How to Find Investors for a Climate Tech Startup: Stage Mix, States and Fund Sizes
To find investors for a climate tech startup, start from our list of 660 climate tech investors and narrow it by stage, place and fund size. Seed is the stage they name most (458 of the 571 with a stage on file), ahead of Series A. About two fifths are in the US, where California leads with 98. The median fund on file from SEC Form D is $75M, well above the $50M for every investor we hold with such a figure.
Among the 37 sectors we can compare, climate tech has the lowest share of investors based in the US: 39%, against 72% across the database. Among the 39 sectors we can compare, climate tech is one of 9 tied for the third highest median fund size on SEC Form D: $75M, against $50M for every investor we hold with such a figure. Among the 37 sectors we can compare, climate tech has the fifth highest share of investors that name growth stage: 33%, against 28% across the database. By type, the 660 are 450 VC firms, 48 corporate venture arms, 41 fund managers, 36 government or university funds and 28 angel networks, with 57 of other types. The tags these investors most often carry beside climate tech are AI (319), healthtech and digital health (311) and deep tech (301).
What do climate tech investors look for?
A climate technology pitch is read on two tracks at once: whether the technology works outside the lab, and whether someone will pay for what it makes. Investors also look at how the company will fund equipment and plants, since a venture round may not be the only money in the plan.
- What stage is the technology at today? A lab result, a pilot, a first commercial unit and a repeat deployment are different risks and suit different investors.
- Who has agreed to buy the output? An offtake agreement or a paid pilot from a named buyer does more than a market forecast.
- How will the first plant be paid for? Grants, loans and project finance sit beside venture money in many plans.
Which stage do climate tech investors back?
Among the 571 of the 660 with a stage on file (a firm can state several), seed comes first with 458 (80%), then Series A (263), pre-seed (230), growth (189) and Series B (98). Set against every investor we hold, the group leans toward Series A: 46% name it here and 34% overall. With about four fifths naming seed, a seed round has the widest field on this list.
| Stage (our research) | Climate tech investors | Share of the 571 with a stage on file | Share of all 660 on the list | Same share, all investors with a stage | Difference in points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-seed climate tech investors | 230 | 40% | 35% | 39% | +1 |
| Seed climate tech investors | 458 | 80% | 69% | 75% | +5 |
| Series A climate tech investors | 263 | 46% | 40% | 34% | +12 |
| Series B climate tech investors | 98 | 17% | 15% | 14% | +3 |
| Growth-stage climate tech investors | 189 | 33% | 29% | 28% | +5 |
Where are climate tech investors based?
More of this list sits outside the US than inside it: 260 of the 660 are in the US, 146 in the UK and 250 in the rest of Europe. Among the 254 US investors with a state on file, California holds about two fifths (98), more than its 36% share of all US investors we hold. New York is a distant second with 40, then Massachusetts (19) and Florida (11). Colorado stands out: it holds 4% of this group and 2% of all US investors.
| State | Climate tech investors | Share of the 254 with a state on file | Share of all US investors | Difference in points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 98 | 39% | 36% | +3 |
| New York | 40 | 16% | 15% | +1 |
| Massachusetts | 19 | 7% | 6% | +1 |
| Florida | 11 | 4% | 6% | -2 |
| Colorado | 11 | 4% | 2% | +2 |
| Texas | 11 | 4% | 6% | -2 |
| Illinois | 9 | 4% | 3% | +1 |
| Washington | 5 | 2% | 2% | 0 |
By city, counting the head offices of every type of investor, the largest groups are New York (31), San Francisco (27), Boston (12) and Palo Alto (8).
| City | State | Climate tech investors | Share of the 260 in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | NY | 31 | 12% |
| San Francisco | CA | 27 | 10% |
| Boston | MA | 12 | 5% |
| Palo Alto | CA | 8 | 3% |
| Chicago | IL | 7 | 3% |
| Denver | CO | 7 | 3% |
| Menlo Park | CA | 6 | 2% |
| Los Altos | CA | 5 | 2% |
| Cambridge | MA | 5 | 2% |
| San Mateo | CA | 5 | 2% |
| Santa Monica | CA | 5 | 2% |
Metro area lists for this sector, each with its own row count: Climate tech investors in the San Francisco Bay Area (71), Climate tech investors in Silicon Valley (26), Climate tech investors in Los Angeles (17).
The same investors as lists by region: Climate tech venture capital firms in the US (256), Climate tech investors in the UK (146), Climate tech investors in Europe (250).
How big are climate tech funds?
