20+ Climate Angel Syndicates backing early-stage impact Founders

Meet the investing communities writing the checks for green tech entrepreneurs

Angel investing isn’t new, or rare. In fact it has helped hundreds, if not thousands of ‘once early stage’ founders behind household name companies. Think AirBnB, Uber, Spotify, PayPal, Tesla, all backed by angels to get their bright idea off the ground.

Today, angels are investing a whopping $50B a year in startups and are often the first check in ahead of a traditional venture capital round, taking the chance on an ambitious startup when others won’t.

But it’s notoriously difficult, and time consuming, to know who is an active angel, what they’re interested to invest in, and how much they can invest. Step in Angel Syndicates - groups of active angels who invest together, typically behind the recommendation of a Syndicate Lead.

For entrepreneurs looking to bring in early stage capital into their breakthrough idea, Angel Syndicates can be an incredible unlock in a company’s journey, offering much needed capital, and quite often expert domain expertise.

If you’re a Climate Founder looking to secure your first (or next) angel investment, then good news, we’ve done the hard work for you.

Scroll down to discover the 24 Angel Syndicates who are backing climate startups globally.

But first, what does it mean to be part of an angel network? 

We caught up with 5 Syndicate Leads to hear the risks and opportunities of angel investing. 

Please note: Our responses from Syndicate leads below are not financial advice. Carry out your own research and due diligence before you start investing. Invest at your own risk.

Access to deal flow

“Syndicates are such a good way to enable climate-focused investors access to deal flow and tickets they would otherwise not be able to do. Like the fungi acts as the connector of the forest, there is also something about bringing people (investors) together for a common cause, doing it together,” shares Susanne of The Fungi Investment Collective

“A well-run syndicate also puts significant resources into generating deal flow from wide and far, attending all those demo days and sifting through the applications so you don't have to. We receive up to 1,000 applications from startups a year, so this is a valuable service. You may still get a chance to assess applications or review pitch decks if this is of interest, but other experts will also be utilising their skills to find the diamonds for you,” says Emma of Green Angel Syndicate. 

Improved due diligence

“You can get to know many other Syndicate members with very diverse backgrounds and expertise. This is helpful to surface interesting deal flow (because the members tap into their own networks) and it can help you improve your due diligence processes before you invest, and structure investment terms; you're essentially making better-informed decisions.” Daniel.

“You’ll learn a lot from listening to other investors challenging founders throughout the due diligence process, especially when those investors may have relevant sector experience, or come from a specialist finance, regulation or legal background that differs from your own.” adds Emma.  

Diversified portfolio

“With a possibility to write small cheques, it democratizes access to investment deals. It also means that smaller investors can come in, and investors can diversify their investment portfolio,” adds Susanne.

“Through a Syndicate, you're exposed to a large number of deals. This can help you as an angel to lower your risk; instead of putting all your eggs in a basket, you can build a more diverse portfolio by making many small informed bets,” adds Daniel.

Driving transformative change

“By focusing on Climate Hardware Moonshots, we back startups that can bring about transformative change and leap us forward in sustainable solutions with massive swings towards sustainability, as opposed to seeking incremental gains,” notes Yoann Berno of Climate Insiders

“Investing in hardware-related spin-offs is a big bet for most individuals. Syndicates distribute these bets among many, simplifying decisions for investors and unlocking needed capital to get moonshots off the ground,” adds Yannick Frank of Partners in Clime

Odds of success

It is important to consider the risks and potential of losing all money invested. For those willing to take the ‘risk’ the rewards could be high.

“While many consider it a risky and elite game, diversifying and spreading bets in truly transformative tech can lead to impressive odds of success and life-changing wealth. We aim to democratize angel investing, making it accessible to everyone rather than just the wealthy elite,” explains Yoann

“Angel investing is highly risky, and even when the startups you invest in are successful, it can take many years before you have liquidity and get a return on your investment, so you need patience. But when you invest in Climate startups, it's about so much more than just investing money.

Many angel investors are motivated not only by financial returns but also by personal passion for a particular cause, industry, or technology. It can be to invest in e.g. climate or foodtech, or in women founders and/or underrepresented founders, or simply to give back to your local ecosystem. So it can be very meaningful and fulfilling” says Daniel.

24 Climate Angel Syndicates to know

🇲🇽 Angel Ventures
Led by: Hernan Fernandez Lamadrid
What: Investing in early to growth companies by investing in startups that drive innovative business models tailored for the Latin American market.
Portfolio includes: Algramo, Done Properly, Energryn

🇺🇸 Cerulean Ventures
Led by: Matthew Stotts, Jahed Momand
What: Backing founders building the nature-positive economy.
Portfolio includes: Asoba, Epoch, Meridia, Covalent

🇮🇳 Climate Angels
Led by: Shailesh Vickram Singh
What: Backed by India’s leading entrepreneurs and VCs solving pollution and climate change with a platform for angel investors keen to invest in sustainability startups.
Portfolio includes: Praan, Solar Square, Matter

🇺🇸 Climate Avengers
Led by: Kyle Cherrick, Jenna Tabatznik
What: An experienced group of operators, entrepreneurs, and investors in ClimateTech sourcing the top climate investment opportunities.
Portfolio includes: DroneSeed, Aether Diamonds, Mootral, Yotta Energy

