3 Southeast Asian Climate Tech Startups Leading the Way to a Greener Future

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3 Southeast Asian Climate Tech Startups Leading the Way to a Greener Future

The year 2023 marked the hottest on record, highlighting an urgent crisis for areas like Southeast Asia. Local climate investors predict that up to 37% of Southeast Asia’s GDP could be at risk if global temperatures rise to 3.2°C by 2100. As the fourth-largest energy consumer globally, Southeast Asia’s reliance on coal-based fossil fuels has driven its carbon emissions sharply upward, making it one of the top emitters worldwide.

There is, however, hope: decisive climate action now could unlock over US$4 trillion in economic benefits and generate more than 230 million new jobs across the region by 2030. Despite Southeast Asia’s venture and climate investment sectors raising US$10.4 billion in 2022, a large funding gap remains, opening doors for global investors.

As Southeast Asia aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by over 33% by 2030, it faces the challenge of balancing rapid economic growth with ambitious climate targets. The region estimates a requirement of US$2 trillion to achieve these 2030 climate goals.

Fortunately, a few climate tech startups in Southeast Asia are making notable progress, showing potential for commercial success and leading efforts toward sustainability. Here are three promising climate tech companies in the region that global investors should watch.

Accacia

The real estate and infrastructure sectors, responsible for 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, are under growing pressure to cut carbon outputs significantly to help limit global warming to 1.5˚C above pre-industrial levels. This push is reshaping an industry valued at over US$50 billion.

Governments are setting ambitious targets for net-zero emissions by 2050, including higher carbon taxes and stricter building regulations. This shift is raising costs for property development and operations while also changing investor priorities—properties are now expected to be both profitable and environmentally sustainable.

Accacia, based in Singapore and India, provides a tech platform enabling large property owners to easily track their carbon footprints. With prominent clients such as AECOM, Allianz, and UOB, Accacia has implemented its solutions across over 20 million square feet of monitored property in Asia. The company is now expanding into Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North America.

Koltiva

The global supply chain management market, worth US$27.2 billion in 2022, is projected to grow to US$75.6 billion by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.9%. Demands for transparency and sustainability are driving rapid evolution in this sector.

Founded in 2013, Koltiva, an Indonesia-based company, combines digital and on-the-ground solutions to promote sustainable, traceable supply chains globally. Koltiva’s approach includes employing hundreds of field agents who personally visit farms, ensuring they meet rigorous sustainability standards. This support empowers smallholder farmers in emerging markets by enhancing their access to global sales and financial resources.

Koltiva has developed software that enables tracking of agricultural products from seed to table, an essential feature for companies complying with regulations like the EU Deforestation Regulation. With 1.8x growth in 2023 and projections of 2x to 2.5x growth in 2024, Koltiva is on a clear path to profitability.

Xurya

Founded in 2018, Xurya has rapidly grown to become Indonesia’s leading provider of commercial and industrial solar energy solutions. It was the first company in Indonesia to offer rooftop solar installations with no upfront costs, significantly advancing solar energy adoption in the country.

Xurya has been at the forefront of innovation in the sector, using IoT for remote solar facility management and incorporating machine learning to optimize solar efficiency.

Xurya currently manages over 170 solar projects nationwide, with a total installed capacity of 100 MW. These projects reduce CO2 emissions by more than 152,000 tons annually and have generated over 1,600 green jobs locally. The company has raised US$90 million to date, including a recent US$55 million investment from development finance institutions such as Norfund, Swedfund, and BII, underscoring its key role in advancing renewable energy in Indonesia.

Scientists Urge Increased Action to Combat Climate Change Impacts

Three researchers from Virginia Tech's Center for Ecosystem Forecasting were among 23 experts worldwide calling for an expansion of near-term — daily to decadal — iterative ecological forecasting in a recent article in Nature Climate Change.

"As global change increases variability in many ecosystems, real-time forecasts are urgently needed to guide resource management," said Cayelan C. Carey, Faculty Fellow in the Department of Biological Sciences and co-director of the center.

