We’re excited to share that Philip Specht has joined AENU as a new Partner based in Munich.
Philip brings six years of experience from Speedinvest, where he helped shape the fund into one of Europe’s leading early-stage investors. His move marks a notable milestone: he is the first Partner to transition from a Tier-A generalist VC into an Article 9 climate impact fund.
In his new role at AENU, Philip will focus on backing founders who combine massive climate or social impact with outstanding commercial ambition – or, as he puts it, “we chase impact unicorns.”
In an interview with Alexander Hüsing (Deutsche-startups.de), Philip spoke about:
- Why he chose AENU among the growing number of climate-tech and impact funds
- How AENU positions itself as a collaborative, impact-first partner to leading generalist VCs
- His personal motivation to focus on climate and social impact
- The responsibility that comes with deploying large amounts of risk capital
- His own path into venture capital and what it takes to enter the industry today
- His cautiously optimistic outlook on the VC and climate-tech markets in 2024
AENU, founded in 2021 by Ferry and Fabian Heilemann, aims to make impact investing a core pillar of the European VC ecosystem. The team combines strong entrepreneurial and investment track records with a rigorous, science-based impact approach. Today, AENU’s portfolio already includes more than 20 companies such as Agreena, Alcemy, Patch, and Monta, which together have already reduced over 2 million tonnes of CO₂.
You can read the full interview with Philip (in German) on Deutsche-startups.de:
Original article on Deutsche-startups.de
We are thrilled to welcome Philip Specht as a new Partner at AENU, based in Munich.
Philip joins us from Speedinvest, where he spent the past six years helping build one of Europe’s leading early-stage funds. With this move, he becomes the first Partner to transition from a Tier-A generalist VC into an Article 9 climate impact fund, underscoring how seriously he takes the intersection of venture capital and climate action.
AENU, founded in 2021 by the Heilemann brothers, is on a mission to make impact investing a core pillar of the VC ecosystem. We back founders who pursue massive climate or social impact from a place of deep conviction while also aiming for outstanding commercial success – in other words, we are looking for impact unicorns.
In his first interview as AENU Partner, Philip spoke with Alexander Hüsing (Deutsche-startups.de) about:
- Why he decided to leave a leading generalist VC to join an impact and climate-tech fund
- How AENU combines a scientific impact approach with strong entrepreneurial and investment experience
- Why impact funds like AENU see themselves as collaborative partners to generalist VCs, not competitors
- The high impact bar AENU sets for investments, including clear CO₂ reduction thresholds
- His personal path into VC, from strategy consulting at BCG and an operating role in a SaaS startup to becoming a Partner
- His cautiously optimistic outlook on the VC and climate-tech markets in 2024
Philip highlights that AENU’s portfolio companies have already reduced over 2 million tonnes of CO₂, roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of all domestic air travel in Germany. He also emphasizes that AENU remains open to talent interested in strengthening the impact investing space.
You can read the full interview (in German) on Deutsche-startups.de:
