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IFC and NEX select 26 women-led startups to drive climate innovation across Southeast Asia

September 8, 2025

Hong Kong, September 9, 2025 – Twenty-six women-led climate startups from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Myanmar have been selected to join a global fast-track investment readiness initiative led by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and implemented in Southeast Asia by New Energy Nexus (NEX).

Supported by the Governments of Canada and Australia, the She Wins Climate accelerator helps women entrepreneurs to overcome funding barriers and scale their businesses. The program connects entrepreneurs with climate investment opportunities through mentorship, pitch coaching, investor networks, peer learning, and a global community platform.

Sarah Twigg, IFC Gender and Inclusion Lead, Asia Pacific said “Across Southeast Asia, women-led climate startups are tackling some of the region’s most pressing environmental challenges with ingenuity and grit. The She Wins Climate accelerator will amplify women’s businesses, connect them with investors, and unlock the transformative climate innovation the region urgently needs.”

The selected startups operate in diverse climate sectors, including: adaptation and resilience, buildings and urban infrastructure, circular economy and waste management, climate and environmental data, food and agriculture, renewable energy and generation, water and ocean.

According to Crunchbase, less than 7% of global climate tech venture funding in Q1 2023 went to women founders – likely even lower in Southeast Asia, where data remains incomplete.

“Women-led climate startups have the potential to drive transformative change, yet they face systemic barriers, including limited funding and restricted access to networks, ” said Thao Tran, Country Director at New Energy Nexus Vietnam.

The 26 women entrepreneurs were announced today during the Climate Business Forum: Asia Pacific – co-organized by IFC and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority as the cornerstone event of Hong Kong Green Week – following a highly competitive selection process.

Meet the participating women-led startups:

Agro Agape Co,.Ltd: Providing resource input for solutions in the coffee supply chain and transforming agricultural waste into energy for processing.
BeCool Indonesia: Developing an affordable and scalable solution of solar-reflective coatings to reduce heat and energy use in tropical buildings.
Carbonwize: Offering an AI-powered carbon management platform that simplifies carbon measurement, enabling environmental impact tracking and alignment with environmental standards.
CAS Energy: Offering REGreen, an eco-solar solution designed to support enterprises in their green transition with comprehensive benefits: green spaces, enhanced energy efficiency, and carbon emission reductions.
Earthbound Leaf Leather: Transforming agricultural waste into biodegradable leaf leather with an accessible price, preventing open burning and landfill disposal that emit greenhouse gases and toxic particulates.
Econella: Specializing in bio-additive products, made from agricultural waste, that improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions in diesel engines while supporting a circular, zero-waste economy.
Enable Earth Co., Ltd.: Transforming landfilled and burnt agricultural waste into high-value carbon-negative products with a scalable, pollution-reducing solution for Southeast Asia.
FoodCycle Farm: Revolutionizing food waste management and urban farming through its circular, sustainable, and decentralized approach of using Black Soldier Fly (BSF) bio-conversion technology.
GAIA Builders: Managing thermal building performance for better energy building efficiency.
Ikanesia: Transforming fish waste, agricultural residues, and local biomass into low-cost, sustainable animal feed through a circular economy model.
Inno Green Tech: Revolutionizing wastewater management through BioCircuit, an AI-integrated bio-electrochemical treatment system that transforms wastewater from a pollutant into a regenerative resource.
Living Roots: Regenerating agriculture by restoring soil biology, enabling farmers to cultivate thriving, self-renewing ecosystems that nourish land, crops, and communities.
Mangrove Crab Labs: Transforming abandoned ponds into carbon sinks and sustainable livelihoods, empowering communities through the use of recycled crab houses.
Myanmar Myat Royal: Promoting climate resilience through the installation of affordable solar-powered irrigation for smallholder farmers in Myanmar.
MyPermaSchool: Promoting the solution to develop Healthy Soil, Healthy Food, Healthy Children by training Indonesian teachers how to grow healthy food with children by using natural methods in healthy ecosystems through permaculture.
Nguyen Khoi Green JSC: Pioneering sustainable pig farming in Vietnam, integrating animal welfare, circular agriculture, and green innovation to redefine premium pork through an awarded net-zero model.
PAMMÉ: Transforming collected plastic waste into handcrafted accessories made by incarcerated women, which creates a closed-loop system for social inclusion and waste diversion from landfills.
PT. Eco Karya Teknologi (Crustea): Creating solutions for pond farmers in Indonesia by developing various technologies to increase productivity and efficiency in ponds.
Qarbotech: Developing breakthrough solutions to enhance photosynthesis that results in increased yields and climate resilience through a nanotech-based spray, QarboGrow.
Real Bean Coffee Co., Ltd.: From farm to cup – clean, transparent, and meaningful, Real Bean Coffee is a women-led agritech sustainable specialty coffee supplier from Vietnam.
Sai Gon Kim Hong Trading Services Co. Ltd.: Pioneering in precision agriculture by dedicating to sustainable agri-machinery solutions for rice farming in Vietnam
SUDrain Co., Ltd.: providing an innovative and sustainable wastewater treatment solution by recycling coconut waste into biofilm filters.
Tambanokano Aqua Farm: Providing Crab Condominiums and recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) to boost harvesting efficiency while promoting a scalable model for climate-resilient aquaculture.
TRI Cycle: Upcycling and recycling post-consumer textile waste into new materials and products while providing waste management services to help brands transition to a more sustainable, circular, and socially just supply chain.
Viginseng Corporation: leading the innovative green processing to transform sustainably cultivated Vietnamese ginseng into high-efficacy health and beauty products, creating a regenerative, forest-based value chain that empowers ethnic minority women, sequesters carbon, and fosters climate resilience
XSolar Energy: Supporting the transition to clean energy with a zero-CAPEX solar leasing model combined with an AI-powered platform for efficient energy management and a measurable reduction in carbon emissions.

