Climate activist’s investment in Spanish solar startup follows support to other green energy and environmentally focused startups.

Hollywood star and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio has thrown his weight and money behind a Spanish solar startup that wants to help homeowners generate and trade clean energy.

DiCaprio invested in SolarMente as part of a seed round of investment for the Barcelona company, Spanish media including El Economista reported today (Tuesday).

SolarMente was founded in 2020 by Dutch engineer Wouter Draijier and Victor Gardrinier, a Canadian software developer.

It plans to help millions of Spanish homeowners produce, store and sell their clean energy in what it claims could be a market worth billions of dollars.

To help homeowners circumvent the high upfront costs that might otherwise dissuade them from investing in solar panels, SolarMente allows them to buy the kit through a monthly subscription model.

Homeowners can then store and sell their energy to generate earnings through their electricity.

Draijier and Gardrinier reportedly approached DiCaprio as part of a broader effort to attract high-profile support for their company.

Oscar-winning actor DiCaprio is a committed environmentalist and has invested in a range of startups, including Guatemalan solar firm Kingo Energy and vegan burger meat developer Beyond Meat.

It has not been disclosed how much DiCaprio has invested in SolarMente, which has reportedly raised around €55m ($60m) since its launch.(Copyright)