Investment analysis · Solar energy · Climate venture

Ricardo Fontão Wendel

I'm building toward a career in climate-focused investing, starting on the ground in solar sales. Cambridge-trained in economic history, with legal training on top, and I manage my family's investment portfolio on the side. I'd rather actually understand an industry before I try to invest in it.

London, UK Brazilian, native Portuguese speaker

About

I read Economic History at Cambridge (MPhil), then trained in law at BPP Law School (PGDL) and started out as a Competition Law Paralegal. Studying markets from an economic history angle and then training as a lawyer gave me two pretty different ways of picking apart how markets and regulation actually work.

Alongside that, I've been doing investment analysis for my family's portfolio for a few years, and I'm part of a venture capital fellowship, which has got me closer to early-stage investing than I'd otherwise be.

None of this is random. Law, investing, and now real operating experience in a climate business are all pointed at the same thing: building an actual case for working in climate investing or venture capital, not just saying I'm interested in it.

View of a beach and coastline through a flowering flamboyant tree and palms, Brazilian coast — Boiçucanga, Brazil.

Education: MPhil Economic History, Cambridge
PGDL, BPP Law School
Prior role: Competition Law Paralegal
Network: Fellow, Venture Capital Network
Languages: Portuguese (native), English

Path

Early career

Competition Law Paralegal

Worked on regulatory and market-conduct matters: my first real look at how markets are structured, and fought over.

Ongoing

Investment Analysis, Family Investment Vehicle

Manage analysis across three portfolios: growth equities including pre-revenue companies, a dividend income strategy, and a hedged S&P 500 position using put options.

Ongoing

Venture Capital Fellowship

Getting closer to early-stage investing through a venture fellowship, rather than just reading about it from the outside.

Starting shortly

Solar Sales Associate

Joining a VC-backed UK solar startup in direct sales. I picked this on purpose: it's the fastest way to actually understand the sector before I try to invest in it.

Current focus

Portfolio · Growth Growth & Pre-Revenue

Equity positions in growth-stage and pre-revenue companies, underwritten on long-horizon thesis rather than near-term earnings.

Portfolio · Income Dividend Income

A dividend-focused sleeve built for durable, compounding cash income across market cycles.

Portfolio · Hedged Hedged S&P 500

A core S&P 500 position with downside managed through put options, sized for capital preservation.

Writing

In progress

I'm working on writing up what I'm actually seeing in residential solar and the wider energy transition, not just commentary from the sidelines. First pieces coming soon.

Contact

If you work in climate investing, venture capital, or solar and residential energy, I'd like to talk; I'm always happy to compare notes.

Email: ricardo@ricardofwendel.com