Longevity Partners, a leading real estate-focused climate and sustainability consultancy, secured strategic investment from Nuveen and Leon Capital in this major milestone. Since it was founded in 2015, the firm provides real estate and infrastructure companies with services of facilitating green building certifications, energy audit, developing a climate resilience strategy, as well as implementing energy-efficient measures, all to make a move towards a lighter impact footprint and future proof the asset. The firm has certified over $300 billion worth of real estate assets so far and is globally recognized for offering BREEAM In-use certifications, which is the most sought-after standard for green buildings.
Founder and CEO Etienne Cadestin highlighted that the partnership will help to speed up the global growth of Longevity, along with its ability to hasten the real estate sector’s transition towards net zero, with the support of the resources and strategic work by Nuveen and Leon Capital. Earlier this year, Longevity launched its Decarbonization Dashboard, a tool aimed at helping commercial real estate managers track emissions and create decarbonization pathways. The real estate sector contributes to 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 34% of global energy consumption, making the tool a measurable step toward a more sustainable future.
I see it as a really excellent investment opportunity in this time of rallying call for all of us to step up and address the climate crisis,” says Radhika Shroff, the Managing Director of Private Equity Impact at Nuveen. “This is a science-based sustainability consultancy. This investment shall contribute toward making real estate markets worldwide more carbon-emitting,” she adds. The managing partners at Leon Capital, Jean-Christophe Napoleon Bonaparte and Christos Lavidas, and Partner Michael Youtsos all spoke well of the expertise Longevity had and said that a critical role in the built environment to reshape toward climate goals was an added strength. They further went ahead to point out their commitment to fortifying Longevity’s position as a leader in sustainability for the industry.
The real estate investment management firm, Long Harbour, has sold its stake in Longevity Partners to Nuveen and Leon Capital, co-founders and seed-funders. Long Harbour CEO William Astor reflected on the growth and impact of Longevity over the past nine years, acknowledging the firm’s global influence in advancing climate solutions for the real estate industry. Astor expressed optimism that the new investment will help Longevity scale its operations and push the decarbonization mission at a time when companies face increasing pressure to hit net-zero emissions.