ASUENE has raised $87 million in Series D funding to expand its artificial intelligence-powered sustainability management platform and pursue acquisitions across Europe, North America and Asia. The round was led by Decarbonization Partners, a joint venture between BlackRock and Temasek focused on growth-stage businesses supporting the transition to a net-zero economy.
The financing represents Decarbonization Partners’ first investment in Japan and brings ASUENE’s total funding to $161 million.
ASUENE said the Series D included $43.8 million in new equity capital and $19.3 million in debt financing from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. Those disclosed components total $63.1 million, and the company did not provide a detailed breakdown of the remaining portion of the announced $87 million round.
Eight new and existing investors participated, including Daikin and Ricoh.
ASUENE plans to use the proceeds to fund mergers and acquisitions, accelerate expansion in Japan and international markets, develop additional AI capabilities and products, and launch new businesses.
The company is particularly focused on expanding in the United States, United Kingdom and European Union, where businesses face evolving sustainability disclosure and supply chain reporting requirements.
ASUENE provides an integrated platform that helps companies calculate emissions, manage sustainability data and collect information from suppliers.
Its products include the ASUENE sustainability management platform, ASUENE Supply Chain and the NZero AI-powered energy reduction platform.
The main ASUENE platform is designed to help organizations measure, analyze and report greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental information.
ASUENE Supply Chain extends this work across a company’s vendors and manufacturing partners. This is important because a substantial portion of an organization’s environmental footprint may come from suppliers rather than facilities it directly owns.
NZero uses AI to identify opportunities for lowering energy consumption and operational emissions.
ASUENE is seeking to establish its technology as a global standard for enterprise sustainability management and manufacturing supply chains.
The company believes environmental data is moving beyond a regulatory reporting function and becoming a tool for improving efficiency, controlling costs and evaluating suppliers.
Companies increasingly need accurate information about emissions generated across purchased materials, transportation, production and product use. Collecting this information can be difficult when a manufacturer works with hundreds or thousands of suppliers using different data systems and reporting practices.
ASUENE’s platform is intended to centralize that information and help organizations respond to disclosure rules, customer requirements and internal decarbonization goals.
The company also plans to operate as a serial acquirer, using M&A to add products, enter new markets and build its international presence more quickly.
ASUENE CEO Kohei Nishiwada said the Series D process took approximately 10 months and involved a broad group of investors and other stakeholders.
The company completed the financing as generative AI continued changing the software market and creating new opportunities to automate sustainability data collection, analysis and reporting.
Decarbonization Partners invests in companies with established technologies that require additional capital to scale. The investment platform combines BlackRock’s investment and risk-management capabilities with Temasek’s experience in private markets and sustainable technologies.
ASUENE is headquartered in Japan and describes itself as an AI-integrated sustainability company. Its international expansion strategy includes deeper entry into U.S., U.K. and European sustainability disclosure markets while continuing to grow across Asia.
KEY QUOTES:
“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.”
Dr. Meghan Sharp, Global Head and Chief Investment Officer of Decarbonization Partners
“This was a complex, high-stakes deal that took roughly ten months to bring home, involving a wide range of investors and stakeholders.”
“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 an 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.”
Kohei Nishiwada, Founder and CEO of ASUENE
