CarbonFix is proud to announce its latest funding commitment: a grant to Cleantech for Benelux, a new lobby initiative launched at the recently opened Brussel’s Norrsken House. Run by Sacha Muller and Willem Vriesendorp, this new climate lobby initiative is poised to help scale clean technologies across Europe by addressing various regulatory issues within the Benelux. CarbonFix’s support will go toward operational buildout, research, and coalition-building. With this support, CarbonFix takes its first steps into the world of climate lobbying. 

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Cleantech for Benelux is not your average startup – nor public affairs initiative for that matter. Both Sacha and Willem are seasoned political professionals focused on climate solutions. Or, as they like to call it, cleantech. Cleantech refers to new technology and related business models offering competitive returns for investors and customers while providing solutions to global challenges. 

Their mission aligns with the Clean Industrial Deal and targets the infamous “valley of death” frequently seen for cleantech: the regulatory and funding gap between invention and adoption that is so large, many positive technological inventions fail to reach maturity fast enough. 

Cleantech for Benelux aims to build a bridge across that valley by accelerating Europe’s ability to host and scale those first-of-a-kind (FOAK) climate technologies, improving demand-side procurement policies, reforming permits and licenses on behalf of the climate visionaries out there and thereby leveling the playing field for new technologies.

Sacha Muller: “One of our key focus areas is legal simplification. If you want to scale within Europe you need to establish a new legal entity in each country, which slows you down enormously. Now, it’s true that the EU is working toward an ‘EU Inc.’ a single legal entity, but that’s still a long way off. Because that means aligning 27 different systems with the same VAT, legal structures, labor laws, and so on.”

“The beauty of our focus is that the Benelux Union is a separate institution that can move faster than the EU – and has been doing so for eighty years already. We can learn what works here. It is our sandbox, basically. And because the Benelux also sits in the Council of the EU, any new legal simplification or polished policies for cleantech that prove themselves within the Benelux can serve as a blueprint for the entire EU. This helps to make cleantech move faster and become more equitable at the EU level.”

“Sacha and Willem’s lobbying proposition is laser focused,” says Pepijn van Dijk, director at CarbonFix. “They understand that the fastest way to unlock climate scale is to break regulatory deadlocks. By focusing on sandbox legislation in the Benelux, they de-risk new climate policy and demonstrate success—making a push into Brussels a lot easier. They are a great example of applying innovative thinking to policy and lobbying.”

Cleantech For Benelux is co-funded by US-based Breakthrough Energy, which is set on boosting the EU to achieve more climate success in a changing political climate.

“Europe must move from ambition to acceleration by scaling climate solutions that boost resilience and industrial strength. With its start-up ecosystem, industrial base, and cross-border ties, the Benelux region is well-positioned to lead. Cleantech for Benelux launches at a crucial time to align capital, tech, and policy—and turn innovation into impact. Europe cannot afford to wait. We’re proud to join forces with CarbonFix on this mission,” says Julia Reinaud from Breakthrough Energy. 

This co-funding also means a first and valuable collaboration for CarbonFix. Says Van Dijk: “At CarbonFix, we believe it’s beyond time for Europe to get serious about climate ventures. By teaming up with Breakthrough Energy, we can do just that. We can help Europe become more innovative and forward-looking in a time of climate crisis and changing political winds.”