As part of its environmental programme The Finnish National Fund for Research and Development (Sitra) ordered a report from Etlatieto about the status of venture capital (VC) investment in environmental industries including a plan for development of its statistics. A similar report on Finland`s environmental sector and plan for its monitoring has previously been produced by Sitras environmental programme.
Environmentally related businesses are one of the growth sectors of the world economy. The biggest markets are in North America and Europe but in Asia the growth is the quickest. Europe has a competitive edge as a producer of clean technologies. Some 28 per cent of the worlds 500 largest VC investors have invested in the environmental companies. This is less than half a much as those who invested in the most popular line of business, the software industry. During the next five years investments in environmental technology will increase the most quickly. In Finland, 41 investments in 26 environmental sector companies have been made during 19982005. The total sum invested was 85 million euros. Respondents to a survey of environmental companies indicated that within the next two years twice as many companies as previously wish to receive venture capital investments.
It is proposed that VC investments in the environmental sector should be monitored yearly in con-nection with the inquiry of the Finnish Venture Capital Association. Furthermore, information would be gathered in a similar fashion also in other member countries of the European Venture Capital Association. There is a need for comparable and transparent statistical data covering Europe as a whole. Also the need for VC investments in environmental industries and attitudes to-wards VC investment should be clarified at regular intervals.
