Climate investors
Climate investors back companies that reduce emissions, adapt to a changing climate, or rebuild industrial systems around cleaner inputs. The sector runs from software that measures carbon to plants that make steel, and the capital each needs is very different.
The firms on this list name climate or sustainability as a focus on their own website. Some are dedicated climate funds and many are generalist firms with a climate practice. Each cites its own site as the source for what is written here.
Founder Institute is a pre-seed startup accelerator that offers structured accelerator programs to help entrepreneurs launch and grow technology startups. It provides a core program…
KBW Ventures is an asset management company focusing exclusively on venture capital, value creation, and growth equity. It targets direct investments in some of the world's most…
212 invests in growth-stage tech companies across Turkey, CEE, and MENA. Currently, our fund manages €75 million of committed capital, and 25 investments. Our strategy is to invest in…
An Abu Dhabi-based next-generation investment holding company within IHC with an AI-enabled, diversified portfolio across multi-trillion-dollar sectors.
Founded in 2020 by former Rocket Internet executives Alexander Kudlich and Ludwig Ensthaler, alongside Mesosphere founder Florian Leibert, 468 Capital bridges the European and US tech…
4DX Ventures is a technology-focused investment firm active across Africa. The firm highlights more than 10 years of track record, over 50 portfolio companies, and operations in more…
500 Global is a multi-stage venture capital firm with US$2.4 billion in assets under management that invests in founders building fast-growing technology companies. We focus on…
Abu Dhabi Growth Fund is a sovereign investment fund established in July 2021 with the mandate of pursuing a differentiated investment strategy to generate high financial returns for…
Founded in 2013, AgFunder is a digitally-native venture capital firm that operates at the intersection of capital, media, and technology. They leverage their globally recognized media…
Founded in 1999, Morgan Stanley Private Equity Solutions (formerly AIP Private Markets) is a leading limited partner and co-investor in the global private markets. Operating as a…
Alpha Dhabi Holding is a publicly listed investment holding company in the MENA region with a portfolio across diverse sectors including climate capital, real estate, healthcare…
Antler was founded on the belief that people innovating is the key to building a better future. We partner with exceptional founders across six continents to launch and scale startups…
Established in 2013 by the Mærsk family, A.P. Moller Holding acts as the investment arm of the A.P. Moller Foundation. It was created to safeguard the long-term viability of the…
Balderton Capital is a pillar of the European venture ecosystem, originally established as the European arm of Silicon Valley's Benchmark Capital before becoming independent. The firm…
Breega propels pioneering and purpose-driven founders from idea into impact. We closed our first fund in 2015 and now have half a billion AUM and 70+ trailblazing portfolio companies.…
Breyer Capital is an independent global venture capital and private equity investor. Founded by Jim Breyer in 2006, it makes long-term, idea-driven investments.
Brookfield Asset Management is a leading global investment firm known for its "owner-operator" model, leveraging its 250,000+ operating employees to actively run and improve acquired…
Cherry Ventures is a seed fund, founded by entrepreneurs with substantial experience in building fast-scaling technology companies.
Daoverse Capital focuses on providing marketing and financial support to innovative technology projects that provide fundamental support to the web3 ecosystem. It also works on…
Delta Corp Holdings is a global, asset-light integrated supply chain business founded by Mudit Paliwal. The firm manages the movement of freight, energy, and commodities through a…
Anchored by the Dubai International Financial Centre and Dubai Future Foundation to strengthen venture capital investing in Dubai.
Eiosoft Capital is a UAE-based venture capital firm operating out of ADGM Abu Dhabi and DIFC Dubai, investing in early to growth-stage companies.
EDB is a key enabler of the UAE's economic transformation. We provide financial support to businesses in our 5 key strategic sectors including healthcare, advanced technology…
What climate investors look for
A product someone buys without a subsidy.
Policy helps and policy changes. Investors look for a customer who pays because the product is cheaper, better or required, and treat incentives as upside.
Impact that can be measured.
Tonnes avoided, energy saved, materials replaced. Climate funds report on it to their own investors, and a company that measures its effect credibly is easier to fund.
A path through capital intensity.
Many climate companies eventually need project finance, debt or infrastructure capital. Investors want to see that the founders know which kind of money funds which stage, and that venture equity is the right money for this one.
Technical credibility.
Where the product is a physical process, investors bring engineers. The science should be published, piloted or demonstrated at a scale that matters.
A route to first commercial scale.
The step from pilot to first plant or first fleet is where climate companies most often stall. A plan for that step, with its cost and its customer, is central to the pitch.
Raising in climate
Climate rounds split by capital need. Software and services companies raise like any other. Companies building physical things face longer diligence, larger rounds and a mix of investors that includes strategic and infrastructure capital alongside venture.
Have ready: the technical evidence with its scale stated, the cost curve and where the product sits on it today, the customer and the reason they buy now, the policy exposure in each target market, and the capital plan through first commercial deployment.
Corporate and strategic investors are more active in climate than in most sectors. They bring offtake and distribution and they move slowly. Founders often run them in parallel with financial investors rather than waiting for them.
Questions
Is climate tech only hardware?
No. Software for measurement, reporting, grid management and trading is a large part of the sector. Many of the firms on this list back both.
How do climate investors think about policy risk?
They model it and prefer not to depend on it. A product that works in a market without subsidies is valued more than one whose economics need them.
What is first-of-a-kind risk?
The risk in building the first commercial plant or system of a new design. Venture investors often stop at the pilot, and specialist capital picks up from there. Founders should know which investors fund which step.
Do generalist funds invest in climate?
Many do, especially in software and in companies with a clear commercial customer. The list on this page includes firms that state climate as a focus, whether dedicated or generalist.
How do investors measure impact?
By the emissions the product avoids or removes per unit sold, and the total at scale. Funds use standard frameworks and expect companies to report against one.
Climate investors by country
Climate investors by city
Climate investors by stage