Schneider Electric and Alstom are joining forces to launch a new venture capital fund to finance innovative start-ups in the fields of energy and the environment. The fund, Aster Capital, is based in Paris and will receive progressively a capital subscription of €70 million, from Schneider Electric (€40ﾠmillion) and Alstom (€30 million).

The mission of Aster Capital (www.aster.com) is to take minority interests in innovative start-ups based in Europe, North America and Asia, developing new technologies that could lead to major breakthroughs in the fields of energy and the environment.