Media contacts:

Raisha Fatya, Indonesia Communications Manager – New Energy Nexus

raisha.fatya@newenergynexus.com

+628118980051

About New Energy Nexus

New Energy Nexus (NEX) is an international organization that strives towards a 100% clean energy economy for 100% of the population. It does this with a laser focus on diverse entrepreneurs, supporting them with accelerators, funds, skills, and networks they need to thrive. NEX has accelerated 1,500+ startups, empowered over 10,400+ entrepreneurs, and mobilized over US$4.7 billion in investment. Since its founding in California in 2004, NEX now operates programs or advisory services in Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, the UAE, Uganda, the USA (California and New York), and Vietnam.

Follow NEX on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and YouTube

About IFC
IFC – a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2025, IFC committed a record $71 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging private sector solutions and mobilizing private capital to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

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Vietnam

Energy for Agriculture

Women

Six women-led agricultural enterprises secure investment to tackle climate adaptation in the Mekong Delta

December 3, 2024

Six women-led agricultural enterprises across the Mekong Delta in Vietnam have successfully secured up to AUD60,000 (VND1 billion) each to take their businesses to the next level, thanks to Deltaccelerate.

Deltaccelerate is a women’s agribusiness climate adaptation accelerator funded by the Australian Government that provides customised training and tailored support for women-focused small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Mekong Delta to build their capacity in sustainable business practices and strengthen their resilience to climate adaptation.

The six successful businesses were selected from a cohort of 14 Deltaccelerate participants following a competitive Pitch Day event on 17 October 2024 in Can Tho city. They include:

Mekong Coconut Oil Company Limited (Cocovie)

Producing and trading high-quality cosmetic and food products from coconut oil in Ben Tre province, focusing on preserving and utilizing coconut trees over 10 years old, which can absorb 75 tons of CO2 per hectare per year.

Cau Ke Macapuno Coconut Processing Co., Ltd (VICOSAP)

Specialising in confectionery products, baking ingredients and drinks made from macapuno coconuts, a specialty of Tra Vinh province cultivated by the Khmer community and known for their high saline tolerance, making them an ideal climate-adaptive crop.

Palmania JSC

Creating healthy, organic products from palmyra trees using sustainable farming methods rooted in the indigenous Khmer community in An Giang province.

AirXCarbon/Veritas Vietnam JSC

Transforming biomaterials, including coconut husks from the Mekong Delta, into zero-carbon consumer products.

Dam Doi Sesarmid Cooperative

Producing a range of sustainable products from locally-caught sesarmids and shrimps in Ca Mau province.

Ecoka JSC

Producing and trading handicrafts made from adaptive materials, including water hyacinth and bulrush, from Hau Giang province on global e-commerce platforms.

Each enterprise will now receive this financial support to scale their business through trade promotion, marketing, product development and training initiatives. Deltaccelerate’s total contribution of AUD250,000 (VND4 billion) will also leverage AUD320,000 (VND5 billion) in co-funding from the enterprises to further amplify its impact.

The Deltaccelerate program is part of the Business Partnership Platform (BPP), an Australian Government initative implemented by Palladium. Deltaccelerate is managed by New Energy Nexus Vietnam (NEXVN) and continues to foster innovative solutions for climate adaptation and sustainable development in the Mekong Delta.

