Africa’s female climate tech founders rely on grants for capital

Grants account for 60% of the funding that women-led teams in Africa’s climate tech space received in the last nine years. This is less than 1% of the total funding, according to the State of ClimateTech in Africa 2.0 report by Briter Intelligence, a research and business intelligence firm focused on emerging markets.

Male-led and mixed-gender startups captured 50% of all equity funding between 2016 and 2025 and about 30% of grants. In 2026, the over $500 million raised so far has flowed mainly to male-led teams, with few deals involving female founders.

In 2025, climate tech overtook fintech as Africa’s top-funded venture category, with more than $1.5 billion in funding. Rather than widening the door for a broader range of founders, it exposed how narrow that door remains for women. 

More broadly, African tech startup funding rebounded to roughly $3.2 billion in 2025, yet startups led by female CEOs accounted for just 2.2% of the total. The allocation to companies founded exclusively by women dropped to 0.9%, or about $28.8 million of the $3.2 billion, while male-only founding teams attracted more than 90% of the total. 

About 14% of individual startups raising $100k or more are led by women, and the share of startups with female leadership presence is at its lowest since 2021. 

Despite increased gender-focused funding and support programmes, the funding gap has widened rather than closed. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, women make up 66% of the agricultural workforce. Thus, they are more affected by climate change than men – 80% of people displaced by it are women. Their roles as primary caregivers and food providers also make them more vulnerable. However, across Africa, less than 20% of climate-focused startups have at least one woman on their founding team. 

Additionally, the report noted that female teams are under-represented in capital-intensive sectors such as energy and mobility, which favour equity.  

The cost of not funding women in climate startups is immense, manifesting as a $42 billion financing gap in Africa, an estimated $15 trillion untapped female economic potential across the continent, and an opportunity cost in the global fight against climate change.

Still, there are signs of hope. VC firms like Catalyst Fund support women in African climate startups by providing both early-stage pre-seed capital (up to $200K) and hands-on venture-building support. The fund has backed successful women-led climate ventures across the continent, including Farmz2U and Farm to Feed, which help build sustainable, climate-resilient food systems in Africa. 

Last updated: July 27, 2026