Female founders critical to climate tech sector success
To mark international Women’s Day, Sustainable Ventures has analysed its ecosystem of companies and found that 60% of Sustainable Ventures portfolio companies are founded or co-founded by women – far exceeding the overall industry average of 16%. Sustainable Ventures, a major growth partner for climate tech, is celebrating International Women’s Day by highlighting the success of women-led companies in its portfolio and calling for greater investment in female founders.
Despite growing recognition of the commercial potential of impact-focused businesses, women remain significantly underrepresented in venture funding. The British Business Bank found that only 2% of UK VC funding went to all-female founding teams. At the same time, data from The Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship found that female-led businesses deliver higher returns on investment, challenging outdated biases in the investment landscape.
Since its launch in 2011, Sustainable Ventures has been committed to driving both financial performance and positive environmental impact. A core pillar of this approach is investing in diverse founding teams, with 60 percent of its portfolio companies founded or co-founded by women – far exceeding the industry average. Sustainable Ventures has also invested 12 times more money in female founders than the global industry average; committed nearly a quarter (23%) of its investment to entirely female founders – by comparison, the venture capital industry as a whole invested 1.8% into entirely female founded teams in Europe in 2023. Two thirds (65%) of its investments also went to startups with female or underrepresented co-founders.
Clare Hayward MBE, recently appointed non-executive chair, Sustainable Ventures said: Every day we are reminded how critical climate action is – increased frequency and severity of natural disasters, extreme rainfall, resource shortages and environmental degradation. Women are often the core of a community where resilience, collaboration and the drive for change is required. Our strong voices enable and support diversity of thought, which enables and fosters innovation. The fact that over 60 percent of our portfolio are women-led businesses has nothing to do with meeting quotas – it’s a reflection of where the strongest investment opportunities are. This International Women’s Day, we encourage more investors to fund diverse teams building a more sustainable future for us all.”
“Our investment strategy is built on backing businesses with the strongest commercial potential, and time and again, we see that diversity is a key driver of success,” said Stuart Ferguson, investor director at Sustainable Ventures. “In climate tech especially, we are seeing talented women leading businesses that are tackling urgent sustainability challenges with commercially scalable solutions. The numbers speak for themselves – diversity is good business.”
Women-Led Climate Tech Success Stories
The Sustainable Ventures EIS and SEIS impact funds invest in companies that are not only tackling the climate crisis but also delivering strong returns. Some of the standout women-led businesses that Sustainable Ventures has worked within their portfolio include:
Sian Fussell, CTO – Albotherm
Sustainable Ventures portfolio company Albotherm is developing a new class of adaptive materials for global agriculture and the built environment.
Sian Fussell, CTO, Albotherm says: “If I had to prioritise one thing for first-time female founders, it would be building your support structure early. Deep tech and materials innovation are complex journeys, and having experienced and a diverse range of advisors including women, non- executive directors, and early team members drives innovation through diverse perspectives. Their perspective helps you anticipate challenges rather than simply react to them.
“A strong and mixed network that involves women isn’t just about introductions. It offers perspective, constructive challenge, and confidence. Over time, that shared experience, and understanding of your target audience meaningfully shortens the learning curve for the whole team.”
PheroSyn – Dr Mary Ellis, CEO of PheroSyn,
PheroSyn, a Sustainable Ventures portfolio company developing pheromone-based insect monitoring and control solutions, is led by Dr Mary Ellis, CEO.
Dr Mary Ellis, CEO OF PheroSyn said: “For me, structural changes that could actually move the needle include better access to financing, honest statistics and a reaction to those statistics to level the playing field. One structural change that could help is to encourage more women to become decision makers in VC funds. Society does need to realise that this funding gap represents a massive missed economic opportunity estimated at over $5 trillion globally. The good news is that subsectors like Climate Tech are showing encouraging growth in female representation, and among founders this has increased from 15.2% to 21.7% since 2021.” (source: Founders Forum Group, 2025).
A Call for Greater Investment in Women Founders
While Sustainable Ventures continues to build one of Europe’s largest climate tech ecosystems, the firm also recognises the need for systemic change in the investment landscape. Studies show that investors are twice as likely to back male-led teams, even when pitch content is identical. By actively seeking and supporting female-led businesses, Sustainable Ventures aims to challenge these industry norms while unlocking untapped investment opportunities.