The Radical Fund signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Keppel’s Real Estate Division to signify a strategic partnership with the shared goal of driving innovation in sectors such as the built environment, renewable energy, decarbonization, and infrastructure technology. 

The MOU was signed in Singapore between Mr. Louis Lim, CEO, Real Estate, Keppel Ltd., and Ms. Alina Truhina, CEO and Managing Partner of The Radical Fund.

"This partnership represents a significant step towards accelerating the development and adoption of cutting-edge technologies that address climate-related challenges relevant to the real estate development and built environment sectors," said Alina Truhina, CEO and Managing Partner of The Radical Fund. "With Keppel’s strong capabilities and deep experience in the area of real estate, we are confident that their suite of sustainable urban space solutions and proprietary digital initiatives will contribute to our collective expertise and capability to capitalize on the opportunities in the innovation and technology potential of this region."

Under the terms of the MOU, The Radical Fund will source for technology-enabled ventures and new climate impact-related technologies. These companies will be assessed based on their ability to provide sustainable technological solutions within Keppel’s strategic priority areas, with a focus on enhancing energy efficiency, optimizing operations, and reducing environmental impact, while maximizing an asset’s net operating income.

The Radical Fund is an early-stage VC fund supporting and investing in entrepreneurs building climate adaptation and decarbonisation solutions in Southeast Asia. The Fund focuses its investments across major Southeast Asian markets including Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia, and invests in climate-oriented ventures across sectors such as agri-food, nature-based solutions, built environment, energy & mobility, waste management, circular economy, water, health, and disaster management.

"At Keppel, we believe that innovation plays a key role in unlocking value and allowing us to achieve sustainability outcomes at scale. Technology is a key enabler for our work in enhancing our real estate portfolio, and we are constantly on the lookout for smart solutions such as those that can further improve energy efficiency in buildings, extend their life spans, and very importantly, enhance their value. We are excited to be working with The Radical Fund and their portfolio of forward-thinking technology ventures, where Keppel can potentially provide a platform to testbed innovations for the built environment," said Mr. Louis Lim, CEO, Real Estate, Keppel Ltd.

As a global asset manager and operator, Keppel has strong expertise in sustainability-related solutions spanning the areas of infrastructure, real estate and connectivity. Its real estate division is an innovative urban space solutions provider that leverages technology to deliver sustainable and customer-centric solutions that enrich people and communities. It is focused in the areas of sustainable urban renewal, senior living, urban living, retail and large-scale integrated developments. 

The Radical Fund will provide hands-on technical support to these companies to ensure that their solutions have a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) to be considered for pilot projects with Keppel. As a part of the Utopia Capital Management (UCM) platform, The Radical Fund leverages a global team of over 60 full-time experts across tech, design, product, growth, investor relations, and legal to provide bespoke support and venture building capabilities.

Leveraging local and global resources and testbeds to scale Southeast Asian ventures, the partnership ultimately aims to catalyze decarbonizing the real estate industry, estimated to account for nearly 40% of the world's carbon emissions, through innovation.