{{Short description|Group of organizations that invest in sustainable energy startups}} {{Infobox company | name = Breakthrough Energy | logo = 200px | type = Private | industry = Energy | fate = | predecessor = <!-- or: | predecessors = --> | successor = <!-- or: | successors = --> | founded = {{start date and age|2015}} <!-- if known: {{Start date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} in city, country --> | founder = Bill Gates<!-- or: | founders = --> | defunct = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | hq_location_city = Kirkland, Washington | hq_location_country = | area_served = <!-- or: | areas_served = --> | key_people = | products = | owner = <!-- or: | owners = --> | num_employees = | num_employees_year = <!-- Year of num_employees data (if known) --> | parent = | website = [https://www.breakthroughenergy.org/ breakthroughenergy.org] }} {{Bill Gates series}} '''Breakthrough Energy''' is the umbrella name of several organizations, founded by Bill Gates in 2015, that aim to accelerate innovation in sustainable energy and in other technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It has been investing in a variety of startup companies which were attempting to commercialize new concepts such as nuclear fusion, large-capacity batteries to store renewable energy, and microbe-generated biofuels.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Billionaire-Backed Breakthrough Energy Ventures Makes 7 More Investments|url=https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/billionaire-backed-breakthrough-energy-ventures-makes-7-more-investments |access-date=2020-11-23|website=www.greentechmedia.com}}</ref> In 2025, strategy shifted away from public policy towards supporting clean energy technology alone, as the Second Trump administration has been promoting fossil fuels and dissolved programs addressing climate change.
== History == At the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in November 2015, Gates announced that a coalition of 28 high net-worth investors from ten countries had committed to the Breakthrough Energy initiative. A complementary initiative of Gates, Mission Innovation, was announced at the same time.<ref>{{cite web|title=Announcing: "Mission Innovation"|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2015/11/29/announcing-mission-innovation |via=National Archives|work=whitehouse.gov|date=29 November 2015 |access-date=30 November 2015}}</ref>
In December 2016, a group of investors collectively worth {{USD|170 billion}} announced more personal commitment to funding the efforts of a {{USD|1 billion}} fund "focused on fighting climate change by investing in clean energy innovation." The fund is named Breakthrough Energy Ventures fund.<ref>Delaney, Kevin (12 December 2016) [https://qz.com/859860/bill-gates-is-leading-a-new-1-billion-fund-focused-on-combatting-climate-change-through-innovation/ Bill Gates and investors worth $170 billion are launching a fund to fight climate change through energy innovation] ''Quartz'', Quartz Media, Inc. Retrieved 1 January 2019</ref>
In March 2025, Bill Gates dissolved the unit working in Europe and the United States unit working on public policy, because "it was not likely to have a significant effect in Washington", as the Second Trump administration has been promoting fossil fuels and dissolved programs addressing climate change.<ref name="nyt">{{Cite news |last=Gelles |first=David |last2=Schleifer |first2=Theodore |date=2025-03-12 |title=Climate Group Funded by Bill Gates Slashes Staff in Major Retreat |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/12/climate/bill-gates-breakthrough-energy-cuts.html |access-date=2025-03-17 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
== Strategy == At its inception in 2015, Gates explained, "The renewable technologies we have today, like wind and solar, have made a lot of progress and could be one path to a zero-carbon energy future... But given the scale of the challenge, we need to be exploring many different paths."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Milman|first1=Oliver |date=30 November 2015|title=Zuckerberg, Gates and other tech titans form clean energy investment coalition|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/nov/30/bill-gates-breakthrough-energy-coalition-mark-zuckerberg-facebook-microsoft-amazon |access-date=1 December 2015}}</ref> Breakthrough Energy invests primarily in businesses where the risk of failure is high and the timeframe for return on investment is 20 years. Traditional venture capitalists look for a return on investment in five years, which may not be enough for the special challenges of the energy sector.<ref name=":0" />
In 2025, strategy shifted away from public policy towards supporting clean energy companies through the Breakthrough Energy Catalyst program, Breakthrough Energy Ventures.<ref name="nyt" />
==Members== The group is led by Bill Gates, who previously announced a personal $2 billion investment, and includes:<ref>{{cite web|last1=Chhabra|first1=Esha |title=Bill Gates Rallies With Tech Leaders To Launch A Multi-Billion Dollar Energy Fund|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/eshachhabra/2015/11/30/bill-gates-rallies-with-tech-leaders-to-launch-a-multi-billion-dollar-energy-fund/ |website=Forbes|access-date=30 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lapowsky|first1=Issie |title=Tech Billionaires Team Up to Take On Climate Change|url=https://www.wired.com/2015/11/zuckerberg-gates-climate-change-breakthrough-energy-coalition/ |journal=Wired |publisher=Condé Nast Publications|access-date=30 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Bellware|first1=Kim |title=World's Tech Giants Team Up For Mega Investment In Clean Energy|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/breakthrough-energy-coalition_565b91a2e4b072e9d1c2397e |website=The Huffington Post|date=30 November 2015 |publisher=The Huffington Post Media Group|access-date=30 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Cooper|first1=Anderson |title=Bill Gates: How the World Can Avoid a Climate Disaster|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bill-gates-climate-change-disaster-60-minutes-2021-02-14/ |website=60 Minutes|date=15 February 2021 |publisher=CBS News|access-date=17 February 2021}}</ref>