Across the 189 of the 660 climate tech investors with a fund size from SEC Form D on file, the median is $75M, well above the $50M for every investor we hold with such a figure. About a quarter of these funds are under $25M and about two fifths are $100M or more. The figure is the fund as filed, not a check size, and a firm's main fund on our record, which is not always its newest; for 44 of the 189 the offering amount is indefinite, so it is the amount sold so far.
| Fund size on file (SEC Form D) | Climate tech investors | Share | Share, all investors with a figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under $10M | 17 | 9% | 15% |
| $10M to $25M | 34 | 18% | 18% |
| $25M to $50M | 21 | 11% | 15% |
| $50M to $100M | 40 | 21% | 19% |
| $100M to $250M | 47 | 25% | 19% |
| $250M to $1B | 29 | 15% | 12% |
| $1B and over | 1 | 1% | 1% |
Which climate tech investors can you look at first?
Climate funds differ most in how much capital risk they will take. Some back only software and asset-light models, while others are set up to fund hardware and first plants. Match your capital needs to the fund before you match the theme.
The 10 firms below are among the free rows of our list of climate tech venture capital firms in the US (256): each names the sector in its own description, and they stand in that list's order, by our activity score, which is no measure of quality.
Energy Impact Partners
HQ: London · Type: VC firm · Stages (our research): Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth · Latest activity: Portfolio news, Nov 2026 (our research) · Fund size or assets: $4.5B (own site)
New York-headquartered energy transition investor backed by corporate partners that invests across venture, growth, private equity and credit, with a London office.
Toyota Ventures
HQ: Los Altos, California · Type: Corporate VC · Stages (our research): Seed, Series A · Latest activity: Portfolio news, Oct 2026 (our research) · Private fund assets: $928M (SEC Form ADV)
Los Altos early stage venture arm of Toyota investing in frontier tech and climate tech, including AI, robotics, computing, aerospace, mobility, energy storage and carbon capture.
ClearSky
HQ: West Palm Beach, Florida · Type: VC firm · Stages (our research): Growth · Latest activity: Form D filing, Nov 2026 · Fund size on file: $500M (SEC Form D, 2024)
West Palm Beach, FL venture capital and growth equity firm investing in cybersecurity and the energy transition.
Khosla Ventures
HQ: Menlo Park, California · Type: VC firm · Stages (our research): Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Growth · Latest activity: Form D filing, Aug 2026 · Fund size on file: $1.9B (SEC Form D, 2025)
Menlo Park, CA venture firm that backs early ventures and pairs capital with hands-on venture assistance across consumer, enterprise, fintech, health and sustainability.
Ecosphere Ventures
HQ: Sugar Land, Texas · Type: VC firm · Stages (our research): Pre-seed, Seed · Latest activity: Form D filing, Sep 2026 · Fund size on file: $10M (SEC Form D, 2026)
Houston-based pre-seed through late-seed firm investing in US climatetech and sustainability, both deeptech and software, with an interest in first-time and under-networked founders. Listed location is Sugar Land, TX.
VoLo Earth Ventures Impact
HQ: Snowmass Village, Colorado · Type: VC firm · Stages (our research): Pre-seed · Latest activity: New deal, Jul 2026 (our research) · Fund size on file: $100M (SEC Form D, 2021)
Venture investor providing first-in funding to energy transition companies across energy, mobility, buildings and industry, with 39 portfolio companies across two funds.
At One Ventures
HQ: Menlo Park, California · Type: VC firm · Stages (our research): Seed, Series A · Latest activity: New deal, Sep 2026 (our research) · Fund size on file: $375M (SEC Form D, 2022)
Climate and deep tech venture firm backing companies whose technology improves unit economics and reduces environmental footprint across air, water, soil and biodiversity.
Energize Ventures
HQ: Chicago, Illinois · Type: VC firm · Stages (our research): Series A, Series B, Growth, Any stage · Latest activity: New deal, Sep 2026 (our research) · Fund size on file: $328M (SEC Form D, 2020)
Multi-stage investor with $1.7 billion AUM backing software and services for the energy transition, critical infrastructure, industrial digitisation and physical AI through venture and private equity strategies. Based in Chicago, IL.
Light Ray Ventures
HQ: New York, New York · Type: VC firm · Stages (our research): Seed · Latest activity: New deal, Oct 2026 (our research) · Fund size on file: $21M (SEC Form D, 2023)
New York venture firm investing in companies using new technology in robotics and automation, clean tech and clean energy, and advanced materials.
Safar Partners
HQ: Cambridge, Massachusetts · Type: VC firm · Stages (our research): Seed · Latest activity: New deal, Aug 2026 (our research) · Fund size on file: $300M (SEC Form D, 2023)
Cambridge, MA technology venture fund investing in startups spun out of universities, mainly MIT, Harvard and the University of Rochester. Covers cleantech and advanced materials, AI and robotics, and life sciences.
Which US climate tech investors filed with the SEC most recently?
