The best of The Green Techpreneur
An update for 2025 and a look at all that transpired in 2024
Happy 2025 dear Green Techpreneur readers!
Thank you for being a part of our network of climate tech founders, investors, and sustainability warriors.
The Green Techpreneur (GT) is a springboard platform for climate tech startups: we offer an investor/startup marketplace to help you raise funds and a magazine. In this newsletter, you’ll receive climate investment opportunities as well as exclusive, original interviews to help you build your business and make a mark on the planet: real insight from climate leaders who are in the trenches for fellow founders.
Before we delve into all that’s ahead, here’s a recap of 2024
If 2023 was a breakout, multiple-award winning year for The Green Techpreneur, 2024 was a year in which time largely stood still. (More on this to follow!)
Nonetheless, here are some highlights we’re proud of:
The GT platform subscriber list grew by 25%
GT was a judge for the Made in Britain Sustainability Award – we were proud to present the award to winner Ahmarra Door Solutions.
We established new partnerships with climate tech fundraisers
We supported climate tech startups in getting investment ready
Via the Climate Marketplace, we helped startups raise awareness for their fundraise within a climate investor network.
GT published interviews and insight on climate tech innovation and business building.
…..At the end of 2023 I had moved to Wiltshire, near Bath, and acquired the Climate Marketplace. But I soon found my health issues that started in 2023 got worse, to a point where I was totally out of action for months. After countless NHS tests didn’t find the root cause, I was referred to a fatigue specialist on suspicion of chronic fatigue syndrome. At that point I realised I had reached the end of the road with public health care and would need to take matters into my own hands (private healthcare). Luckily, I got help from a brilliant dietician (25 years experience and has helped over 12,000 people, you can contact her here).
She suggested a comprehensive gut health test, and I discovered a severe gut infection was the root cause of the symptoms. After I had struggled with poor health for so long, I was amazed to find the path to recovery was as simple as changing my diet to gradually eliminate the ‘bad bugs’ and feed the good ones. I’m sharing all this because public health care often doesn’t have the right tests (the NHS had tested my gut health but not found the infection) or knowledge of gut health to help, so it may help someone else experiencing unexplained symptoms or fatigue and save you precious time.
That said, I’m now more grateful than ever for the simple things in life, being able to walk, work, dance, move, laugh. As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to get caught up in the highs and lows of business, but the knowledge that life is a journey, that things we take for granted can change at any moment, and that it must be enjoyed to the max, will remain with me. For me, balance in different aspects of life is key to honouring and finding joy in the journey.
So what’s ahead for 2025?
We will continue to connect the climate tech sector and develop and grow the Climate Marketplace, saving startups time and money with an easy way to send their pitch to quality climate investors and be contacted directly by investors.
The Climate Marketplace has a quality climate investor network of 2,000 climate investors covering the full range of seed to VC funding.
It has already driven some remarkable results in climate tech fundraising:
Since 2020, the marketplace has helped over 150 startups raise €200 million
If you are a climate investor, you will only be able to view startups’ full listing details on the site, receive alerts for new listings and improve your deal flow, if you are registered on the platform.
Register to view the full listing for our latest investment opportunity, Swiss Vault:
If you are a climate startup, list your pitch on the site and have it sent out to a wide investor network. (It’s free to list your pitch on the site for now.)
In other news, we’ve got a great opportunity for collaboration with the right partner….
Partnership opportunity
Would you like to become a partner of The Green Techpreneur platform? You’ll get not only regular promotion on the platform but also the opportunity to be featured with deep dive articles.
Let’s take a look at the climate trends and opportunities of 2024, and investigate what’s ahead in 2025.
Key climate tech trends in 2024:
Clean energy dominance: Clean energy attracted significant investment, with a shift towards software-driven solutions using AI, Big Data, and IoT to optimize energy systems.
Hydrogen scaling: Hydrogen projects moved from exploratory to developmental phases, with larger investments in growth and scaling, particularly in regions like the Nordics and Scotland.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) growth: CCS technologies gained traction due to improved scalability and reduced costs, attracting more investment.
Alternative proteins expansion: The alternative proteins market grew significantly, driven by lifestyle shifts and its role in combating climate change.
AI-powered climate solutions: AI-centered climate ventures raised substantial funding, with applications in emissions reduction, climate resilience, and energy efficiency.
Adaptation and resilience focus: About 28% of climate tech deals supported startups working on adaptation and resilience offerings to manage climate-related stresses.
