Digital Enabled Green Fund Strategic Memo

Context

Who I am: I’m Nicolas Payen, a strategist in the climate finance space. In 2017, I founded Positive Energy Ltd (PEL), a Singapore/Dutch-based climate fintech company focused on digitizing origination and assessment of decentralized clean energy infrastructure projects.

The original idea: Together with a Belgian impact fund manager, we designed GreenFundEU — a mission-driven fund aimed at addressing the “Double Missing Middle”: the lack of capital for SMEs and their limited access to climate finance.

Where it stands: While the fund did not scale and is no longer staffed, the digital platform and strategic model remain fully functional — offering taxonomy-aligned sourcing, ESG tagging, and early-stage pipeline development.

Executive Summary

Luxcara is already a leader in clean energy infrastructure. But the increasing demand for decentralized, high-impact investments aligned with Article 9 and EU Taxonomy opens new challenges around origination and ecosystem engagement.

This memo outlines how integrating the GreenFundEU model and platform could support Luxcara’s impact goals without the need to restart or manage a new fund.

Enhance pipeline reach through digital, early-stage origination
Activate a proven ESG scoring and taxonomy-aligned framework
Use GreenFundEU as a sandbox to test digital + AI tools
Amplify Luxcara’s foundation or Article 9 strategies with low operational risk

Strategic Integration Proposal

Why It Still Matters

Targets underserved SME project developers
Enables inclusive climate finance and early-stage support
Offers taxonomy-aligned ESG tagging and assessment logic

What the Platform Brings

Smart digital origination infrastructure
Pipeline of validated early-stage clean energy projects
Operational playbooks and structured scoring tools

What Luxcara Could Add

Executional strength and governance framework
Institutional capital and Article 9 alignment
Potential integration under its foundation or impact sleeve

Innovation Strategy: Tiered by Design

GreenFundEU could serve as a sandbox for innovation, allowing Luxcara to test digital scoring, ESG intelligence, and AI tools in a real but de-risked environment — before scaling it across broader portfolios.

This isn’t about managing a new fund — it’s about seeding digital infrastructure and insight into a larger institutional ecosystem.

My Role and Expectations

I’m not looking to manage a fund again. But I do want to ensure that the platform is integrated with intent, and that it delivers what it was built to do: support high-impact financing and modernize ESG workflows. That requires a degree of strategic alignment and involvement.

Notes

Positive Energy Ltd (PEL): A climate fintech founded in 2017 in the Netherlands, focused on clean energy project origination and taxonomy-driven investment enablement.

GreenFundEU: An impact-first fund concept focused on SME-scale clean infrastructure. Though inactive, its assets and ecosystem logic remain relevant for scalable ESG integration.

Digital Enabled GreenFund Strategic Memo