* Jeff Bezos * Marc Benioff * Michael Bloomberg * Richard Branson * Ray Dalio<ref>{{Cite web |title=BEV Board and Investors {{!}} Breakthrough Energy |url=https://breakthroughenergy.org/our-work/breakthrough-energy-ventures/bev-board-and-investors/ |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=breakthroughenergy.org |language=en-US}}</ref> * Reid Hoffman * Jack Ma * George Soros * Tom Steyer * Meg Whitman * Mark Zuckerberg * University of California, the sole institutional investor at launch<ref>{{cite news|last1=Green|first1=Emily |title=UC joins Bill Gates' clean-energy investment initiative|url=http://www.sfchronicle.com/green/article/UC-joins-Bill-Gates-clean-energy-investment-6663896.php |access-date=30 November 2015|work=San Francisco Chronicle|publisher=Hearst Corporation|date=29 November 2015}}</ref> * Nat Simons *Mukesh Ambani<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-11-13|title=Mukesh Ambani's RIL to invest $50 mn in Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures|url=https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/mukesh-ambanis-ril-to-invest-50-mn-in-bill-gates-breakthrough-energy-ventures/2128069/ |access-date=2020-11-23|website=The Financial Express|language=en-US}}</ref>
==Criticism== There has been criticism that the coalition was announced too early, before crucial details had been confirmed. At launch, a Gates Foundation spokesman confirmed that investment professionals had yet to be appointed, named investors—other than Gates—had not publicly stated their level of investment and a financial structure had not been confirmed.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Primack|first1=Dan|title=Bill Gates' Clean Energy Plan Isn't Ready for Primetime|url=http://fortune.com/2015/12/01/bill-gates-clean-energy-plan-isnt-ready-for-primetime/ |website=Fortune|publisher=Time, Inc.|access-date=2 December 2015}}</ref>
==Notable investments== *Data Blanket: wildfire drone technology<ref>{{Cite web |title=Seattle Startup Aims to Revolutionize Firefighting with AI-powered Drones |url=https://www.circuit.press/posts/seattle-startup-aims-to-revolutionize-firefighting-with-ai-powered-drones |access-date=2026-02-14 |website=www.circuit.press}}</ref> *Dioxycle: sustainable ethylene from recycled carbon emissions<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jessop |first=Simon |date=July 25, 2023 |title=Dioxycle raises $17 million to help develop green ethylene |url=https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/dioxycle-raises-17-mln-help-develop-green-ethylene-2023-07-25/ |access-date=July 15, 2024 |work=Reuters}}</ref> *Commonwealth Fusion Systems: compact fusion power using high-temperature superconducting magnets<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chant |first=Tim De |date=2025-03-25 |title=Exclusive: Bill Gates-backed Commonwealth Fusion Systems hits key reactor construction milestone |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/25/bill-gates-backed-commonwealth-fusion-systems-hits-key-reactor-construction-milestone/ |access-date=2026-02-05 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref> *Fervo Energy: enhanced geothermal systems for reliable, renewable power<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hardick |first=Erin |date=2025-05-27 |title=What Fervo's approach says about financing first-of-a-kind energy projects |url=https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/what-fervos-approach-says-about-financing-first-of-a-kind-energy-projects/ |access-date=2026-02-05 |website=Latitude Media |language=en-US}}</ref> *Redwood Materials: closed-loop recycling for lithium-ion batteries and critical materials<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-22 |title=Making steel with electricity |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/battery-recycling-firm-redwood-raises-350-million-eclipse-ventures-nvidia-2025-10-23 |access-date=2026-02-05 |website=MIT News {{!}} Massachusetts Institute of Technology |language=en}}</ref> *Boston Metal: molten oxide electrolysis for emissions-free metal production<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-22 |title=Making steel with electricity |url=https://news.mit.edu/2024/mit-spinout-boston-metal-makes-steel-with-electricity-0522 |access-date=2026-02-05 |website=MIT News {{!}} Massachusetts Institute of Technology |language=en}}</ref> *Form Energy: long-duration iron-air battery storage<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-09 |title=Form Energy raises $405M for its 100-hour iron-air batteries |url=https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/long-duration-energy-storage/form-energy-raises-405m-for-its-100-hour-iron-air-batteries |access-date=2026-02-05 |website=Canary Media |language=en}}</ref> ==See also== * Global Apollo Programme
==References== {{reflist}}
; Bundled references {{reflist|group=list}}
==External links== {{commons category}} * [https://www.breakthroughenergy.org/ Official website]
{{Bill Gates}}
Category:2015 in the environment Category:2015 in Paris Category:Climate change finance Category:United Nations climate change conferences Category:Renewable energy commercialization Category:Sustainable energy Category:Bill Gates