About the Business Partnerships Program (BPP)

The BPP supports business partnerships between DFAT and inclusive, commercially sustainable businesses to deliver strategic development outcomes, with a focus on gender equality, disability, social inclusion and climate impact. Since 2016, it has supported 75 partnerships in 21 countries, partnering with 147 organisations across the private sector, social business, NGOs and academic institutions.

The Australian Government has invested more than AUD31 million in BPP partnerships, with partners contributing more than AUD51 million.

About the Deltaccelerate

Deltaccelerate is made possible by a unique partnership between the Australian Government and New Energy Nexus through the Business Partnerships Platform (BPP) Climate Adaptation Partnerships in the Mekong Delta, announced in November 2023.

Deltaccelerate is a business accelerator funded by the Australian Government providing direct support, tailored training, and networking opportunities for enterprises that work in the Mekong Delta’s agricultural sector, which are led by or significantly benefit women and contribute to the sector’s resilience to climate adaptation.

The Partnerships are part of the Australian Government’s AUD94.5 million investments for climate change adaptation in the Mekong Delta.

Media contacts:

For information about Deltaccelerate – Trinh Thi Cam Tu: tu.trinh@newenergynexus.com +84 364 661 564

For media inquiries – Nguyen Truong Duy: duy.nguyen@newenergynexus.com +84 397 459 910

About New Energy Nexus

New Energy Nexus (NEX) is an international organization that strives towards a 100% clean energy economy for 100% of the population. It does this with a laser focus on diverse entrepreneurs, supporting them with accelerators, funds, skills, and networks they need to thrive. NEX has accelerated 1,500+ startups, empowered over 10,400+ entrepreneurs, and mobilized over US$4.7 billion in investment. Since its founding in California in 2004, NEX now operates programs or advisory services in Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, the UAE, Uganda, the USA (California and New York), and Vietnam.

Follow NEX on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and YouTube

Energy Access

Energy for Agriculture

How New Energy Nexus is supporting food systems entrepreneurs

December 18, 2023

What does New York City and rural Uganda have in common? Not a whole lot, except that the food system in both locations are an enormous emitter of greenhouse gas emissions – in fact the global food system contributes 30% of emissions.

Enhancing the resilience of food systems is not just a mitigation concern, but an adaptation concern, as climate-resilient infrastructure is critical for human survival with climate and economic shocks likely to cause more food inflation and hunger globally. That’s why it is essential for the clean energy sector and food sector to come together urgently to solve for food security.

Accelerating Productive Use Energy technologies in Uganda…

Oribcing Energy Cooperative Association (OCECA). A cooperative in Uganda led by 22 refugees that provides clean energy to their communities.

New Energy Nexus is seeking to address and promote Productive Use Technologies (PUEs) in our Uganda and Indonesia chapters. Although Uganda has access to enormous renewable energy resources, including solar and hydro, biomass, and wind energy, only about 40% of Uganda’s population has access to energy. In rural areas, this is less than 38%, yet over 70% of the population resides there. The agriculture sector employs 80% of the Ugandan population, 70% of whom are women and youth. However, due to limited capital in the country for clean energy technologies, energy for agriculture solutions tend to be underutilized. There is a huge opportunity for agricultural and farmer cooperatives to replace diesel-generated electricity with renewable energy to add value to their produce, increase productivity, reduce the cost of cooling, extend the shelf life of produce, and mechanize operations.

… and in Indonesia.

Indonesia, on the other hand, is mostly electrified with the electrification rate reaching more than 98% in 2018. However, access to productive use of clean energy remains low. Horticultures require direct and indirect energy inputs in the typical agriculture value chains in the production, post-harvest processing, storing and cooling that are generally energy intensive. While reducing energy consumption at these value chains is essential, other viable options in providing PUEs can help farmers in increasing their livelihood and have additional income by adding values to their agriculture products. This can be done, for example, by utilizing the energy to perform controlled drying of fruits and vegetables, off-season production through controlled irrigation, and optimizing crops by providing additional lighting.

Driving food systems change in New York City

Our New York Chapter, The Clean Fight, is currently accepting applications for its fourth cohort to decarbonise the food services industry.

Why the food services industry? Besides contributing to more than 30% of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, food is the leading source of household consumption-based emissions. An average grocery store emits the equivalent emissions of 635 cars a year. The good news is the city has taken notice and in addition to legislative action, PlanNYC aims to reduce the emissions of city agency food purchases by 33% by 2030.

