We invest in the Intelligence Layer of the Physical World

Driving Efficiency, Resiliency, and Decarbonization

Funding AI, Software, and Simple Hardware

BUOYANT INVESTMENT THESIS

Intelligence Layer for the Physical World

AI, software, and simple hardware that unlock resource efficiency, resiliency, and decarbonization
FINANCIAL
IMPACT
+
CLIMATE
IMPACT
The Opportunity

$100+

Trillion
In global infrastructure investment over the next 20 years

Over the next 20 years, the world will invest $100+ trillion in energy, grid, data center, and industrial infrastructure.

Buoyant Ventures targets the intelligence layer — where every 1% improvement in infrastructure efficiency creates massive value.

Every 1% improvement in infrastructure efficiency

= $1 trillion in value creation
OUR FOCUS
climate
intelligence
Efficient Computing
ENERGY
Industrials
Early Stage
Seed & Series A
Themes
Efficiency, Resiliency, Decarbonization
Learn about our Focus
OUR APPROACH

We’re hands-on partners.

We've made hundreds of commercial and investor introductions for our founders
See our Approach
Our mIssion:

The Intelligence Layer for the Physical World

We invest in and actively support founders building AI, software, and simple hardware that drive resource efficiency, resiliency, and decarbonization across the world's largest industries
OUR LIMITED PARTNERS
Buoyant is proud to work with some leading corporations and institutions as investors.
OUR PORTFOLIO

Our entrepreneurs are working to digitally transform the world's largest industries.

SEE OUR PORTFOLIO
SkyFi
Hammerhead
Gravity
Sunairio
HData
Ocient
Electrotempo
Canopy
Shifted Energy
Reel Data
Beni
Audette
FloodFlash
SupplyShift
RaptorMaps
SkyFi
Hammerhead
Gravity
Sunairio
HData
Ocient
Electrotempo
Canopy
Shifted Energy
Reel Data
Beni
Audette
FloodFlash
SupplyShift
RaptorMaps
SkyFi
Hammerhead
Gravity
Sunairio
HData
Ocient
Electrotempo
Canopy
Shifted Energy
Reel Data
Beni
Audette
FloodFlash
SupplyShift
RaptorMaps
SkyFi
Hammerhead
Gravity
Sunairio
HData
Ocient
Electrotempo
Canopy
Shifted Energy
Reel Data
Beni
Audette
FloodFlash
SupplyShift
RaptorMaps
BUOYANT FOUNDER

Bringing decades of energy and entrepreneurial experience to founders.

MEET THE TEAM
Amy Francetic

Amy Francetic

Managing General Partner
Founder

‍

25 years in energy + tech. Founded two companies, sold one, advising fellow founders, & serving on boards of directors along the way.

Read Amy's full Bio
The Buoyant team has deep expertise in energy transition and supporting ambitious startups that are tackling existential climate issues. They have been invaluable in connecting us with financiers and asset owners in the utility-scale solar ecosystem, so we can power their digital transformations and build and maintain more solar assets.”
“
Nikhil Vadhavkar
CEO, Raptor Maps

‍
Amy and the Buoyant team are ultra-well-connected in the Climate industry with decades of experience and insights. They’ve helped us define our data center decarbonization strategy and have helped us raise additional funding.”
“
Chris Gladwin
CEO, Ocient





‍
We ran a competitive process to raise our seed round, and Buoyant won the lead check because of how Amy and Laura drove the engagement — a dedicated, thesis-driven process that reflected their deep expertise in the efficient computing category. We couldn't have asked for a better partner at this stage.”
“
Rahul Kar
Founder & CEO, Hammerhead AI
Since leading HData's Series A, Buoyant Ventures has been an energetic partner in HData's growth, drawing on a wealth of energy industry contacts to speed our sales conversations. Buoyant has encouraged our leadership team to think creatively, including helping us plan and execute a major initiative which dramatically accelerated product development. Buoyant's community of portfolio companies has helped us vet vendors and served as needed encouragement.”
“
Hudson Hollister
CEO, HData
See our Portfolio

We invest in bold solutions for big problems.

Tell us about yours.

If you're building AI, software, or hardware that drives efficiency, resiliency, or decarbonization, we'd love to hear from you.
Share your vision
THE LIGHTHOUSE:

Subscribe to stay updated on news, insights, & invites to special events within our community.

We’re lighting the path forward for the ClimateTech industry—keep up with us along the journey.

View our Publication
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
By signing up you agree to our privacy policy
The BUOYANT PUBLICATION

Solve for Today.
Scale for the Future.

About Us
Amy Francetic is the co-founder and Managing General Partner of Buoyant Ventures, where she leads the firm's strategy investing in the intelligence layer for the physical world.

Her career spans over 20 years of high technology entrepreneurship, private equity, and research. Amy previously founded and led Energize Ventures, a $165M venture fund that invests in digital energy technologies.

She also co-founded and served as CEO of technology accelerator Evergreen Climate Innovations (formerly Clean Energy Trust,) which has invested in over 40 early-stage clean energy companies across the Midwestern US. She now serves as Chair of its Board of Directors. Amy also held roles at private equity firm MVC Capital, and at Stanford Research Institute where she worked on an early version of the voice recognition technology that became Siri. Earlier in her career, she was co-founder and CEO of a consumer technology company that was funded by Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen, and that she sold to the Danish toy company, Lego Systems. Amy also helped fundraise for mobile gaming company, GluMobile, on whose board she served until it went public on the NASDAQ.

In addition to the Evergreen Climate board, Amy serves on the boards of Buoyant Ventures portfolio companies HData, Hammerhead, ReelData, and Ocient. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the WISER Institute at the Illinois Institute of Technology. In 2020 Crain's recognized her for the third time as one of Chicago's Top 50 Technology Leaders. In 2019 she was honored by Streetwise as one of the "20 Most Inspiring Chicagoans." In 2015 she was an Emerging Leader at the Chicago Council for Global Affairs. In 2014 she was awarded the Corporate Citizen of the Year Award from the Executives' Club of Chicago, and Leading Woman in Technology from the Illinois Technology Association. Amy is a regular lecturer in energy and entrepreneurship at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago's Law School. She has a BA from Stanford University.

Amy lives in Lake Forest, IL with her husband and two dogs.
Allison Myers is a co-Founder and General Partner of Buoyant Ventures, an early-stage venture
fund focused on digital solutions for climate.

Allison spent almost a decade as an executive at Accenture Strategy developing
transformational strategies for large corporations in the energy, mobility, and built environment.
Her work focused on customer, regulatory, business model, and innovation strategies
leveraging digital technologies to drive speed and scale. As a leader within her practice, she
published thought capital and oversaw Accenture Strategy's MBA internship program.

Allison started her career at a healthcare start-up, acquired by Walgreens focused on aligning care
costs with care complexity.
‍
Allison received her BA from Dickinson College and her MBA at the University of Michigan,
where she was an Associate for the Michigan Social Venture Fund. In 2021 she was a Chicago
Council for Global Affairs Emerging Leader. Today Allison sits on the board of Michigan Climate
Venture, a student-run climatetech fund at the University of Michigan.
‍
Allison lives in Denver and spends her free time enjoying the outdoors in every season.