mainstream acceptance. Notably, Morgan Stanley will allow its advisors to offer Bitcoin ETFs starting Wednesday. This follows more than half a year after the introduction of the first Bitcoin ETF. The investment bank will enable over 15,000 of its financial advisors to sell BlackRock’s IBIT and Fidelity’s FBTC. This move is seen as a significant step toward the “mainstreamization” of crypto, given the lengthy regulatory and company processes in major investment banks.
The recent crypto market downturn highlights its volatility and the broader economic concerns affecting all risk assets. While some analysts see the current situation as a temporary sell-off and a buying opportunity, others caution against the speculative nature of crypto. As the market evolves, its role as a mainstream alternative asset continues to grow, marked by increasing institutional acceptance and new investment opportunities.
