BlackRock, Temasek’s Decarbonization Partners Leads $87 Million Round in Sustainability Solutions Provider Asuene

Tokyo-based sustainability solutions platform Asuene announced that it has raised $87 million in a Series D funding round led by BlackRock and Temasek’ joint venture, Decarbonization Partners, with proceeds from the financing aimed at supporting the company’s position as a “serial acquirer” as it expands across the U.S., UK and EU sustainability disclosure markets.

Founded in 2019, Asuene provides companies with a series of sustainability solutions ranging from CO2 emission calculation, reduction, and reporting, to supply chain management, third-party assurance and verification, carbon credits, and AI energy management. The company’s offerings include its flagship ASUENE platform, supporting GHG measurement, reduction, and reporting, its supply chain management platform ASUENE SUPPLY CHAIN, and AI powered Energy Reduction Platform NZero. Asuene acquired NZero last year, marking the company’s entry into the U.S. market.

According to Asuene, the financing comes as evolving sustainability regulations around the world, such as Japan’s SSBJ and the EU’s CSRD and CBAM are turning corporate sustainability efforts into critical management issues directly linked to management, finance, and supply chains, with the company focusing on strengthening its AI and product development as an integrated AI sustainability company, to help support businesses with increasingly complex sustainability challenges.

Asuene said that the new capital will support its M&A plans to accelerate business expansion in Japan and global markets, as well as to advance AI and product development, and to launch new businesses, as it aims to establish its platform as “to accelerate business expansion in Japan and global markets, advance AI and product development, and launch new businesses.”

Kohei Nishiwada, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Asuene, said:

“Alongside world-class institutional investors like BlackRock and Temasek, our team is moving as one to accelerate further M&A, expansion across Japan, global growth, and our shift to AI sustainability integrated company. As an AI sustainability integrated platform built in Japan and taking on the world, we’re committed to driving social impact and creating value at a scale never seen before.”

The funding round marks Decarbonization Partners’ first investment in Japan. Decarbonization Partners was launched by BlackRock and Temasek in 2022, establishing a late-stage venture capital and growth private equity partnership to invest in companies providing technologies and solutions that help accelerate the transition to a net zero economy by 2050.

The round also included a debt financing component from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC).

Dr. Meghan Sharp, Global Head and CIO of Decarbonization Partners, said:

“As companies face increasing expectations to measure and reduce emissions across their operations and supply chains, sustainability data is evolving from a reporting requirement into a strategic business tool. ASUENE enables organizations not only to meet evolving disclosure requirements, but also to use emissions data to improve efficiency and drive better business outcomes.”