Bill Gates is the founder and chair of the board for Breakthrough Energy Ventures. See portfolio, sector focus and contact routes.
Bill Gates is the founder and chair of the board for Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a private investment fund he assembled in 2015 with 22 other investors to commercialize clean energy breakthroughs[3][5]. The firm’s investment thesis targets scientific innovations across energy, agriculture, industry, buildings, and transportation that can deliver affordable, reliable, low-carbon solutions globally, with a 20-year operating horizon[1][11][14]. Gates contributed $250 million as an anchor investor but does not sit on the investment committee, delegating deal decisions while maintaining board oversight[2][3]. The initial fund totaled $1 billion, with a third flagship fund raising over $839 million as of recent filings, though specific check sizes and lead/follow behavior are not publicly detailed[3][12]. Notable portfolio companies include TerraPower (a nuclear energy firm Gates also founded), Form Energy (long-duration iron-air battery storage), and Common Energy (clean cement technology), reflecting the fund’s focus on hard-tech climate solutions[4][14]. Gates publicly argues that cost-effective, greenhouse-free energy is essential for the future and advocates a new investment model
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