# NextSTEP

> NextSTEP is a VC fund in Venice backing Software and CleanTech. See 13 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Venice, Italy
- Total investments: 13
- Last investment: Feb 2025
- Lead investor: 54%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nextstepaccelerator/
- Website: https://nextstepaccelerator.com

NextSTEP is a VC fund in Venice focused on Software and CleanTech. At NextSTEP, we invest in Clean Tech startups with a focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility, committed to making a positive impact. We invest at the idea, pre-seed and seed stage.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for NextSTEP. Shizune tracks 1 team members at NextSTEP. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/nextstep-a057?utm_source=investor_profile

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Software | 2 | 15% |
| CleanTech | 2 | 15% |
| GreenTech | 2 | 15% |
| Logistics | 2 | 15% |
| Recycling | 2 | 15% |

35 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pre-Seed | 6 | 46% |
| Seed | 5 | 38% |
| Venture - Series Unknown | 1 | 8% |

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Italy | 4 | 31% |
| United Kingdom | 4 | 31% |
| Sweden | 1 | 8% |
| Ecuador | 1 | 8% |
| United States | 1 | 8% |

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Claudio Colombo | Managing Partner | 3 | — |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Leafr | Leafr specializes in connecting organizations with freelance sustainability consultants, climate experts, and ESG specialists. It operates as a platform where companies can find and hire professionals for sustainability consultancy and climate-related projects. Leafr aims to facilitate meaningful engagements in the sustainability sector by offeringa network for top-tier professionals to find freelancing roles that impact climate change positively. The platform caters to a diverse range of industries looking to integrate sustainable practices into their operations, providing a bridge between companies seeking specialized knowledge and experts in the field. | $757K | Seed | Feb 24, 2025 |  |
| SWITCH - Street WITCHer | Designed for mobility and logistics companies, SWITCH enhances fleet efficiency, predicts demand, and improves vehicle distribution in real-time. With its proprietary AI products Urbiverse and Urban CoPilot, SWITCH empowers fleet managers to reduce operational costs, increase utilization, and contribute to sustainable mobility and logisticssolutions. | $757.4K | Pre-Seed | Dec 24, 2024 |  |
| The First Element | Developing a self-generating Green Hydrogen smart tank as a net zero replacement for the billions of LPG tanks used in a multitude of applications worldwide: Akin to a standard LPG gas tank in size and presentation, the tank will generate green hydrogen by electrolysis (using only water and electricity from renewable sources such as wind or solar)where it is needed and in the quantities required, thereby erasing the carbon footprint associated with the distribution of traditional LPG tanks. As an IoT device, the tank will be controlled by a bespoke software application (also in development) via any smart phone or smart device. This user friendly, innovative interface will ensure the overall safety of the tank, using safety sensors which can trigger an instant shut off if required. The app will also monitor the cost and availability of electricity from renewable sources and draw down and generate electricity when electricity is at its most abundant and cheapest, for use at a later date. As opposed to the huge projects currently underway to generate green hydrogen at scale, which then needs to be liquified and compressed (requiring huge amounts of energy) before it can be distributed, our grassroots solution is designed to be small but everywhere: It offers a quicker, more nimble solution to enable governments worldwide to reach their ambitious Net Zero goals on time and within budget. Because of their size, far greater timescales and inflexible nature these larger projects may fail to reach those goals. Our solution can scale linearly and effectively at an accessible price point. |  | Venture - Series Unknown | Dec 03, 2024 |  |
| Pulpatronics | The goal of Pulpatronics is to assist companies track paper-based, single-use commodities for a more circular economy by offering more economical and environmentally friendly inventory solutions. | $545.2K | Pre-Seed | Nov 18, 2024 |  |
| Algapelago | Algapelago is an operator of a seaweed farming enterprise aimed at the food, animal feed, cosmetics, bio-plastics, and pharmaceutical industries. |  | Seed | Nov 01, 2024 |  |
| Clearwatt | ClearWatt has developed a streamlined platform for effortless electric vehicle transactions. |  | Seed | Sep 11, 2024 |  |
| Atium | Clean water is one of the largest future challenges we stand before, and toxic pollutants are a large contributing factor. Heavy metals are some of the most toxic chemicals to human health and it is our goal, through our innovation, to contribute to a world where water treatment is more environmentally friendly and effective. Atium exists to helpensure clean water, for everyone. | $639.8K | Seed | Jun 17, 2024 |  |
| Chloris Geospatial | Chloris Geospatial is able to provide answers today to critical natural capital issues. Chloris Geospatial provides innovative measurements of natural capital that use cutting-edge remote sensing, machine learning, and ecological science. |  | Seed | May 29, 2024 |  |
| AGRISKY | Our core product, AGRI-EYE, is a rail-based robotic monitoring system designed for smart greenhouses. It moves inside the greenhouse and collects crop-level visual and physiological data to detect early signs of pests, diseases, and plant stress before damage becomes visible to the human eye. Unlike satellite-based monitoring, which works mainlyfor open-field agriculture, AGRISKY brings predictive crop-health intelligence inside controlled-environment agriculture. By combining robotics, computer vision, AI models, and plant-health indicators such as NDVI, AGRI-EYE helps growers identify problems early, act preventively, and reduce crop losses. The system is designed to support greenhouse operators in two key areas: early pest and disease detection and yield prediction. This allows farmers to move from reactive crop management to a predictive and data-driven approach, improving production planning, reducing waste, and increasing operational efficiency. AGRISKY targets hydroponic, aquaponic, and high-value greenhouse producers that need better visibility over plant health and production performance. Our vision is to make greenhouses more automated, resilient, and productive through AI-powered robotic monitoring. | $43.4K | Pre-Seed | Mar 01, 2024 |  |
| Nina Energy | Nina Energy is committed to turning agro-industrial waste into useful materials for food additives, livestock farming, environmental remediation, carbon capture, and renewable energy production. |  | Pre-Seed | Jan 23, 2024 |  |

10 of 13 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- Apuliasoft — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Butterfly Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/butterfly-ventures) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Chalmers Ventures AB](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/chalmers-ventures) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Cisco Foundation](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/cisco-foundation) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [EIT Urban Mobility](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/eit-urban-mobility) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- Gladium — VC Fund, 1 deal together

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- [Everywhere Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/everywhere-ventures) — VC Fund

## FAQ

### What does NextSTEP invest in?

NextSTEP invests primarily in Software, CleanTech and GreenTech startups, most often at Pre-Seed and Seed stage. Most of the 13 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in Italy. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### How do I contact NextSTEP?

Public channels for NextSTEP include LinkedIn and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### Who are the partners at NextSTEP?

The team at NextSTEP includes Claudio Colombo (Managing Partner). The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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