INSIGHTS News

New funding will advance ESG Book’s next-generation technology, enabling clients to meet increasingly complex sustainability requirements.

Energy Impact Partners led the round alongside Meridiam and Allianz X, as ESG Book responds to growing demand for technology enabled ESG data solutions.
The company’s cloud-based platform makes ESG data accessible, consistent, and transparent, enabling financial markets to allocate capital towards more sustainable and higher-impact assets.
Investment and global reach of strategic partners will enable ESG Book to expand services worldwide in $5 billion ESG data market.

23rd June, 2022, London and Frankfurt – ESG Book, a global leader in sustainability data and technology, today announced it has closed $35 million in Series B funding. The new capital will be used to advance ESG Book’s next-generation technology capabilities, enabling clients to meet increasingly complex sustainability requirements, and accelerate the company’s expansion as it responds to growing demand for technology enabled ESG data solutions. The round was led by Energy Impact Partners (EIP), a global investment firm leading the transition to a sustainable future, alongside global sustainability leader Meridiam and Allianz X, the digital investments arm of leading global insurer and asset manager Allianz. During the course of the Series B round, shareholders and Series A investors Commerz Real and BMH sold their minority shares in ESG Book, formerly known as Arabesque S-Ray, at an increased valuation versus their initial investments in 2019.

With the ESG data and services market expected to grow to $5 billion globally by 20251, the Series B investment will be used to fuel adoption of ESG Book’s industry-leading data platform, and further the company’s continued expansion into new products areas.

The company’s cloud-based platform makes ESG data accessible, consistent, and transparent, enabling financial markets to allocate capital towards more sustainable and higher-impact assets. Covering over 25,000 companies globally, ESG Book enables companies to be custodians of their own data, provides framework-neutral sustainability information in real-time, and promotes transparency.

Dr Daniel Klier, CEO of ESG Book, said: “Investors, companies, and all market participants are today demanding better, technology-enabled solutions in order to direct capital towards more sustainable and higher-impact assets. ESG Book is disrupting how sustainability is integrated and measured on a global scale by using next-generation technology that makes ESG data accessible, comparable and transparent. By partnering with three of the world’s leading sustainability conscious investors, EIP, Meridiam, and Allianz X, we are excited about the next chapter of our company’s growth as we scale ESG Book’s platform and services worldwide.”

Nazo Moosa, Managing Partner, Europe, at Energy Impact Partners, said: “We are delighted to welcome ESG Book to our family of companies that empower the transition to net zero and support the principles of sustainability. ESG Book marks the tenth investment by Energy Impact Partners in Europe, and this partnership is driven by a shared vision for radical transparency in sustainability data. We look forward to supporting the tremendous momentum of the company as it builds the world’s leading ESG data platform.”

Thierry Deau, Founder and CEO of Meridiam, said: “ESG Book is a platform with the potential to transform the way ESG data is processed by the financial world. We believe it will substantially increase the quality and availability of ESG information to direct financing flows in accordance with sustainable development goals and the Paris Agreement. As impact investors since inception, Meridiam has been confronted with the lack of data transparency and has developed strong expertise in impact measurement. Through this investment by the Green Impact Growth Fund, we will further contribute to the field by helping ESG Book become the reference player in the sustainability data field.”

Carsten Middendorf, Head of Platforms & Acquisitions at Allianz X, said: „As an investor, we know how important data is for making decisions. Sustainability isn’t just a fad or a phase. It’s our necessary present if we are to have a future. That’s why it’s so important to ensure transparency, quality, and comparability in ESG data. We at Allianz X invest in the future, which is why we’re supporters of ESG Book.“

The state of Hesse invested in ESG Book, formerly known as Arabesque S-Ray, through BM H in 2019. With the successful closure of the Series B round led by new private investment, the state of Hesse has now sold the BM H holdings, fulfilling its role in supporting the company’s early growth.