That’s up 210% on the $24.8 billion that was invested in climate tech in the same period the year before, the financial services firm said in its PwC “State of Climate Tech 2021” report, adding that 14 cents of every venture capital dollar now go to climate tech. But venture capital and private equity companies aren’t necessarily backing the right climate tech companies, according to PwC.
The firm focuses on what it says are the five leading technology solutions: solar power, wind power, food waste technology, green hydrogen production, and alternative foods/low greenhouse gas proteins. It says these five received just 25% of the climate tech investment between 2013 and Jun. 2021, despite technologies in these areas representing over 80% of the emissions reduction potential by 2050.
The lion’s share of climate tech funding, some $58 billion, went to mobility and transportation companies, PwC said. That includes companies focused on e-scooters, electric vehicles and flying taxis.
The average size of a climate tech deal almost quadrupled to $96 million in the first half of 2021, up from $27 million a year before, PwC said, adding that the number of active climate tech investors rose from less than 900 in the first half of 2020 to over 1,600 in the first half of 2021.
Climate tech SPACs (special purpose acquisition companies) raised $25 billion in the first half of 2021, accounting for more than a third of all the climate tech funding during the period.
While overall growth is up, the number of early stage, seed and series A investments in climate tech has remained largely stagnant since 2018, PwC said, adding that there’s a need to fund more young climate tech start-ups that have the potential to become companies worth $1 billion or even $10 billion.
On Tuesday, French climate tech start-up Sweep announced that it has raised a $22 million series A round led by Balderton Capital, a venture firm based in London that has also backed urban navigation app Citymapper, e-scooter firm Voi and on-demand car service Virtuo.
In terms of geography, U.S. climate tech companies are attracting the most venture capital funding, with $56.5 billion going to start-ups in the country in the year leading up to June 30. PwC said Chinese climate tech companies raised the second highest amount, with $9 billion. Meanwhile, climate tech companies across Europe raised $18 billion.