4impact capital invests in Lucend, AI intelligence software for data center operations

Impact venture capital fund 4impact capital has invested in Lucend, the Amsterdam-based AI software startup founded by Jasper de Vries and René Gompel in 2023. Lucend has developed a comprehensive intelligence platform that gives operators clear, daily insight to optimize complex data center infrastructure across power, cooling, and other mission-critical systems.

Lucend transforms data centers into intelligent, data-driven facilities by converting existing operational data into clear, actionable recommendations and enhanced visibility. The platform helps improve reliability and sustainability, reducing infrastructure energy usage by up to 40%. Lucend achieves these results by modeling the interdependencies across mechanical and electrical systems, capturing how assets influence one another—rather than analyzing components in isolation. This holistic, transparent approach has made Lucend the solution of choice for globally leading operators such as Digital Realty.

Data centers accounted for 2% of global electricity consumption in 2022, a number expected to rise sharply. By 2030, global data centers may consume an average of 3.2% of all electricity, with regional estimates reaching 6% in the United States and up to 32% in Ireland by 2026. As demand accelerates, operators face growing challenges: increasing energy usage, rising CO₂ emissions, expanding water consumption, and complex, physics-driven systems that make real-time optimization difficult. The sheer volume of variables—and constantly shifting workloads—limits a team’s ability to manually determine optimal settings.

4impact capital now joins Lucend as a software-specialized investor, supporting the team in scaling globally. Founders De Vries and Gompel bring decades of experience in data-driven optimization across industrial environments. Through extensive work with global data center clients, they have built and refined best-in-class AI models capable of adapting to diverse facilities and operational conditions.

As global demand for data centers continues to surge, Lucend is positioned to become an essential component of the world’s digital infrastructure.

“The unrivaled expertise of Jasper, Rene, and their team in Amsterdam and around the world makes them the obvious choice for many of the world’s leading data center operators. The need for, and benefit of, their product is crystal clear. As they become a key component of operating critical infrastructure globally, we are proud to play a part in Lucend’s journey to reduce 1% of all global energy used for data center cooling while delivering meaningful cost and resource savings to customers.”
— Victor Straatman, Partner, 4impact capital

“We are thrilled to have 4impact join our mission for a more sustainable digital infrastructure. They share our ambition, and this investment reflects their confidence in our momentum. It will enable further global expansion and allow us to deepen the impact we create for customers.”
— Jasper de Vries, Co-Founder and CPO, Lucend

About Lucend

Lucend, founded in 2023 by Jasper de Vries and René Gompel, helps data centers operate with greater efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. By merging existing operational data with advanced AI models, Lucend provides the daily clarity operators need to make informed decisions across increasingly complex environments without requiring new hardware. The platform has delivered measurable results, including up to 40% energy and water savings, improved reliability and resilience, compliance with evolving sustainability regulations, and increased team productivity.

Contact: rene.gompel@getlucend.com

About 4impact capital

4impact capital is a prominent early-stage impact investor in European digital startups. 4impact capital supports passionate founders dedicated to advancing sustainability and creating measurable change, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the areas of Planet and People. Currently, 4impact capital is investing from its second fund, which they anticipate to close later this year. 4impact plans to invest in around 25 companies that capitalize on the massive opportunity at the intersection of digitization and sustainability in Europe, focusing on the Benelux, DACH, and Nordics regions.

Contact: connect@4impact.vc