Climate tech hub secures £3 million investment to support expansion into Greater Manchester

Sustainable Ventures, a climate tech hub to support green economy innovators, has secured a £3 million investment that will enable expansion into Greater Manchester in 2024.

Funding has been led by Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital, part of the bank’s commitment to invest £500 million in equity capital into tech start-ups exploring ways to address and adapt to climate change. The investment will enable London-based Sustainable Ventures to access talent and provide additional professional services to climate innovators across the UK, with Manchester set to be first new location supported.

The hub will link local stakeholders into growing regional clusters for the green economy, and provide bespoke support for climate tech specialists and entrepreneurs. Greater Manchester is the UK’s fastest growing UK tech hub outside of London and boasts a £5 billion digital tech ecosystem that is home to over 10,000 start-up and scale-up companies.

Andrew Wordsworth, CEO & Managing Partner at Sustainable Ventures said:

“After specialising in the sector for more than 20 years, climate tech is now the sector of choice for entrepreneurs and it’s imperative that local initiatives, entrepreneurs and capital meet. This has been Sustainable Ventures’ purpose for more than a decade. We’re delighted that with the support of Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital investment, we can support hundreds more innovators to go further and faster on their journey to overcome the challenges of climate change.”

Steven Poulter, Head of Principal Structuring and Investments at Barclays, and who will be joining the Board of Sustainable Ventures, said:

“The UK with its world-leading universities, research and manufacturing capabilities has the potential to be the global hub for climate tech companies that become future unicorns. Through Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital, the bank is investing its own capital in Sustainable Ventures’ UK expansion to support growth at pace for these innovative low-carbon solutions leveraging our experience as an advisor, bank and investor.”