Axon Partners Group, selected by the CDTI to boost its investment capacity in deeptech

Axon Partners Group has been selected by the Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico y la Innovación (CDTI) as one of the managers to expand its investment capacity in deeptech technologies through the Innvierte programme. CDTI has committed €15 million to Axon’s climate technology fund, Next Technology Venture II (NTV II), with the objective of fostering companies that are revolutionising science and engineering with innovative solutions to address the critical challenges of the energy transition.

Recent studies by specialised consultancies and industry sources indicate that, by 2030, the volume of investment in deeptech companies will double from the historical average of 25% to represent more than 50% of venture capital investments in Europe. By contrast, in Spain this figure reached only 14% in 2023, which illustrates a notable funding gap that NTV II aims to address.

Francisco Velázquez, Chairman of Axon and member of the Board of the European Innovation Council (EIC), commented: The CDTI is a leading authority on technology transfer and deeptech in Spain. The commitment to Axon represents a significant endorsement of our sustainability and impact strategy in the field of climate tech.

Axon Partners Group is strategically positioned to lead the climate tech ecosystem and energy transition in Europe, Southern Europe and Spain, having invested in this strategy since 2015. Over the course of its history, Axon has established and maintained strong relationships with key industry players, including the public sector, corporations and academia, both in Europe and the Americas.

The NTV II fund, which began building its portfolio in 2023, includes companies developing solutions to global challenges such as industrial decarbonisation (Build to Zero), green hydrogen generation and carbon capture (Parallel Carbon), renewable energy and grid flexibility (Hepta, Phelas), and the circular economy (Nextmol). Furthermore, these companies are developing enabling technologies based on IoT (Energiot, Wsense) and new materials (Jolt).

Axon has co-invested in these companies alongside a number of high-profile global partners, including Saudi Aramco, British Petroleum, and Deutsche Telekom, as well as leading financial investors such as CDP and Santander.