The capital backing climate companies in Seattle.
From Amazon Climate Pledge Fund and Breakthrough Energy to the funds investing across the region, here is a starter map of the investors active in the local climate ecosystem.
Amazon Climate Pledge Fund
The Amazon Climate Pledge Fund is Amazon's Seattle-based corporate VC investing patient capital from pre-product startups to established enterprises across energy, buildings, transportation, manufacturing and materials, circular economy, food and agriculture, carbon removal, and water. Its differentiator is that Amazon is both investor and customer, so portfolio technology can be deployed into Amazon's own operations, offering a rare enterprise-scale pilot and deployment pathway. It has a genuine Seattle presence.
Breakthrough Energy
Breakthrough Energy is the Bill Gates-founded climate platform with a Kirkland office and three vehicles: a large venture arm investing seed to later stage across clean energy, agriculture, manufacturing, and transportation; a Fellows program of grants and fellowships for individual innovators at the discovery stage; and Catalyst, a project-funding vehicle for first-of-a-kind commercial demonstrations in areas like sustainable fuels, hydrogen, direct air capture, and long-duration storage. It has a genuine Pacific Northwest presence.
E8
E8 is a Seattle-based cleantech angel network, a nonprofit membership community of accredited investors that has invested substantially across many companies from pre-seed to Series A, with an affiliated impact fund making equity and debt investments on rotating themes. Beyond capital it offers cooperative due diligence, mentorship, learning labs, syndication, follow-on participation, and visibility at no cost to founders who pitch, with backers across the regional research and industry ecosystem. It has a genuine Seattle presence.
Earth Finance
Earth Finance is a Seattle-based climate strategy and finance advisory firm, not a founder-facing VC, providing corporate transition strategy, spatial finance, energy-security, and nature and water advisory, and growing through acquisitions. It has a genuine Seattle headquarters but works with enterprises rather than funding or incubating startups. Founders seeking capital route to E8, VertueLab, or the corporate funds.
Fuse Venture Partners
Fuse Venture Partners is a Seattle-area, Pacific Northwest-focused VC investing at seed and Series A and positioned as one of the few local funds able to lead Series A rounds, with a large network of senior operators for go-to-market, customer introductions, and hiring. It is not climate-specific, with a thesis in enterprise software and AI, robotics, spacetech, and healthcare, so climate founders fit only if software or AI-enabled. It has a genuine Seattle presence.
Madrona Venture Group
Madrona Venture Group is Seattle's flagship generalist VC investing from seed through later stages in enterprise software, AI, and cloud, with a strong regional focus and an emerging climate-tech practice that added a sustainability-focused venture partner and spun out an emissions startup through its studio. It is not a dedicated climate fund but offers full-stack hands-on support and an in-house studio. It has a genuine Seattle presence.
Washington Research Foundation Capital
WRF Capital is the evergreen investment arm of the Washington Research Foundation, funded by licensing royalties, making early-stage investments in Washington-based startups, especially spinouts from state research institutions, with an emphasis on life sciences and enabling technologies. Beyond capital it offers deep university and tech-transfer ties and diligence credibility that signals to co-investors, with a Washington-only mandate. It is not climate-dedicated.
Pack Ventures
Pack Ventures is a Seattle-based, UW-affiliated VC investing pre-seed and seed in startups with UW ties across applied AI, enterprise software, life sciences, robotics, and deep tech, offering UW and CoMotion network access, mentorship, and backing from local venture heavyweights. It is not climate-dedicated, with climate fitting only incidentally. It has a genuine Seattle presence.
Stepchange
Stepchange is a Seattle-based climate VC investing pre-seed and seed with early checks, focused on climate software and asset-light, software-enabled solutions across transportation, the built environment, energy and the grid, and adaptation and resilience, favouring companies that do not rely on green premiums or subsidies. Beyond capital it offers hands-on product and operator expertise from founders with notable exits, a strong LP network, and a climate community. It has a genuine Seattle presence.