First Rate Ventures Announces Investment in OWL ESG from Recently Launched Venture Capital Fund
Representing First Rate Ventures’ third investment in early stage FinTech and first in ESG, OWL ESG provides data, indexes, evaluation metrics, and other tools that allow investors to make informed choices while making an impact.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS JUNE 17, 2022 – First Rate Ventures, a premier Dallas/Fort Worth-based FinTech-focused venture capital fund, today announced its first investment in OWL ESG from its recently launched $25 million venture capital fund. First Rate Ventures led the Series A investment round.
Led by ESG expert and entrepreneur Ben Webster, OWL ESG leverages machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) to gather and aggregate ESG data from millions of sources. Its goal is to provide a diverse array of ESG data and analytic solutions including ESG ratings, principals-based screens, ESG controversies, and hundreds of metrics and analytics ranging from carbon emissions to diversity in the supply chain.
“First Rate Ventures is excited to invest in the ESG and Sustainable Investing space. Ben Webster and team are not only providing ESG scores and underlying data but also regulatory reporting solutions in EMEA, APAC, and North American markets,” said First Rate Ventures Managing Director Marshall Smith. “In addition to providing capital, First Rate’s professional services is working alongside the OWL product teams to expedite and scale their ESG data, analytics, and software solutions.
“When we decided to take on outside capital to align OWL ESG for the future, First Rate Ventures provided not just capital but a strategic partnership that helped them to stand apart from the other venture firms,” said OWL ESG Chief Executive Officer and Founder Ben Webster. “First Rate already provides award-winning solutions to the largest banks and wealth management firms. Our ability to collaborate strategically with First Rate Ventures and distribute OWL ESG data to their customers made partnership with First Rate an easy decision.”
Learn more about First Rate Ventures here.
ABOUT FIRST RATE VENTURES
With more than $25 million in capital, First Rate Ventures is dedicated to investing in innovative start-ups in strategic markets, primarily emphasizing wealth technology, investment technology, regulatory technology, and mortgage technology. By focusing on early-stage start-ups in North America, Europe, and Asia, First Rate ventures offer start-ups expertise working with highly regulated industries. They will serve as a strategic guide helping accelerate growth among the more than 500 banks and wealth management firms that currently utilize First Rate’s solutions globally.
https://firstrate.com/news/first-rate-launches-25m-venture-capital-fund
ABOUT OWL ESG
OWL ESG is a data and analytics provider that offers environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and socially responsible investing (SRI) metrics on global equities, corporate bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs. Founded in 2012, our clients are some of the largest global banks, asset managers, asset owners, and indexing companies in the world. They turn to OWL for a diverse range of ESG products and customized solutions, helping them meet their sustainability mandates as they continue to expand and evolve. For more information, visit OWL ESG.
