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Kilara Capital

climate impact, energy, decarbonisation, sustainable infrastructure, renewable projects

Melbourne, AustraliaEst. 201716kilaracapital.com
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Location
Melbourne, Australia
Founded
2017
Team size
16
Focus
Climate Tech
People
1 listed

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About Kilara Capital

Kilara Capital is a specialist Australian investment manager and project developer based in Melbourne, dedicated to driving decarbonisation outcomes and fostering a low-carbon economy. Established in 2017, the firm operates across three distinct business lines: private equity, energy, and infrastructure solutions. Kilara Capital's core purpose is to generate robust commercial returns for investors while simultaneously building resilience and sustainability for businesses and society at large.

The firm serves investors seeking exposure to climate-smart opportunities and partners with scalable small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are critical to the economic transition towards a sustainable future. Kilara Capital's investment strategy focuses on businesses with proven models, nearing or achieving profitability, and deeply embedded in essential value chains. Their thematic investment areas include future foods, circular economy, energy transformation, environmental markets, and sustainable infrastructure.

What sets Kilara Capital apart is its profound commitment to measurable impact, going beyond traditional ESG considerations. The firm is a Certified B Corporation, reflecting its high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Kilara applies a rigorous impact assessment framework and an ambitious impact hurdle, committing to reduce CO2e emissions by 15 percent, which is double the target set by the Paris Agreement. This approach ensures that financial returns are directly linked to tangible decarbonisation outcomes.

Key achievements for Kilara Capital include the establishment of the A$40 million Kilara Growth Fund (KGF) in 2022, recognised as Australia's first climate-focused growth private equity fund. The KGF rapidly deployed A$17 million across four portfolio companies by October 2022. More recently, in 2025, Kilara Capital formed a strategic joint venture with Salter Brothers to establish KSB Sustainable Investments, launching the KSB Transition Fund, which benefits from a combined AUM of over $4.5 billion across more than 10 funds.

The leadership team at Kilara Capital brings extensive experience across finance, renewable energy, and sustainable investment. Ben Krasnostein, the founder and Managing Partner, leads the overall management and strategy. Dougal McOmish serves as a Partner and Chief Investment Officer for the Kilara Growth Fund, overseeing investment origination and execution. Dr Jodi York is the Chief Impact Officer, responsible for leading the firm's robust impact measurement and management practices. Emma Jenkin, also a Partner, has over 20 years of experience in climate investing, deal origination, and portfolio management.

Kilara Capital at a glance

๐Ÿ“…
Stage
Growth stage, targeting scalable small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) with proven business models, nearing or achieving profitability.
๐ŸŽฏ
Focus
$5.0M - $10.0M
โšก
Decision process
Kilara Capital invests in businesses that achieve greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction outcomes, operate in specific focus sectors, and demonstrate meaningful revenue with underlying profitability and supply chain criticality. They conduct rigorous impact assessments and apply an impact hurdle to reduce CO2e emissions by 15%.
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Fund structure
Kilara Growth Fund (KGF) is a Venture Capital Limited Partnership (VCLP). KSB Transition Fund is a private equity fund.
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Sector focus
Climate impact, energy, decarbonisation, sustainable infrastructure, renewable projects, food industry supply chain, energy and carbon markets, natural resource management, manufacturing & industrial, energy efficiency, resource efficiency & materials, circular economy, future food, environmental markets, industrial refrigeration solutions.
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AUM
Kilara Growth Fund: A$40M; KSB Sustainable Investments (JV with Salter Brothers): >$4.5B (combined)
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Investment thesis

Kilara Capital's thesis revolves around investing in and developing scalable businesses and technologies that deliver measurable decarbonisation outcomes and sustainable infrastructure solutions. The firm aims to generate strong commercial returns for investors while simultaneously advancing resilience and sustainability, focusing on the transition to a low-carbon economy.

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Key partners

B
Ben Krasnostein
Managing Partner

Dedicated to providing sustainable investment opportunities for a zero-carbon future, focusing on a broad range of outcomes when it comes to decarbonisation and solving climate challenges.

D
Dougal McOmish
Partner, Chief Investment Officer (Kilara Growth Fund)

Responsible for investment origination, structuring, and execution for the Kilara Growth Fund, providing commercial and strategic insights to investee companies.

D
Dr Jodi York
Chief Impact Officer

Focuses on impact measurement and management, ensuring that impact approach helps to drive down greenhouse gas emissions while boosting financial returns.

E
Emma Jenkin
Partner

Focused on creating value for investors in the transition to a zero-emissions future, committed to benchmarking, measuring, and reporting on impact, with returns linked to impact targets.

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Portfolio companies

๐Ÿ’ป
JET Charge
A leading installer of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Australasia.
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Sircel
Australia's largest e-waste processor, focusing on national expansion and advanced solar panel recycling to solve the e-waste crisis through a circular economy model.
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Wattwatchers
Australia's leading digital energy platform company, providing real-time monitoring and control of energy use to enable smart homes and distributed energy resources.
๐ŸŒฑ
Tasman Environmental Markets (TEM)
Asia Pacific's largest carbon offset provider, involved in developing, managing, and sourcing high-integrity carbon offsetting projects.
๐Ÿค–
Grounded Packaging
Specialises in providing sustainable and personalised packaging solutions to businesses, with a focus on sustainable materials and reducing environmental impact.

People at Kilara Capital (1)

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