🇺🇸 Climate Capital 
Led by: Jenny Kan and Michael Luciani 
What: Backing founders building bio-tech climate solutions that accelerate the decarbonization of the largest and least sustainable sectors of the economy.
Portfolio includes: Matereal, Mycocycle, Cruz Foam, Klim, Nitricity

🇩🇪 Climate Insiders
Led by: Yoann Berno
What: Democratising ClimateTech investing, empowering thousands to align their money with their values and utilise money as a powerful tool to drive positive change in combating climate change.
Portfolio includes: Novobiom, Strong By Form, New Iridium, Hephaestus

🇦🇺 Climate Salad Capital
Led by: Mick Liubinskas
What: The investment arm of Climate Salad comprising 500+ member companies and 1,000+ founders, their teams, mentors, investors, corporates and government agencies active in ClimateTech. 

🇮🇳 Climate Seeders Club
Led by: Pratap Raju, Nalin Agarwal
What: An early-stage climate tech startup focused investment syndication platform for retail angel-investors looking for an alternative investment class with climate impact.

🇺🇸 Cool Climate Collective
Led by: Mehrad Yaghmai, Tristan Pollock
What: Collectively supporting visionary entrepreneurs architecting systemic solutions that catalyze prosperity, fortifying the pillars of a prospering society for our climate-forward future.
Portfolio includes: Akua, InventWood, Alga Biosciences, Wasted*

🇮🇹 COREangels Climate 
Led by: Federico Giannetti, Michele Morabito
What: A focus on Southern European startups in the pre-seed and seed stages that are developing innovative solutions to combat climate change.
Portfolio includes: Energiot, Limenet, Strong By Form, Wsense

🇺🇸 Creo Family Office Syndicate 
Led by: Regine Clement
What: A community of asset owners dedicated to solving the climate crisis.

🇳🇱 Endgame Capital
Led by: John Mairlot and Jinna Li
What: Accelerating the development and deployment of innovative solutions that combat climate change. 
Portfolio includes: Elyos, Kubik, Batch.Works, Bloom Labs, SparkMeter

🇺🇸 Gaingels
Led by: Paul Grossinger
What: Showing the world that equity of access and representation in venture capital delivers positive returns.
Portfolio includes: General Fusion, Monarch, Bowery Farming, Plant Prefab

🇬🇧 Generation-Re
Led by: Emily Broughton
What: Backing the regenerative movement by investing in regenerative agriculture and food.
Portfolio includes: UNDO, Collie, Grounded Ingredients, Juntos

🇺🇸 Glass Wall Syndicate
Led by: Macy Marriott 
What: Investing in companies and products that will make a difference in the lives of animals, people and the planet.
Portfolio includes: Mosa Meat, Geltor, Aleph Farms, Nutpods

🇬🇧 Green Angel Syndicate
Led by:  Cam Ross,  Simon Acland and Nick Lythk Lyth
What: The UK’s largest network of specialist investors fighting climate change.
Portfolio includes: Zedify, Low Carbon Materials, NatureMetrics, Powervault, Kelpi

🇬🇧 Newland Syndicate
Led by: Miguel Jordao
What: Backing European Food & AgTech entrepreneurs.
Portfolio includes: Extracellular, Cala, Messium

🇩🇪 Partners in Clime
Led by: Yannick Frank and Kai Blisch
What: A collective of entrepreneurs, baking green tech founders by providing capital and mentoring.
Portfolio includes: eco.mio, Arkeon, Cortierra, Metergrid

🇺🇸 Planet Positive 
Led by: Kirsti Chou, Anke Huiskes
What: Investing in pre-seed and seed-stage climate tech companies across the US and Europe.
Portfolio includes: Noya, Vaayu, Heirloom Technologies, Quaise, Dynami

🇬🇧 Science Angel Syndicate
Led by: Ben Miles, Jonathan Matlock 
What: A community of entrepreneurs and investors sourcing world class scientific discoveries that impact society on a global scale.
Portfolio includes: Wase, Muddy Machines, Anaphite, Albotherm

🇸🇪 Solvable Syndicate
Led by: Daniel Skavén Ruben, Steve Simitzis, John Petsagourakis 
What: Investing in global startups that transform the food system and help fix the climate.
Portfolio includes: Nilus, Foodini, Holo, Raging Pig

🇳🇴 The Fungi Investment Collective VC
Led by: Susanne Gløersen
What: Investing in fungi focused startups worldwide fueling the regenerative society.

🇺🇸 The Nucleation Syndicate
Led by: Valerie Gardner, Rodney Adams, Jonathan Tiemann
What: Investing primarily in advanced nuclear and deep decarbonization

🇵🇹 Xinomavro Ventures
Led by: Gregoire Letort and Romain Bonjean 
What: Investing in early-stage startups that create a more sustainable future for the global wine and beverage industry.
Portfolio includes: ALTR, Croptide, Deep Planet, Djuce

Disclaimer: Some of the angel syndicates in this list use KAPITAL to raise and deploy capital through their Syndicate. ClimateHack and Kapital are part of HackGroup.

Reminder: This article is not financial advice. Carry out your own research and due diligence before you start investing. Invest at your own risk.