Foundry is Zero Circle's advisory and execution engine for energy and climate project finance. It combines fundraising strategy, agentic outreach operations, carbon compliance, blended capital structuring, and post-close financial infrastructure — covering the full lifecycle from first conversation to deployed capital. Average time from Foundry engagement to first term sheet: 11 weeks.
Pathfinder — Outreach Engine
A custom service (not a SaaS tool) that designs and operates automated B2B outreach end-to-end: target identification by role context rather than job title, warm-path discovery before cold outreach, hyper-personalized drafts approved by a human, and a learning loop that sharpens every campaign. Typical results: 500+ qualified targets identified per campaign, first qualified conversations within 2–3 weeks, zero SDR headcount required. Case result: 500 qualified targets, 30 active conversations in 2 weeks, 2 deals in discussion within 45 days.
Provenance — Carbon Intelligence & Compliance
- Carbon accounting: Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions quantified to GHG Protocol standards
- Supplier risk scoring: Tier 1 and Tier 2 supplier emissions with country-level CBAM exposure
- CBAM compliance: embedded carbon per product line, certificate cost modeling, filing-ready output for EU importers
- Regulatory reporting: audit-ready packages for CSRD, SEC Scope 1–2 disclosure, SBTi, CDP, and TCFD on one data model
Energy Financing Strategy
- Discovery (2–4 weeks) — audit energy commitments, align stakeholders, map the regulatory and financing landscape
- Project Prioritization (4–6 weeks) — AI fundability scoring identifies which projects can attract capital
- Capital Preparation (4–8 weeks) — deal structures, institutional-grade investor materials, mandate matching
- Execution (ongoing) — capital partner introductions, Climate Exchange listing, Impact Circle deployment
Catalytic Capital — Blended Finance Structuring
Layering catalytic capital from DFIs and energy funds to bridge the gap between project risk and commercial return thresholds:
- First-loss / catalytic layer (DFIs, foundations, philanthropies) — 0–4% IRR or grant
- Mezzanine (impact investors, family offices) — 6–9% IRR
- Senior commercial (banks, institutional investors) — 10–14% IRR
Circulate — Post-Close Financial Operations
- PPA operations: automated payment flows, billing reconciliation, performance-linked settlement on Stripe-powered infrastructure
- Fund & SPV administration: capital calls, LP distributions, cash management, NAV reporting
- Project finance operations: draw-down scheduling tied to verified milestones, lender reporting integrated with EnergyROI
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Foundry?
Foundry is Zero Circle's advisory and execution engine for energy finance. It combines fundraising strategy, outreach operations, carbon compliance, blended capital structuring, and post-close financial infrastructure — covering the full lifecycle from first conversation to deployed capital.
Who is Foundry for?
Energy project developers who need a fundable capital strategy. Enterprises with decarbonization commitments that need to translate into executed projects. Institutions that need deal sourcing, compliance infrastructure, or fund operations.
How is this different from hiring a consultant?
Consultants deliver recommendations. Foundry delivers outcomes. We stay engaged through capital deployment — running outreach, structuring deals, sourcing investors, and operating post-close infrastructure. You pay for results, not hours.
What does Foundry cost?
Foundry engagements are milestone-priced. You pay for defined deliverables at each phase — with clear exit points if the engagement isn't working. No retainer ambiguity.
Can we engage just one capability, or is it all-or-nothing?
Each Foundry capability can be engaged independently. Most clients start with Energy Financing Strategy or Pathfinder, then layer in Provenance, Catalytic Capital, or Circulate as the deal progresses.
How long before we see Pathfinder results?
Most clients see qualified conversations within the first 2–3 weeks of a campaign launch. The first campaign typically runs 4–6 weeks.