Climate Flash Report

Daily climate technology and sustainability news - Updated: 2025-09-17

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The latest climate technology and sustainability developments on September 17, 2025, highlight a significant new funding initiative and ongoing challenges in climate tech financing, alongside innovation recognition and policy context:

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Climate Tech Startup Funding

A coalition of 14 top venture capital and private equity firms managing $60 billion in assets, called the *All Aboard Coalition*, has launched a $300 million fund to bridge the critical "valley of death" funding gap for climate tech startups. This fund targets rounds of $100–200 million to help companies scale from pilot to commercial operations, focusing on clean energy and decarbonization technologies. The coalition includes major players like Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Khosla Ventures, DCVC, and Energy Impact Partners. The fund aims to signal to larger institutional investors the viability of these startups, addressing the decline in federal support and private funding for capital-intensive climate solutions[1][2][4][5].

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Funding Trends and Challenges

Despite a 19% global decline in climate tech investment in the first half of 2025 compared to 2024, U.S. funding in the same period rose by 21%. However, specific sectors like direct-air capture have seen a 60% drop in venture funding year-over-year. The "missing middle" funding gap remains a major hurdle, as early-stage seed funding is available but scaling requires much larger investments that traditional VCs often avoid[1][2][3].

•

Climate Tech Innovation Recognition

The annual Trellis list of 25 Climate Tech Startups to Watch in 2025 highlights early-stage companies innovating in energy, carbon, transport, industry, and nature sectors. This initiative supports startups with high impact potential and provides a platform for pitching to investors and sustainability leaders at an upcoming event in late October 2025[3].

•

Carbon Impact Metrics

While specific carbon impact metrics for the new fund or startups were not detailed in the latest news, the focus on technologies like direct-air capture and clean energy scaling implies a strong emphasis on measurable emissions reductions and decarbonization.

•

Climate Policy Context

The funding gap and private coalition efforts come amid reduced U.S. federal climate spending under the Trump administration, which has rescinded grants and frozen funding for many climate initiatives. This policy environment has increased reliance on private capital to advance climate tech commercialization[2].

In summary, the key development today is the launch of a $300 million fund by a $60 billion asset coalition to support climate tech startups through their critical scaling phase, addressing a major funding bottleneck amid a challenging investment and policy landscape. This effort complements ongoing innovation recognition and highlights the urgent need for collective action to accelerate clean energy and decarbonization technologies.