| Berlin, 14.06.2023 2° Investing Initiative Germany (2DII) is announcing today that it will change its public brand to Theia Finance Labs (Theia) (www.theiafinance.org). Our relaunch is designed to reflect the evolution of our research portfolio as well as our governance. Theia will act as the home and incubator of three research programs and brands – the tilt SME climate data program, the climate analytics Transition Monitor Platform (https://platform.transitionmonitor.com/), and our stress-test and long-term risk program 1in1000 (www.1in1000.com). We are also looking forward to announcing additional ventures and partnerships over the course of the next year. Our relaunch reflects our strategy to move from an ‘initiative’ with an integrated research programme to a lab that is home to a range of different research brands and strategies. Our role will continue to focus on incubating research solutions and ensuring their long-term sustainability, while working with commercial and non-commercial partners on scaling these solutions. We look forward to applying our expertise as we have done with PACTA, now with RMI (since 2022), MyFairMoney / MeinFairMögen (continued by 2DII France from 2023 as part of the retail research stream), and AssetResolution, now AssetImpact (spun off by 2DII Germany and 2DII France in 2018). The rebrand also reflects a broader governance evolution. Theia was originally conceived with a multi-stakeholder governance. In 2021, we decided to transition to a cooperative, employee-led governance model with the Board election and key organizational decisions taken by the association’ members – its employees. A new brand will also help create market clarity as to the origin of our research and work. Due to the collaborative nature of our research, multiple initiatives and ventures have operated using the 2DII brand over the years. Now our rebranding efforts aim to delineate the work conducted by 2DII France and the projects led by our organization, based in Berlin. Cooperating with the leadership and project teams of 2DII France has been an exciting and productive adventure and we look forward to continuing our collaboration on selected projects. Given the expansion of our research portfolio beyond “investing” and a broader consideration of climate impacts, we are also excited about the opportunity for our new brand to reflect our research portfolio more fully. Theia Finance Labs finds its inspiration in the Greek goddess of sight and vision Theia, who granted gold its radiance and value. It also takes influence from the Greek word Aletheia, which means “disclosure”, “truth”, or more literally, “the state of not being hidden”. The new brand thus mirrors our goal to develop evidence-based research and tools that shed light on the intersection of finance, climate change, and long-term risks. Theia will continue to operate as a 100% non-profit organization. Jakob Thomä, Co-Founder and Research Director of Theia Finance Labs, said: “I am excited about the opportunity for our new brand to more fully reflect our research portfolio. Our new brand will make it easier to collaborate with our partners and reaffirms our commitment to impact. The ‘labs’ concept is integral to our research focus but also our broader aim to continue to act as a trusted organization home to the some of the largest research projects on sustainable finance in the world.” Raphael Schöttler, President of the Theia Finance Labs Board, said: “We are proud of our work over the past years in shaping finance. We also recognize however that our future success depends on looking forward and preparing ourselves for the challenges ahead. The organizational evolution and rebrand allows us to do just that and I am excited about the work ahead and the team we have in place to implement it.” Note: Theia Finance Labs will until further notice maintain its legal name “2° Investing Initiative Deutschland e.V.” The rebrand announced here pertains exclusively to the public brand under which we intend to operate in the market. Contact: jakob@theiafinance.org – Jakob Thomä, Co-Founder & Research Director – Theia Finance Labs |