Energy integration innovations: There was increased focus on integrating renewable energy into existing grids and addressing challenges related to intermittent production.
Decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors: Efforts to develop climate tech innovations for industries like manufacturing and construction intensified.
Despite these trends, climate tech investment and deal activity declined compared to previous years, though it remained resilient relative to overall venture capital trends.
Several climate tech startups received significant funding in 2024:
Clean energy developers: Pine Gate Renewables and Nexamp each raised over $500 million.
Nuclear technology: Oklo Technologies, a small modular reactor developer, secured more than $500 million in funding.
Electric vehicles: Zeekr Intelligent Technology, a Chinese EV maker, raised $441 million through its listing on the New York Stock Exchange.
Geological hydrogen: Koloma, a Denver-based startup, received $246 million from Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
Direct air capture: 280 Earth, an Alphabet spin-off, raised $50 million from Builders VC.
Green hydrogen and alternative fuels: Two unnamed ventures in this sector each raised more than $1 billion.
The data shows that clean energy, transportation, and innovative carbon capture technologies attracted substantial investments in 2024.
Which Regions Invested the Most?
In 2024, the United States emerged as the top climate tech financing market, surpassing China:
The U.S. raised $6.7 billion in the first half of 2024, while China raised $5.1 billion during the same period.
This marked a significant shift from 2023, when China led with $14.5 billion in the first half, compared to the U.S.'s $9.8 billion.
The U.S. market showed resilience, maintaining steady investment levels throughout 2024, with $24.0 billion raised between Q4 2023 and Q3 2024.
Key factors contributing to this trend include:
The Inflation Reduction Act in the U.S., which provided substantial incentives for climate tech investments.
A slowdown in the Asia-Pacific region, with its funding share dropping from 19% in 2023 to 7% in the first three quarters of 2024.
Increased cross-border investments in U.S. companies, with 60% of climate tech venture deals in the U.S. involving international investors.
And here’s some very good news for what’s in store in 2025:
Surge in cleantech and infrastructure investments: Global investments in cleantech and infrastructure are projected to reach $2 trillion, roughly double the investment in fossil fuels.
Further forecasted trends for 2025 include:
Carbon capture technologies, including direct air capture, are poised for significant growth, supported by over $3.5 billion in U.S. federal funding. AI is expected to optimize energy grids, weather forecasting, and sustainability efforts across industries. Renewable energy, especially geothermal, is forecasted to surpass fossil fuels in baseload capacity, bolstered by advancements in energy storage like lithium-ion and solid-state batteries.
There is increasing focus on climate resilience in both corporate and government strategies, alongside the use of generative AI for more transparent ESG reporting. Investments in cleantech and infrastructure are set to reach $2 trillion, while breakthroughs in agricultural technologies and carbon markets will further reduce emissions and enhance food security.
I’ve picked out some of the most popular 2024 interviews:
What does a Trump presidency mean for climate tech startups?
In this edition, Martin Keighley, the CEO of US-based CarbonFree, shares insights on how the incoming US government will impact climate tech.
"Failure is not failure, but being foolhardy can be your downfall"
Chris Webb, serial climate tech entrepreneur, talks about how to know when to quit and when to pivot.
Pitch Me: "We Invest in Founders, Not in Ideas"
Insight from a leading investor in European logistics climate tech – XPRESS Ventures
Blue Action in the Bahamas: how this accelerator is rapidly scaling ocean tech
The Blue Action Accelerator, a joint venture with Founders Factory, launched in the Bahamas last year as a springboard for ocean tech
How these brothers harnessed the carbon market to rescue India's tea plantations
The Alt Carbon project now offers some of the cheapest CDR credits globally and aims to scale up to gigaton levels by 2050
Pitch Me: "We invest in startups solving root cause problems of industrial decarbonisation"
Visionaries Tomorrow VCs Sebastian Pollok, Thong le Hoang and Iris ten Have discuss their investment strategy and the future of climate tech.
How mining giant Rio Tinto and Founders Factory selected their 2024 cohort
Discover the startups in Rio Tinto and Founders Factory cohort and how they're being supported.
You can learn more about the intersection of climate tech and entrepreneurship in my Forbes climate tech column.
Thank you, I look forward to continuing to bring you insight, inspiration, funds and the network you need to succeed in 2025.
🥂 #SparkTheTransition,
“With the new year comes a fresh start and a new opportunity to do better than yesterday. Approach the New Year with resolve to find the opportunities hidden in each new day.” — Michael Josephson.