Gina Domanig Embraces Innovation: Ep47

**[Video Title]**

Gina Domanig: Managing Partner & Founder of Emerald Technology Ventures | Cleaning Up Podcast

**[Video Description]**

Welcome to the Cleaning Up podcast, brought to you by the Library Foundation and the Gillardini Foundation. In this episode, host Michael Lubrick interviews Gina Domanig, the Managing Partner and founder of Emerald Technology Ventures, the first independent cleantech venture capital fund in Europe. Gina shares her insights and experiences as one of the premier venture investors in industrial sustainability.

**[Authority Links]**

– Official bio: [Emerald Team](https://emerald-ventures.com/team/emerald-team/?tx_emeraldteam_renderer%5Bmember%5D=1&tx_emeraldteam_renderer%5Baction%5D=show&tx_emeraldteam_renderer%5Bcontroller%5D=Member&cHash=58a351934015e61ab3c7c10313c410c0)

**[Interview Highlights]**

– Gina’s role as the managing partner of Emerald Technology Ventures and their focus on investing in industrial technology startups.
– The evolution of the cleantech industry and how Emerald Technology Ventures has been a pioneer in the space since 2000.
– The challenges of syndicating investments in Europe and how Gina started the European Energy Venture Fair to foster collaboration among investors.
– Insights into the growth and development of sustainable venture capital in Europe over the past two decades.
– A discussion on the current state of the startup ecosystem during COVID-19 and its impact on cleantech innovation.
– Gina’s experience in finance, banking, and venture capital prior to founding Emerald Technology Ventures.
– Gina’s board memberships and advisory roles in various organizations focused on sustainability and clean energy.

For more information about Gina Domanig and Emerald Technology Ventures, visit the [official bio](https://emerald-ventures.com/team/emerald-team/?tx_emeraldteam_renderer%5Bmember%5D=1&tx_emeraldteam_renderer%5Baction%5D=show&tx_emeraldteam_renderer%5Bcontroller%5D=Member&cHash=58a351934015e61ab3c7c10313c410c0).

**[Keywords/Tags]**

cleantech venture capital, Gina Domanig, industrial sustainability, European Energy Venture Fair, startup ecosystem, COVID-19 impact, sustainable energy, finance, banking, clean energy innovation

**[Full Transcript]**

Before we start, if you’re enjoying these conversations, please make sure to like and subscribe to Cleaning Up. It really helps others discover us. Cleaning Up is brought to you by the Library Foundation and the Gillardini Foundation.

Hello, I’m Michael Lubrick, and today on Cleaning Up, my guest is Gina Domanig, the Managing Partner of Emerald Technology Ventures based in Zurich. With around 300 million euros under management, she is one of the premier venture investors in industrial sustainability. We’ll be discussing her journey and insights in the field of cleantech venture capital.

Gina, thank you for joining us on Cleaning Up.

Thanks for the invitation, Michael. Nice to see you again. It’s a great pleasure. I was trying to work out how many years ago we started working together when you were building the event in Rushlikon, and I was building New Energy Finance. How long ago was that?

Well, let’s see, probably like 20 years ago when you crashed the event. Yes, it wasn’t quite 20. That would have been probably 2006. It’s probably 15 years. The story of that, I mean, now that you’ve mentioned it, we’re gonna have to explain it to the audience. But why don’t we come back to that? Tell us what you do and then tell us what the event is, because those are not really one and the same thing.

So, what I do is I am the managing partner of Emerald Technology Ventures. We were probably the first venture capital fund in this space back in 2000. We invest in startup companies in the industrial technology sector, primarily in North America, Europe, Israel, and now also Asia. Our focus is on companies that are at the point of commercialization, preferably with existing revenues. What sets us apart is that all of our investors are major corporations, around 35 in total, who are seeking open innovation partnerships.

You’ve been doing this for some decades now, and you’ve seen all the different waves in the industry. Can you share a bit about your journey?

Definitely. When we started, we were alone in this space. There were a few venture capital funds in North America, but in Europe, there was nothing. We faced challenges in finding companies and syndicating investments because there wasn’t a well-established network. So, I launched the European Energy Venture Fair, a not-for-profit event, to connect investors and foster collaboration. It started 20 years ago and has been held at the same place ever since. It has significantly contributed to the growth of the sustainability venture capital ecosystem in Europe.

….

To learn more about Gina Domanig and Emerald Technology Ventures, you can visit their [official bio](https://emerald-ventures.com/team/emerald-team/?tx_emeraldteam_renderer%5Bmember%5D=1&tx_emeraldteam_renderer%5Baction%5D=show&tx_emeraldteam_renderer%5Bcontroller%5D=Member&cHash=58a351934015e61ab3c7c10313c410c0)

*Note: This transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.*

Gina Domanig is the Managing Partner and founder of Emerald Technology Ventures, the first independent cleantech venture capital fund in Europe.

Gina currently serves on the boards of the following portfolio companies: GeoDigital International Inc, a geo-spatial intelligence provider for electric utilities, Spear Power Systems Inc, a battery management solutions provider for aerospace and marine and Urgently Inc, a digital platform for roadside assistance
In addition to Emerald activities Gina is a board member of Die Mobiliar, SolarPack Corporacion Tecnologica S.A., u-blox AG and Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy Foundation. She is a member of the advisory boards of the Institute on the Environment of the University of Minnesota, and the PRIME Impact Fund.

Gina has over 35 years of experience in the area of finance, banking and venture capital – before founding Emerald in 2000 she was vice president at Sulzer, responsible for M&A.
Gina holds a Bachelor Degree in Finance from Arizona State University as well as MBA degrees from Thunderbird in Arizona and ESADE in Barcelona.

Further reading:

Official bio:

https://emerald-ventures.com/team/emerald-team/?tx_emeraldteam_renderer%5Bmember%5D=1&tx_emeraldteam_renderer%5Baction%5D=show&tx_emeraldteam_renderer%5Bcontroller%5D=Member&cHash=58a351934015e61ab3c7c10313c410c0

The start-up ecosystem during COVID-19: A talk with Gina Domanig (March 2020)

The start-up ecosystem during COVID-19: A talk with Gina Domanig

Venture capital pioneer Gina Domanig: Swiss start-ups “could achieve a lot more” (April 2019)