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If urgency were the driving motivation of venture funding, you鈥檇 expect cleantech would be cleaning up.

However, that鈥檚 not happening. In the wake of a for global surface temperatures that brought epic destruction from wildfires, floods and storms, sustainability-related investment is off to a sluggish start in 2025.

So far this year, only around $2.3 billion globally has gone to seed through growth-stage investments in sustainability-related categories 1, per 附近上门 . That鈥檚 down more than two-thirds from the same period last year, which was already a weak period for investment.

Deals that did get done

Still, it鈥檚 probably wise to take more time before declaring a 2025 cleantech contraction.

Currently, we鈥檙e only seven weeks into the year, and much could change. A few enormous rounds in areas like fusion or carbon capture could boost totals substantially.听

So far this year, we鈥檝e also already seen a few big rounds. Those that raised $100 million or more include:

• , a fusion startup, locked up a $425 million January Series F, valuing the company at $5.4 billion. Investors in the round included , 2 and .听
• , a New York-based startup that develops new forests on marginal crop and pasture lands, secured $160 million this week in a Series B with backing from , and .
• , a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based startup that designs more sustainable seeds for agriculture, landed a $144 million January fundraise. The company is focused on creating new seeds for large-acre crops with its first wave of products, which includes soybeans, corn and wheat.
• , based in the U.K., raised $125 million in financing from to build a network of clean, multienergy recharging and refueling facilities for commercial vehicles. Fuel types will include electric, HVO, hydrogen and bio-CNG.

Picking up the pace

Hopefully, as coming quarters unfold we鈥檒l see a pickup in rounds big and small for promising startups developing tools and technologies offering more sustainable alternatives to the current carbon-spewing status quo.

It鈥檚 possible some are taking a break to digest how impending regulatory changes will impact the space. In the U.S. in particular, the switch from the climate-conscious administration to the 鈥渄rill baby drill鈥� administration ethos will impact regulations, subsidies and grant funding.听

Planetary temperatures, however, won鈥檛 be changing their upward trajectory based on who鈥檚 in office. So eventually cleantech funding ought to follow suit.

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Related reading:

• Cleantech Funding Weakened In 2024

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