Oil giant BP shutters its corporate venture arm after 20 years

石油巨头 BP 在运营 20 年后关闭其企业风险投资部门

BP has had an on-again, off-again relationship with climate tech. Now it’s definitely “off.” On top of pivoting away from clean energy earlier this year, the oil giant announced today that it was selling the majority of its venture portfolio — more than 10 companies, according to BP — to Verdane, a Nordic private equity firm.

BP 与气候技术之间的关系一直分分合合。现在，这种关系彻底“断了”。继今年早些时候从清洁能源领域撤资后，这家石油巨头今日宣布，将把其大部分风险投资组合（据 BP 称涉及 10 多家公司）出售给北欧私募股权公司 Verdane。

Since BP launched its venture arm in 2007, it has invested in a wide range of industries, many of them focused on the energy transition, including green hydrogen, e-mobility, ride-hailing, autonomous vehicles, private jet charters, and geothermal energy, among other sectors.

自 2007 年 BP 成立其风险投资部门以来，它投资了广泛的行业，其中许多专注于能源转型，包括绿色氢能、电动出行、网约车、自动驾驶汽车、私人飞机租赁和地热能等领域。

In a press release, the company said it would “retain interests in a small number of investments where the technology has the potential to create value for its businesses.” When reached for comment, BP declined to specify which companies it would be keeping.

在新闻稿中，该公司表示将“保留少数几项投资的权益，这些投资所涉及的技术有潜力为其业务创造价值”。当被联系置评时，BP 拒绝透露具体保留了哪些公司。

The company also declined to comment on the fate of BP Ventures employees, citing local legal and regulatory requirements, though layoffs seem likely. BP expects the portfolio sale to be completed in the second quarter of 2027.

该公司还以当地法律和监管要求为由，拒绝就 BP Ventures 员工的去向发表评论，尽管裁员似乎已不可避免。BP 预计此次投资组合出售将于 2027 年第二季度完成。

Over the years, BP Ventures’ varied investments haven’t been terribly successful financially: Axios reporter Alan Neuhauser said last year that the portfolio was valued at about $1.2 billion, or roughly the same amount that the company had poured into it since establishing the unit in 2006.

多年来，BP Ventures 的各类投资在财务上并不算非常成功：Axios 记者 Alan Neuhauser 去年曾表示，该投资组合的估值约为 12 亿美元，这与该公司自 2006 年成立该部门以来投入的资金数额大致相当。