Hester Spiegel-van den Steenhoven, co-founder of Epic Angels, Asia’s largest female-only angel investor community, highlights the need for greater support from angel investors in the climate tech sector. Unlike venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) funds, which typically work within five to seven-year investment horizons due to their mandates, angel investors can commit to longer-term investments, making them vital for driving innovation in the field, she adds.
The climate tech sector urgently needs more angel investors, who typically provide “patient capital” (or long-term investment that accepts slower returns), to address ongoing funding challenges.
High capital requirements and lengthy commercialisation timelines have made it difficult for start-ups to secure the investment they need. This comes at a time when fundraising values for start-ups in the sector are falling, further stalling growth for key players in the region.
