The CleanTech sector features a diverse group of companies addressing environmental challenges. For instance, battery manufacturer Northvolt has secured $13.8B in funding, while green energy provider Octopus Energy Group holds a $9B valuation.
The industry also includes specialists in areas like agriculture and carbon removal. Pivot Bio, which applies biotechnology to farming, is valued at $2B, and direct air capture company Climeworks is valued at $1B.
Below is the full list of 15 CleanTech unicorn startups at this time.
Top 10 Most Valuable CleanTech Unicorns
Tool
Fundraising OS
Everything you need to raise funding for your startup, including 3,500+ investors, 7 tools, 18 templates and 3 learning resources.
Buy It For $97 $297 →Sheet
2,189 Accelerators & Incubators
Information about the industries, countries, and cities they generally invest in.
Get the Sheet for $50Sheet
1,600+ Unicorns
Information about their valuation, HQ's location, founded year, name of founders, funding amount and number of employees.
Get the Sheet for $50Sheet
250 BioTech & Health Investors
List of startup investors in the BioTech, Health, and Medicine industries, along with their Twitter, LinkedIn, and email addresses.
Get the Sheet for $50Sheet
250 AI Investors
List of 250 startup investors in the AI and Machine Learning industries, along with their Twitter, LinkedIn, and email addresses.
Get the Sheet for $50Sheet
250 Fintech Investors
List of 250 startup investors in the FinTech and Finance industries, along with their Twitter, LinkedIn, and email addresses.
Get the Sheet for $50Northvolt manufactures sustainable lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, industrial systems, and large-scale energy storage. They are pioneering a new approach to battery manufacturing focused on clean energy and recycling to supply Europe with environmentally friendly cells.
| Valuation | $12B |
| Headquarters | Stockholm, Stockholms Lan, Sweden |
| Year Founded | 2016 |
| Founders | Harald Mix, Nikolai V Gourine, Paolo Cerruti, Peter Carlsson |
| Funding Amount | $13.8B |
| Company Size | Enterprise Organization (5,001+) |
| Last Funding Status | Private Equity |
| Top Investors | BlackRock, European Investment Bank, Bpifrance, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs |
Octopus Energy Group supplies affordable, green energy to millions of customers around the world. They also built the advanced technology platform, Kraken, which is licensed by other utilities to help accelerate the clean energy transition.
| Valuation | $9B |
| Headquarters | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Year Founded | 2015 |
| Founders | Greg Jackson, James Eddison, Stuart Jackson |
| Funding Amount | $2.9B |
| Company Size | Enterprise Organization (5,001+) |
| Last Funding Status | Private Equity |
| Top Investors | Generation Investment Management, Galvanize Climate Solutions, Lightrock, Origin Energy, CPP Investments |
Pivot Bio creates agricultural microbes that naturally fertilize crops by capturing nitrogen from the air. Their products offer a sustainable alternative to synthetic fertilizers, helping farmers improve crop yields and reduce their environmental footprint.
| Valuation | $2B |
| Headquarters | Berkeley, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2011 |
| Founders | Alvin Tamsir, Karsten Temme |
| Funding Amount | $616.9M |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series D |
| Top Investors | Rockefeller Capital Management, National Science Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Temasek Holdings, Generation Investment Management |
Rad Power Bikes has become North America's largest electric bike company by selling a wide range of models directly to consumers. Their bikes are designed for various uses, from daily commutes to rugged adventures, all with the goal of making transportation energy-efficient and enjoyable.
| Valuation | $2B (Joined October 2021) |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Year Founded | 2007 |
| Founders | Mike Radenbaugh, Tyler Collins |
| Funding Amount | $329.3M |
| Company Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series D |
| Top Investors | T. Rowe Price, Morgan Stanley, Durable Capital Partners, The Rise Fund, Fidelity |
Arcadia builds a climate software and data platform that specializes in decarbonizing the electric grid. Their Arc platform unlocks high-fidelity energy data, empowering companies to act on their environmental goals.
| Valuation | $2B (Joined May 2022) |
| Headquarters | Greenwood Village, Colorado, United States |
| Year Founded | 2014 |
| Founders | Kiran Bhatraju, Ryan Nesbitt |
| Funding Amount | $575.5M |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series E |
| Top Investors | Tiger Global Management, Salesforce Ventures, Alumni Ventures, BoxGroup, Wellington Management |
Prometheus creates zero-net-carbon fuels by capturing CO2 from the atmosphere and converting it with renewable electricity. Their drop-in gasoline is designed to work with existing vehicles, offering a direct replacement for traditional fossil fuels.
| Valuation | $2B (Joined September 2021) |
| Headquarters | San Mateo, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2018 |
| Founders | Rob McGinnis |
| Funding Amount | $150k |
| Company Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | BMW i Ventures, Y Combinator, Metaplanet, Social Impact Capital, Expa |
Climeworks pioneers direct air capture technology to remove historical CO₂ emissions directly from the air. This captured carbon is stored permanently underground, providing a verifiable removal service for companies and individuals to purchase.
| Valuation | $1B |
| Headquarters | Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland |
| Year Founded | 2009 |
| Founders | Christoph Gebald, Jan Wurzbacher |
| Funding Amount | $946.1M |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Private Equity |
| Top Investors | Baillie Gifford, Partners Group, Global Founders Capital, GIC, Zürcher Kantonal Bank |
Svante develops and manufactures carbon capture solutions for heavy industries such as cement and steel production. They use a novel solid sorbent filter technology to capture CO2 directly from industrial sources at half the capital cost of traditional approaches.
| Valuation | $1B |
| Headquarters | Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada |
| Year Founded | 2007 |
| Founders | André Boulet, Brett Henkel, Darryl Wolanski, Soheil Khiavi |
| Funding Amount | $505.3M |
| Company Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | GE Vernova, Export Development Canada, Government of Canada, Temasek Holdings, Business Development Bank of Canada |
Gradiant provides end-to-end solutions for advanced water and wastewater treatment. They design and operate systems that help heavy industries like manufacturing and mining reuse water and minimize their environmental footprint.
| Valuation | $1B (Joined May 2023) |
| Headquarters | Woburn, Massachusetts, United States |
| Year Founded | 2013 |
| Founders | Anurag Bajpayee, Prakash Govindan |
| Funding Amount | $442.4M |
| Company Size | Major Organization (1,001-5,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series D |
| Top Investors | HSBC, WAVE Equity Partners, Warburg Pincus, BoltRock Holdings, SLB |
Palmetto accelerates the clean energy transition with a platform combining software and financial services for home electrification. Their services simplify the process for homeowners to adopt renewable energy, handling everything from system design and financing to final installation.
| Valuation | $1B (Joined February 2022) |
| Headquarters | Charleston, South Carolina, United States |
| Year Founded | 2009 |
| Founders | Christopher Kemper |
| Funding Amount | $2.2B |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Private Equity |
| Top Investors | I Squared Capital, Morgan Stanley, Gaingels, BoxGroup, Greycroft |
The Remaining 5 CleanTech Unicorns
The ten most valuable companies represent just a piece of the clean technology landscape. Founders from the US to Japan have raised billions of dollars for their own growing companies.
Some are newer to the scene, while others have been building for over a decade. Below is a look at the other unicorn startups shaping the future of clean technology.
