RA Capital Planetary Health Fund Grant

About this grant

RA Capital's Planetary Health Fund is a venture investment strategy, not a grant programme. The team invests in early-stage, privately held companies building the industrial and resource systems that underpin modern economies and quality of life, including critical minerals, manufacturing productivity, enabling solutions such as recycling and waste-to-value, energy technologies and efficiency, and agriculture and food. The fund states that it is not an impact or double bottom line fund and that its goal is significant economic returns, with impact treated as an outcome of building sustainable businesses. It is also not restricted to climate; it addresses clean air and water, energy, resources, food security, and ecosystems. The team's investment priorities are time to market (companies close to deployment, with commercialisation within roughly 2 to 5 years and preferably under 2), product-market fit demonstrated by real demand and traction, and capital efficiency with advantaged unit economics. It explicitly does not fund basic research or science experiments. The team can lead, co-lead, or join rounds at any stage, and does not set minimum or maximum check sizes. Support goes beyond capital and includes TechAtlas market mapping, operator support, recruiting, and network access. The page lists a portfolio of companies including AM Batteries, Aperion Labs, Avalanche, Bia, Evodia Bio, Koloma, Optivolt, Planted Solar, Plantible, Reframe Systems, Sortera Technologies, and Voro Metals, plus one unnamed stealth company. Founders are invited to submit requests by email to [email protected], including a technology description, market vertical, stage and commercialisation path, milestones, team background, existing investors, and a non-confidential deck if available.

Eligibility

Early-stage, privately held companies building commercially viable products in one of the fund's five verticals: critical minerals, manufacturing, enabling solutions, energy, or agriculture and food. Companies should have a clear path to market or acquisition within about five years, preferably under two, and should be building products customers will pay for in the near term rather than basic research. The fund invests in any round stage provided that commercialisation timing criteria are met. No minimum or maximum check size, geographic restriction, or founder-type restriction is stated on the page. The fund does not usually sign confidentiality agreements at the outset but may do so in exceptional cases.

How it's scored

The page does not describe a scored application process. Stated investment criteria are time to market (proximity to deployment and near-term revenue paths), product-market fit (evidence of real demand, early traction, and a validated value proposition), capital efficiency (advantaged unit economics and a path from venture capital to lower-cost, less dilutive funding), and focus on critical market verticals where systemic change is possible and value creation is tangible. The team states that all requests are routed through the same evaluation process regardless of how they arrive. No panel composition or weightings are disclosed.

Key requirements

• ✓Early-stage, privately held company with clear path to commercialization within 2–5 years (preferably under 2)
• ✓Operating in critical minerals, manufacturing, enabling solutions, energy, agriculture & food sectors
• ✓Profit-first business model; not impact-only or climate-only focused
• ✓Industrial and resource systems with scalable commercial potential

Recent past awardees

Knowing who's won the last rounds tells you whether you're in the strike zone.

• AM Batteries
• Aperion Labs
• Avalanche
• Bia
• Evodia Bio
• Koloma
• Optivolt
• Planted Solar

Funder contact

The notice names a programme contact you can speak to before applying.

Frequently asked questions

Who can apply for RA Capital Planetary Health Fund?

Eligibility covers organisations in GLOBAL; startup, sme. See the eligibility criteria above for the full conditions.

Relevant sectors

About this sector

Low-carbon materials funding covers cement, concrete, steel, chemicals, timber and novel building materials with lower embodied carbon. It ranges from research grants to demonstration plants and public procurement that specifies lower-carbon products. Calls often ask for lifecycle assessment, product testing against standards and interest from buyers in construction or manufacturing.