SET Ventures, the Amsterdam-based venture capital firm focused on digital technology for a carbon-free energy system, announced that Julia Padberg has been promoted to Partner.
Julia (35) is returning from maternity leave this month in this new position. She has been with SET for 6 years, spearheading SET investments across Europe in domains such as energy system digitalisation and electrification of mobility. Julia serves as a Non-Executive Director at portfolio companies Flexidao, Trunkrs, and Sensorfact, and as an observer on the board of depsys. She was also an observer at Energyworx, Greencom Networks, and Greenflux (sold to DKV Mobility). Before joining SET, Julia was active in M&A and investment advisory in the cleantech and energy sector, amongst others at merchant bank Kempen & Co.
“Julia has been instrumental in strengthening SET’s European network and reputation, as well as expanding the investment portfolio. Her expertise in key sectors of the energy transition combined with a people-first approach towards deal sourcing has enabled SET to partner with leading entrepreneurs in this field.” comments Managing Partner and Co-Founder René Savelsberg. “We are confident that Julia will continue her strong dedication to climate tech entrepreneurs in this role.”.
Jan Wijn, founder of Trunkrs: “Julia has been a hands-on board member and trusted advisor, challenging us on how to grow the business faster and more efficiently. She backed us during both good and more difficult times. She has been especially helpful with getting the company ready for raising scale-up investment to further accelerate our growth path.”.
“I am thrilled to join the partnership at SET to continue our winning track record, financially and in terms of CO2 reduction.”, Julia said. “The energy transition poses one of the most promising investment opportunities of the next decade. I’m grateful for the trust that our limited partners, advisors, and entrepreneurs place in us, and I look forward to building great companies together.”
With the expansion of the partnership and recent additions to the investment team, SET continues to build its platform as Europe’s leading independent energy venture capital investor. SET’s vision is that responsibly managing how energy is generated, distributed, stored, and consumed has become essential for all of us. Game-changing business models and applications are key to unlocking a carbon-free energy system, not just science & engineering. Companies built on digital technologies and data have the greatest opportunity for value creation from this systemic change.
