JLL Foundation expands climate-impacting mission with 15 new loans in its second year

CHICAGO, March 28, 2024 – JLL Foundation, a non-profit founded and backed by JLL (NYSE: JLL), published its second Annual Report, highlighting its efforts to scale-up a diverse community of early-stage companies focused on climate change mitigation.

Of the fifteen startups supported by JLL Foundation in 2023, 100% are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; 73% are making a sustainable impact on real estate and land; 60% are reducing water consumption; 53% are reducing waste and 33% are making a social impact.

“The JLL Foundation takes a non-traditional approach, providing zero-interest loans, which allow companies to survive and thrive during the challenging early stages in their journey towards commercialization,” said Trish Maxson, Chair, JLL Foundation. “We are building a community that contributes to a more sustainable, circular economy, and ensuring that our work can continue in perpetuity.”

JLL Foundation’s mission closely aligns with JLL’s purpose to shape the future of real estate for a better world and its own sustainability program focused on climate action, healthy spaces and inclusive places. JLL Foundation offers catalytic funding particularly to entrepreneurs who traditionally have less access to venture capital – for example 53% of the 2023 portfolio companies are fully or partially female founded. Since its inception in 2022 and in partnership with Good Machine, a venture studio specializing in the climate impact space, JLL Foundation has invested in 30 impact-driven startups across five continents.

“Providing interest free loans from the JLL Foundation to startups is one way to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable world,” said Christian Ulbrich, Global CEO and President of JLL. “It is a privilege to support these innovative companies as they grow, catalyzing their impact on the environment. JLL is committed to mitigating the harmful effects of climate change and I wish all these companies great continued success in expanding their vital work.”

The impact of the Foundation’s investment varies based on the needs of each company. For instance, in 2023, the foundation’s loans helped:

• Kadeya, a closed-loop beverage system manufacturer, fund its first fully autonomous unit.

• Minus Materials, a carbon-negative, biorenewable limestone producer, focus on markets that consume higher quality calcium carbonate.

• Zafree, a tree-free paper pulp fabricator, purchase a machine that will help increase its capacity.

• GoPowerEV on its mission to ensure that every electric vehicle owner has affordable and convenient access to charging.

To learn more about the JLL Foundation’s impact, read the JLL Foundation 2023 Annual Report here.