European private equity firm Ambienta SGR beat its second fund
target, raising €323.5 million ($404 million), ahead of
schedule. The PE firm secured funding from the European
Investment Fund, Generali, HarbourVest Partners, Hermes, Pantheon,
RobecoSAM, Stafford Capital Partners, Unigestion and Zurich
Insurance Group Ltd., Italian partnerships CNPADC, Fondazione
Enasarco, Intesa Sanpaolo, Fondo Italiano d'Investimento and
Poste Vita. Ambienta's total assets under management
breached the €500 million mark. In contrast, clean tech
venture capital fundraising has seen a relatively weak year.
Given institutional and limited partnership interest in the
green asset class, Ambienta plans to invest the money in energy
efficiency and pollution control sectors. The PE firm is
focusing on perceived European companies' competencies
regarding pollution reduction and energy efficiency, which are
derived, it says, from the region's "historical" lack
of natural resources and high
