Wildlife whisperers, muscle magic, green jet fuel: a week in climate tech deals

Welcome to a new weekly format here at Impact Loop! Each week, we round up the latest funding news from the world of impact and climate. Make sure to let us know if you have any news coming up!

Here we go:

Proxima Fusion

Munich-based fusion startup Proxima Fusion is lining up serious capital. Bavaria has earmarked up to €400m under its High-Tech Agenda toward the company’s planned €2bn “Alpha” stellarator demonstrator in Garching, near Munich.

An agreement signed earlier this week with RWE and the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics outlines a roadmap toward a commercial fusion power plant, with private investors expected to cover around 20% of total project costs.

While still a long way to go, a public-private push of this scale signals growing momentum around commercial fusion in Europe.

Metafuels

Swiss startup Metafuels is taking off in more ways than one. The company recently raised $24m in a Series A led by UVC Partners, with Energy Impact Partners, Contrarian Ventures, RockCreek, Verve Ventures and Fortescue Ventures joining in.

Metafuels develops sustainable aviation fuels – a capital-intensive tech space many other VCs shy away from. Read here for a VC's perspective on the deal.

Flox Intelligence

In a smaller but really interesting funding round, Swedish startup Flox Intelligence raised $3m led by Tilia Impact Ventures to expand its AI-powered wildlife tech. The company's device tracks and protects wild animals using bioacoustics to prevent dangerous collisions with trains, planes, and cars.

Verley

Meanwhile, Verley is taking protein shakes to the next level. The French startup makes beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) whey protein via precision fermentation and raised €32m to prepare its US launch later this year.

The round includes €25m in equity from Alven, Blast, Sofinnova, Captech Santé, Sparkfood, and Founders Future, plus €7m in non-dilutive support from Bpifrance.

Hummingbirds

Nature-based solutions are also catching investor attention. French startup Hummingbirds secured €50m from Proparco, Swedfund, and British International Investment to scale high-impact ecosystem restoration projects. It's the latest in a series of nature tech deals – and a recent $1bn capital commitment to fund them.

Hybrid Greentech

Hybrid Greentech closed over €15m from Nordic Alpha Partners. The Copenhagen-based startup builds virtual power plants and software for integrating renewable energy assets – a sector that’s booming as grids digitise and decarbonise.

In a recent interview with Impact Loop, Vireo Ventures' founding parter Felix Krause called energy flexibility is one of the "biggest opportunities in European tech right now."

Einride

Finally, Einride is gearing up for the public markets. The Swedish autonomous and electric freight company has secured an oversubscribed $113m PIPE (private investment in public equity) ahead of its planned merger with SPAC Legato Merger Corp. III and a New York Stock Exchange listing in the first half of 2026. More about that here.