What we invest in
Voltan specialises in global transformation. Beginning with a vision of how the world will change in the coming decades, Voltan hones these powerful trends into actionable investments in the world’s most dynamic industries.
Supply Chain Optimization
The logistics required to move trillions of dollars in goods around the globe have changed little in the past century. Paper-based and manual processes still dominate in many sectors, resulting in significant loss and fraud each year. The increasing amounts of data, and data sharing, required in logistics processes are compelling firms to digitise their supply chains. New regulations around carbon content, ethical labor, materials provenance and financial flows add further impetus to the supply chain transparency imperative. Voltan expects a small group of companies to dominate supply chain digitisation, making it critical to identify early the emerging leaders in this sector.
Trade Finance
Exciting innovations in trade finance are emerging in parallel with the transformation of global supply chains. The cumbersome traditional channels for financing global trade are giving way to a more nimble, transparent process for trade finance. Voltan focuses on the technology and user ecosystems that enable efficient trade finance, partnering with both traditional and nascent channels for provision of capital. In addition, Voltan seeks to pair its investments in supply chain technology and basic industry with these modern technology-driven financing options.
Recycling and Materials Recovery
The energy transition already is creating large volumes of waste materials, a process which will only accelerate in the coming decades. Solar panels, wind blades, batteries and their associated electronics are being produced at exponential rates without the technology or industrial facilities in place to recover their most valuable components. The recovery of usable materials to reduce new mining, and the management of increasing volumes of waste for optimal purpose, are both an environmental imperative and a source of exciting innovation. Outdated models of loss-making waste disposal by municipalities are being replaced by a view of waste as feedstock for highly profitable industries using cutting-edge disaggregation technologies. Voltan focuses on recovery technologies offered by scalable companies at the commercialisation stage.
Plastics Alternatives
Industry and lawmakers are making efforts to measure and reduce the carbon content of the products we buy. Anticipating a long-term decline in fossil fuel consumption, oil companies are shifting toward increased production of petrochemical products, including single-use plastics, plastic packaging and polyester fast fashion. As the world comes to grips with carbon accounting for fuels, petrochemicals will be the next industry called to account. Unmanageable volumes of plastic waste, microplastic contamination of water supplies, chemical leaching and plastics’ role in sustaining fossil fuel production will propel a fundamental change in how we consume and dispose of polymer products. Voltan is at the forefront of this emerging trend, seeking to invest in the technologies that will drive the reduction, replacement and recycling of polymer materials at scale.
Materials Science
Artificial intelligence already is changing the world in which we live. But there is no such thing as simply “investing in AI”. For allocators, it is critical to identify profitable applications of AI, separate from applications that are novel but not commercial. Voltan considers materials science as one of the most prominent beneficiaries of the new computing power. Many mega-trends of the coming decades, from the energy transition to quantum computing, rely on new and more efficient uses of basic materials, as well as the development of new materials themselves. Rather than investing in specific materials, Voltan seeks to invest in replicable processes and technologies within the field.
Basic Industry
The world is going through a breakout phase in technological innovation, generating many exciting investment opportunities. Nonetheless, basic industry remains at the foundation of global output. Industrial components, transportation, warehousing and other traditional industries are at the foundation of even the most modern businesses. In both emerging and developed markets, Voltan is careful not to overlook the potential of companies diverging from fashionable trends.
Natural Resources
The energy transition is metals-intensive. Many metals critical to battery and other supply chains are produced in only a few developing countries. As a result, resource production encompasses an increasing range of geopolitical, environmental, operational, compliance and supply chain risks. Voltan has multi-decade experience assessing risk among resource producers in emerging jurisdictions. Rather than shying away from natural resource investments, Voltan has adopted an engagement model, requiring the highest standards in environmental protection, legal compliance, transparency and risk management.