Carey, alongside R. Quinn Thomas, a professor in Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, and Leah Johnson, an associate professor of statistics, co-authored the paper. The article highlights how near-term ecological forecasting can help anticipate and respond to ecosystem shifts caused by climate change and biodiversity challenges.

Unlike long-term forecasts, near-term iterative forecasting involves a continuous learning process where predictions are made, then refined based on new data and observations, allowing managers and stakeholders to anticipate and respond to ecological changes before they become critical.

"For instance, if water managers are alerted to a high risk of toxic phytoplankton bloom in the coming week, they can take preventative action now to avoid water quality issues," said Carey, who is also affiliated with the Global Change Center at Virginia Tech.

While local and regional iterative forecasting is valuable, the authors argue that large-scale, international efforts are essential for achieving global environmental goals.

"We need cross-sector partnerships connecting academia, government, industry, NGOs, and other stakeholders," said Thomas, who also co-directs the Center for Ecosystem Forecasting.

Although technical tools like next-generation earth system models exist, they often prioritize long-term processes over near-term forecasts. The authors suggest this misses valuable opportunities to support climate adaptation, carbon monitoring, and sustainable development goals.

"Building communities of practice is key to fostering ecological forecasting as a discipline," said Thomas, a Data Science Faculty Fellow. "And growing this community inclusively requires addressing equity, ensuring all affected by climate change have a voice."

The Ecological Forecasting Initiative, a grassroots group with many authors as members, has exemplified this approach. Virginia Tech will host its annual meeting from May 19-22, 2025, in Blacksburg.

Since 2021, the initiative has held the NEON Forecasting Challenge, led by Thomas, which involves predicting data from the National Ecological Observatory Network before collection. The group has developed educational materials, community infrastructure, and comparative analyses to promote open data access—a vital step for scaling up forecasting efforts.

"For ecological forecasts to be most effective, we need to learn from both successes and failures," said Johnson, also an affiliate faculty member of the Center for Ecosystem Forecasting. "This requires open, accessible data and models that allow a wide range of users to improve them."

Improving access and inclusivity could strengthen pathways to near-term forecasting, the authors suggest. They advocate for partnerships across sectors and with decision-makers to involve low- and middle-income countries and vulnerable communities, particularly those impacted by climate change and biodiversity loss.

"Ecological forecasting is at a critical juncture," said lead author Michael Dietz, a professor at Boston University and head of the Ecological Forecasting Laboratory. "To adapt to rapid ecological changes, we need to enhance our predictive abilities."

The authors note that atmospheric science faced a similar crossroads in the 1960s, choosing to create a broad, engaged community. Ecological forecasting scientists now hope to follow this example, paving the way for a resilient future in the face of climate challenges.

Green Frontier Capital Launches ₹1,500 Crore Fund to Propel Climate Tech Start-ups

Green Frontier Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm specializing in climate-tech, has launched its first SEBI-approved Category 2 Alternative Investment Fund (AIF), the Green Frontier Capital India Climate Opportunities Fund, with a target corpus of ₹1,500 crore. This fund is aimed at accelerating India’s transition to a low-carbon economy through strategic investments in transformative climate technologies.

The fund will primarily invest in innovative, India-focused companies in their Seed to Series A stages, concentrating on solutions in decarbonization, digitization, and disruptive technologies.

“India plays a central role in the global climate action landscape. As the only large economy projected to quadruple its GDP in the next two decades, the country’s choices today carry global significance,” said Sandiip Bhammer, Founder and Managing Partner of Green Frontier Capital.

“Our aim is to support companies with the potential to lead their categories and achieve venture-scale returns, aligning with India’s goals for sustainable growth. This AIF reflects our commitment to a future that balances economic development with environmental responsibility,” Bhammer added.

The fund will also prioritize emerging solutions in biological intelligence and other areas transforming sustainability, food systems, and life sciences, with a major focus on technologies that reduce emissions across essential industries.

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