SoftBank and BlackRock back Clarity AI
NY-based sustainability tech firm Clarity AI is now valued at $450 million after raising $50 million in its latest funding round, which closed in August 2021. SoftBank Vision Fund 2 led the round and was joined by the Fifth Wall ClimateTech Fund as well as existing investors — BlackRock among them. Private contributor Sir Jonathan Ive, Chancellor of the Royal College of Art and former Chief Design Officer at Apple also contributed to the round. Existing investors include Deutsche Boerse, Kibo Ventures, Mundi Ventures , Seaya Ventures and Founders Fund.
Founded in 2017, the company designs enterprise software for investors to solve the problem of inefficient and unequal allocation of capital. Clarity AI also supports regulatory disclosure and client reporting, such as those required by SFDR and EU Taxonomy regulation, to help investors meet new sustainability obligations.
“The social and environmental challenges the world faces and the corresponding economic opportunities unlocked have put impact assessment at the forefront of the minds of investors and organizations. Having the support of such an influential group of backers and partners who share our vision for a more equitable, sustainable world is one more proof point that Clarity AI is on the right side of a real trend that we believe will continue to grow. Our technology shows our clients how their investments and other organizations are positioned to impact the world. We are a tech-native firm with an innovative platform that can integrate directly into any client’s systems, which we already do for large global platforms, including BlackRock’s Aladdin platform, Allfunds, the largest global fund distribution network, Manaos, the platform at BNP Paribas Securities Services, and Clearstream, which has clients in over 110 countries around the world.” – Rebeca Minguela, Founder and CEO of Clarity AI.
“The sustainable investment market is already more than one third of total global assets and growing rapidly. Empowering investors to make informed decisions about social and environmental impact is a real differentiator, and we are delighted to work with Rebeca and her team to bring this technology to an even larger network of stakeholders.” – Jimi Macdonald, investor for SoftBank Investment Advisers.
“Since announcing our initial investment and partnership earlier this year, BlackRock and Clarity AI have integrated their capabilities natively within the Aladdin platform. We continue to believe in the value of Clarity AI’s data and tools, and the enhanced transparency and flexibility they provide. By embedding Clarity AI within investors’ daily workflows through Aladdin, we’re collectively able to help more investors construct sustainable and outcome-oriented portfolios over time.” – Samantha Tortora, Head of Aladdin Sustainability at BlackRock.
“Fifth Wall’s Climate Tech Fund is proud to invest in Clarity AI, fueling its continued growth as it brings societal impact to the real estate industry. At Fifth Wall, we are laser focused on helping the real estate industry assess the impact its assets have on the environment and climate change, and the World. Real estate is responsible for 40% of all CO2 emissions, and we believe Clarity AI is a highly strategic and valuable solution for real estate organizations that want to measure and mitigate their contributions to climate change.” – Brendan Wallace, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Fifth Wall.
Clarity AI will use this new capital to continue developing its technology and to expand into new geographies and segments with strategic senior hires in all growth areas, including sales, marketing and partnerships.
