Athip Tantivorawong’s energy innovations company Innopower has partnered with Singapore-based venture capital firm Trirec to set up a $100 million green energy fund to back decarbonisation initiatives
The call for action against global warming has never been more urgent. Reports indicate that temperatures have roughly risen 0.15 to 0.20°C per decade and have had detrimental effects across the world, including causing a shortage of drinking water and more widespread diseases by pests.
Read more: How technology can improve our sustainability game
One entrepreneur from Thailand is pushing for change by encouraging greater investments in clean technology across Southeast Asia. His name: Athip Tantivorawang, the co-founder of the energy innovations company Innopower. In 2019, Tantivorawang was chosen to be an Obama Foundation leader in Asia-Pacific for his contributions to the areas of clean energy and climate change.
In May 2023, his company Innopower announced a partnership with Singapore-based venture capital firm Trirec to launch a $100 million fund to invest in companies that are making contributions towards the global target of achieving a net-zero economy by the year 2050.
We caught up with Tantivorawong to find out more about the fund as well as talk about his entrepreneurship journey.
What is Innopower’s mission and how did the company come about?
Athip Tantivorawong (AT): Innopower is a joint venture between three Thai power producers: Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), Ratch Group and Electricity Generating Public Company (EGCO Group). Our mission is to support Thailand’s energy transition by accelerating innovation. We have three primary functions: Venture capital; venture building, where we incubate innovations; and strategic partnerships through which we create new businesses.
Innopower is the culmination of my experiences over the years; where I combine my passion for energy and technology to drive change.