101 of the 260 US climate tech investors (39%) have a Form D filing dated in the 12 months to 6 Nov 2026, a first notice or the yearly amendment of an older fund, in line with the 38% for all US investors we hold. Our file of new fund notices for the 8 weeks to 6 Nov 2026 holds 23 from 17 of these investors, among them Future Ventures, Crystal Venture Partners and Overlap Holdings.
| Investor | Location | Stages (our research) | Latest Form D filing | Amount on that filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reveille | New York, New York | Seed | 4 Nov 2026 | $40M |
| ClearSky | West Palm Beach, Florida | Growth | 2 Nov 2026 | $500M |
| Future Ventures | Los Altos, California | Seed | 30 Oct 2026 | Not stated |
| Crystal Venture Partners | New York, New York | Pre-seed, Seed | 28 Oct 2026 | $25M |
| SJF Ventures | Durham, North Carolina | Not stated | 28 Oct 2026 | $2M |
| Bison Ventures | San Francisco, California | Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B | 19 Oct 2026 | $160M |
| Overlap Holdings | Hicksville, New York | Seed, Series A, Series B | 19 Oct 2026 | Not stated |
| Earthshot Ventures | San Francisco, California | Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B | 13 Oct 2026 | $77M |
What should a climate tech founder have ready before the first email?
A climate company is asked two things early: does it work at scale, and who will buy the output.
- Where the technology stands today: lab, pilot, first commercial unit or repeat deployments.
- Signed offtake, letters of intent or paying pilots, with the counterparty named where you are allowed to name it.
- Grants and other non-dilutive money won or applied for, and the capital the next plant or unit needs.
Words climate tech investors use
- Offtake agreement
- A contract in which a buyer commits to purchase future output.
- TRL
- Technology readiness level: a scale that runs from basic research at the bottom to proven in operation at the top.
- First of a kind
- The first commercial-scale plant or unit, often the hardest one to finance.
- Non-dilutive funding
- Money that takes no equity, such as grants and tax credits.
A common slip. Presenting an emissions figure with no cost beside it. A buyer compares your cost per unit with what they pay today, and so will the investor.
How do you reach climate tech investors?
88% of the list has a named decision-maker on file (583 of 660, 2,847 names in all), above the 84% across the whole database. About half have a firm email address (328), and 286 publish how they want to be pitched, such as a form or an application page.
Use a pitch route where a firm publishes one, and otherwise write to one named person at a time, starting from the free outreach email templates; the full list is Climate tech investors, all 660 investors, one per row, the first 25 free to read, and the matching tool opens with climate tech already picked.
This list has 660 rows and a single-list file covers up to 300, so its rows are sold inside the Global Bundle file.
One-time payment. No subscription. No account.
Or get the free sample file (100 investors) first.
Method and limits
- Source
- SEC Form D for filing dates and fund sizes; our own research (each firm's website, UK and EU registers) for stage, the sector tag and dated deals.
- Counts
- The 660 rows of the list this page links to, as of November 2026, set against all 4,178 investors we hold (3,019 in the US); a gap under 3 points is treated as none, and a rank compares the sectors that have a list on this site and at least 30 rows for the measure (10 for a median fund size).
- Limits
- 1,302 US firms have no sector on file, so the true number of climate tech investors is higher; 571 of the 660 here have a stage on file and 189 a fund size from SEC Form D; what investors look for, which ones to keep, the words they use and what to have ready are our advice for this sector, not data about any one investor.
Questions
How do I find investors for a climate tech startup?
Start from the list of 660 climate tech investors, then filter by stage (458 of the 571 with a stage on file name seed), by place (39% of the US ones with a state on file are in California) and by fund size (the median fund on file is $75M).
What do climate tech investors ask founders?
What stage is the technology at today? Who has agreed to buy the output? How will the first plant be paid for?
How big are climate tech funds?
The median fund on file is $75M across the 189 climate tech investors with a figure from SEC Form D, well above the $50M for every investor we hold with such a figure.
Can I contact climate tech investors directly?
583 of the 660 have a named decision-maker on file and 328 a firm email address; 286 publish a pitch route, and where one exists it is the way in they ask for.
Guides for other sectors
How to find consumer products and CPG investorsHow to find consumer investorsHow to find ecommerce investorsHow to find edtech investorsHow to find proptech and real estate tech investorsHow to find deep tech investorsHow to find hardware investorsHow to find impact investorsHow to find food and beverage investorsHow to find SaaS and B2B software investorsHow to find fintech investorsHow to find AI investorsHow to find healthtech and digital health investorsHow to find cybersecurity investorsHow to find gaming investors
Related
Climate tech investors (660)Climate tech venture capital firms in the US (256)Climate tech investors in the UK (146)Climate tech investors in Europe (250)Seed climate tech investors (458)Series A climate tech investors (263)Climate tech investors in California (98)Climate tech investors in New York (40)Match climate tech investors to your roundHow to build an investor listInvestor outreach email templatesHow many investors to pitchInvestor databases comparedWhat is in the investor database
Cite this page
Muhammad Tayyab Shabbir, "How to Find Investors for a Climate Tech Startup: Stage Mix, States and Fund Sizes", The Investor Database, 10 Nov 2026. https://theinvestordatabase.com/guides/how-to-find-investors-for-a-climate-tech-startup/