The venture capital industry still has a long way to go when it comes to gender equality, and climate tech is no exception.
Despite the scale of innovation needed to tackle climate change, female founders continue to receive only a fraction of available funding. In 2024, solo female founders in climate tech secured just 1.14% of total funding and 5.28% of total deals, while male-only founding teams received more than 91% of all capital raised.
The imbalance goes beyond founder’s to reveal a wider ecosystem problem. Women still make up only around 17–20% of VC decision-makers in the US, while men make 90% of the decisions in VC firms with more than $50M in assets. These dynamics influence who gets backed, who gets introduced to key networks, and ultimately who receives follow-on investment.
Research also shows female founders are more likely to face risk-focused questioning during fundraising, while male founders are more often encouraged to discuss growth and opportunity. While venture builder programmes like Carbon13 now see 30–40% female participation, the challenge remains converting early support into long-term funding success.
Climate Tech as a Chance to Reset the System
New sectors offer the rare opportunity to challenge old structures before they become deeply embedded. From the beginning, Carbon13’s Venture Builder programmes in Berlin and Cambridge were designed to bring together talented people from all walks of life to build climate ventures capable of reducing emissions at scale.
Every cohort brings around 80 entrepreneurs into the room from operators, AI experts, nanomaterial scientists, polymer chemists, and high-energy physicists to experienced founders aged between 25 and 60+ all focused on building high-impact climate tech ventures.
In just five years, Carbon13 has backed more than 100 climate startups, with over 80% still active today. Notably, 66% of those founding teams include at least one female founder, significantly above wider industry norms.
That progress is intentional. Building a stronger climate ecosystem requires more than simply encouraging women to apply. It means building the right support systems, reducing structural barriers, and creating the conditions where female founders can dedicate their time and energy to growing climate ventures.
Energy and enthusiasm after the Cohort 6 Female Founder breakfast in Berlin
The female equity scholarship
Since 2023, Siemens Energy Ventures and Carbon13 have partnered through the Female Equity Scholarship to support female climate founders at the earliest stages of company building.
Now entering its fifth round, the long-standing partnership reflects a shared commitment to creating long-term change within climate tech entrepreneurship. Across four rounds, the programme has deployed €120,000 in scholarship funding, benefiting 26 female founders to date.
The programme combines financial support with one-to-one mentoring from experienced female leaders within Siemens Energy. Many founders entering the programme are balancing career changes, first-time entrepreneurship, and family responsibilities alongside building a startup. Access to funding, mentorship, and trusted networks can make a meaningful difference during this stage.
The mentoring relationships have become one of the programme’s most valuable elements.
Florencia Rodriguez Lamas, Global Gender Chair for the Inclusion and Diversity Council at Siemens Energy, reflected on mentoring founders through the programme:
“Female founders face many more challenges than their male counterparts in entrepreneurship. Being able to guide and support founders through those challenges has been incredibly rewarding.”
For founders themselves, the impact often extends far beyond financial support.
Akhila Nandanavanam, a recipient of the scholarship and Carbon13 Berlin Cohort 4 alumna, said:
“The bursary was definitely helpful as a bootstrapping founder, but even more so, the mentorship itself.”
She described the experience of having access to a mentor inside the climate tech environment as “of absolute invaluable help” during the early stages of building her company.
Julia Denkmayr also reflected on the emotional value of mentorship while building her first startup:
“She really would just help me to get my head straight.”
why siemens Energy ventures matters as a partner
As the venture and innovation arm of Siemens Energy, Siemens Energy Ventures sits at the intersection of industrial scale, deep technical knowledge, and collaboration. Since launching in 2020, Siemens Energy Ventures has focused on supporting technologies that can accelerate the global energy transition.
The partnership with Carbon13 reflects a broader belief that solving the climate crisis requires not only new technologies, but also a more inclusive innovation ecosystem.
building the future of climate innovation
The transition to a net-zero economy will require new technologies, infrastructure, and business models, but it will also require new kinds of leadership. As Berlin Cohort 6 and Cambridge Cohort 10 are currently underway, Carbon13 and Siemens Energy Ventures are delighted to continue their partnership to build an ecosystem where talented founders, regardless of gender or background, can build and scale high-impact ventures.
Join the Venture Builder
Applications are open now for our Venture Builder – you can apply here for the UK or here for Germany/EU.
There’s no such thing as a typical Carbon13 founder; if you want to give it your everything to launch a scalable business that impacts on a global scale in reducing emissions or solving challenges in Earth’s Vital Systems like water, biodiversity, etc., then you should apply.
Join our investor community
Looking to invest in startups disrupting billion dollar industries? Join Carbon13’s investor community for investor-exclusive events, insights and dealflow. Our next event for angels and investors is the 10th February. To join our community, just fill out the short form below or contact Min Dhillon on perminder@carbonthirteen.com.