InnoEnergy, the world’s leading impact investor in clean tech innovation, has announced the appointment of Sébastien Clerc as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2026. The current CEO, Diego Pavia, who has successfully led InnoEnergy since its inception in 2010, will continue to be a part of the company for the next three years in a supporting role to contribute to its ongoing success.
InnoEnergy has been ranked as the #1 most active venture capital investor in the energy sector globally by PitchBook (Morningstar Group) in 2020, as well as from 2022 to 2024. Over the past decade, InnoEnergy has launched or supported over 540 start-ups and scale-ups, with four of them becoming industrial unicorns. These companies have collectively raised more than €34 billion, created over 47,000 jobs, and are on track to reduce 2.3 gigatons of CO2e by 2030.
With the support of InnoEnergy’s team and its unique ecosystem of industrial, financial, and public partners, Sébastien Clerc will lead the implementation of an ambitious 2030 growth plan that has been unanimously approved by InnoEnergy’s 39 shareholders. This plan includes scaling new industry champions by accelerating investments in its current portfolio of over 160 clean tech companies and supporting additional companies, while also strengthening its academic and training business units. This will contribute significantly to Europe’s clean industrial ambitions. By 2030, InnoEnergy aims to mobilize up to €160 billion in clean tech investments, which represents the total financing required for its portfolio over the next five years. The company’s solid pipeline of clean industrial ventures supports this plan.
InnoEnergy’s shareholders unanimously chose Sébastien Clerc for the CEO position, recognizing his extensive leadership experience in the energy transition, his background as an investment decision-maker, and his proven track record in mobilizing finance. Clerc has been the CEO of Voltalia for the past 13 years, where he transformed the company from a young start-up into an integrated renewable energy producer and service provider with a presence in 20 countries. Voltalia, which was listed on Euronext Paris in 2014, has invested in hundreds of solar, wind, biomass, and battery projects, as well as innovative start-ups in sectors such as electric vehicle charging and biomass valorization. Prior to this, Clerc founded and led Natixis Environment & Infrastructure for 12 years, which is now known as Mirova, a pioneering fund management firm dedicated to sustainable investment, including in industry decarbonization and renewable energy production.
Hervé Bernard, Chairman of the InnoEnergy Supervisory Board, expressed his gratitude towards Diego Pavia, saying, “On behalf of InnoEnergy, I want to thank Diego for his unwavering leadership, which has been instrumental in the company becoming the number one clean tech impact investor in the world. Sébastien brings the right experience to take over the helm and deliver on the company’s ambitious 2030 growth plans.”
Diego Pavia, the current CEO of InnoEnergy, said, “I have been honored to lead InnoEnergy for the past 15 years. Our track record is the result of the hard work of this incredible trusted ecosystem of 1,400+ partners. As our upgraded branding captures well, we are ‘industrializing clean tech innovation, at scale and at unprecedented speed’. Now we are gearing up for the next phase captured with our ambitious ‘Vision 2030’, unanimously approved by our shareholders. Sébastien is the best choice for leading its implementation.”
Sébastien Clerc, the incoming CEO of InnoEnergy, expressed his excitement at joining the company during a time of a new industrial revolution, saying, “I am honored to join InnoEnergy as we witness a new industrial revolution, which brings tremendous business opportunities all over the world. Reaffirmed by the Clean Industrial Deal, clean tech is the backbone of Europe’s economic growth, where only the bold frontrunners will prevail. I recognize InnoEnergy as being in that category. Building on Diego’s legacy and together with InnoEnergy’s incredible team, I look forward to taking the company to the next level.”
The announcement was made at InnoEnergy’s annual flagship event, The Business Booster, in Lisbon, which brings together over 2000 entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders to fast-track the energy and industrial transition.
ABOUT INNOENERGY
InnoEnergy is leading the way in transitioning the global energy industry and transforming every sector. The company invests in early-stage start-ups and the current and future workforce in Europe and the US, building resilient clean tech value chains that drive sustainable economic growth. With its ecosystem of 1,400 partners spanning industry, finance, public policy, and academia, InnoEnergy
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