By Clare Murray

Long Form Questions

Meaningful Business (MB): What are your investment focus areas and why do they matter to you?

Clare Murray (CM): At Blume Equity, we partner with growth-stage companies tackling the climate crisis across Europe. Much of my time is spent with businesses driving the energy transition and industrial efficiency — two areas essential to decarbonising Europe’s real economy.

We focus on proven solutions ready to scale — companies that meaningfully cut emissions and improve resource efficiency. I’m passionate about unlocking capital markets for purpose-driven investing and backing companies that deliver strong environmental outcomes and compelling ROI for customers. That intersection where impact meets performance is where I love to work.

This focus reflects both urgency and optimism. Having spent most of my career in sustainable investing, I’ve seen firsthand how capital can accelerate climate innovation. Europe has the talent, technology, and regulatory momentum; what’s missing is growth capital and experienced partners to scale it. At Blume, we’re building that bridge.

MB: How are your portfolio companies tackling these issues and what impact are they having?

CM: Our portfolio companies are actively decarbonising some of Europe’s most energy-intensive sectors. 

Sensorfact, a Dutch industrial IoT company, helps manufacturers — particularly SMEs — monitor and reduce their energy consumption. In 2024 alone, it identified 226 GWh of energy savings across ~3,000 customer sites, equivalent to powering 75,000 homes for a year. Its easy-to-deploy software and sensors deliver an immediate 7–10% reduction in energy use, cutting costs and emissions in tandem.

Across the portfolio, our companies deliver measurable environmental benefits while building strong, resilient businesses that define Europe’s next wave of innovation. For example: 

• Neustark permanently stores CO₂ in concrete waste, offering one of the few verified, durable carbon removal solutions at scale
• Aerones deploys robotics to service and maintain wind turbines, reducing downtime and accelerating renewable energy generation
• Normative is Europe’s leading carbon accounting platform, enabling thousands of businesses to measure and reduce emissions across their supply chains.

MB: What is your ambition for the future of your fund and how do you measure success?

CM: Our ambition is to make Blume Europe’s leading growth equity firm for climate solutions, known for performance, integrity, and partnership. We want to be the fund that companies want to scale with, that investors feel proud to back, and that people aspire to work for.

We measure success across three dimensions: 

1. Financial performance and strong returns for our investors
2. Climate impact measured through emissions avoided and removed, and
3. Team and partner engagement, looking at how valued and motivated people feel working with us.

If Blume can prove that investing in climate solutions delivers outstanding returns and accelerates Europe’s green transition, we’ll have achieved what we set out to do.

Quickfire Questions

MB: Can you share a mistake that you’ve learned from? 

CM: I’m naturally execution-driven and love ticking things off a list, but you can spend an entire day on emails and feel no closer to your goals. I’ve learned to step back, set clear weekly goals, and focus on what truly drives progress.

MB: What is something you wish you were better at?

CM: Prioritising exercise. It is the first thing to be cut when I’m stressed.

MB: What underrated skill do you wish more impact-focused leaders invested time in?

CM: Storytelling. We can’t drive systems change without convincing people to believe in a better future. Translating complex climate or finance concepts into clear, compelling narratives is what moves capital — and hearts.

MB: What is one book that everyone should read? 

CM: I highly recommend Viktor Frankl – Man’s ‘Search for Meaning’. If you want something more climate related, then I’d suggest ‘The Future We Choose: The Stubborn Optimist’s Guide to the Climate Crisis’ by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac.

MB: What are the podcasts you can’t imagine your day without? 

CM: I travel a lot for work and really enjoy reading or listening to podcasts when I am in transit: Highbrow: NY Times (site), The Daily (podcast), The Rest is Politics (podcast), The Knowledge (daily email), and Smartless (podcast).