The Clean Fight, upon consultations with the community including NYSERDA, corporates, financiers, growth start-ups, and industry experts advised on this theme, supported by New York City’s LL97 to force groceries and supermarkets to drastically reduce their energy usage or face fines. Adoption, however, requires a mindset and cultural shift in a traditional and change-resistant industry.

Margins are razor thin in this sector, thus decarbonization goals can face intense push-back if the community is not brought into the solutions as a partner, not just a beneficiary. 60% of food workers are women and ethnic minorities; increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in entrepreneurship programming is critical in addressing decarbonization goals.

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Takachar, a Boston based startup turns crop and forest residues in rural communities into carbon-negative bio-products.

Empowering women agribusiness entrepreneurs in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta

New Energy Nexus Vietnam has also launched the Women’s Agribusiness Climate Adaptation Accelerator in collaboration with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Through tailored mentorship, training, access to finance, small grants, and networking support, the accelerator aims to empower women-led small and medium enterprises to navigate climate change challenges, build resilience, and contribute to the economic and social well-being of the region.

How can Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) drive a just transition in agriculture and food systems?

ESO’s such as New Energy Nexus are the connectors, funders, and accelerators for startups and small businesses around the world. They play a powerful role in convening and strategically identifying where support is needed. Here are five ways we believe ESOs can play a role in the food systems sector.

1. Financing

– ESOs can offer tailored financing solutions designed to empower smallholder farmers and agricultural cooperatives, such as affordable loans, pay-as-you-go, rent-to-own, fee-for-service models to avoid the very high capital expenditure of purchasing PUEs, such as a $700 solar irrigation pump.

– Encourage collective buying and selling of agricultural products and offer mechanization through PUEs.

– Create revolving funds where repayments from one cooperative are reinvested to finance clean energy projects in other cooperatives.

2. Community engagement

– Engage a wide range of stakeholders at the community level by providing training sessions for cooperatives and farmers, address biases in food practices, encourage collective and inclusive problem-solving, enhance financial management skills, as well as foster connections and network support.

– Create early adopters that demonstrate and locally champion technologies in their communities.

– Develop crisis response and recovery strategies together through entrepreneur networks that can quickly and readily respond to potential disasters.

3. Work with the government

– Work with the government to establish benchmarks and standards to measure and compare energy efficiency technologies for the agriculture and food sector and set industry targets.

– Support tax incentives and/or subsidies to support the food industry to adopt clean energy and sustainable practices as well as funding to support entrepreneur support programming.

– Support more comprehensive research on energy efficiency to enable more transparency and data-driven decision-making.

4. Gender equity

– Design programming that supports women’s entrepreneurship in creating technologies to address the food systems

– Enable funding support for women-led businesses

5. Address circularity in food systems

– Create programming to support anaerobic digestion companies, which utilize processes to break down organic by-waste and food waste. One of our NEX portfolio companies, Takachar, transforms waste biomass into marketable bio-products for rural communities in India.

– Create programming to support recycling nutrient-rich by-products into animal feed, compost, or fertilizers, reducing waste and enhancing soil health.

– Create programming to upcycle food by-products to explore innovative upcycling methods to convert by-products into new food products, such as turning fruit peels into snacks.

– Encourage companies to seek sustainable packaging solutions, such as recycled and recyclable materials.

– Encourage collaboration across the supply chain such as producers, processors, distributors, and retailers, to create a closed-loop system where waste and by-products are managed collectively.

Written by Aneri Pradhan, COO of New Energy Nexus with contributions from Julius Mujuni, New Energy Nexus Uganda Program Director, Diyanto Imam, New Energy Nexus Indonesia Program Director, and Nick Ng, Program Manager at The Clean Fight

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Vietnam

Energy for Agriculture

Women

Empowering women entrepreneurs in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta

December 7, 2023

New Energy Nexus Vietnam is excited to announce the launch of the Women’s Agribusiness Climate Adaptation Accelerator, a program that forms part of the Business Partnerships Platform (BPP) in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam.

This initiative is a testament to our commitment to tackling climate change and creating positive outcomes for local communities, with a particular emphasis on empowering women. In collaboration with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the accelerator is one of four new business partnerships launched under the BPP Climate Adaptation Partnerships in the Mekong Delta in November 2023.

Empowering women entrepreneurs in Vietnam's Mekong Delta.

Addressing Climate Adaptation and Empowering Communities

The BPP Climate Adaptation Partnerships in the Mekong Delta aim to support the joint efforts of Vietnam and Australia in addressing the challenges posed by climate adaptation. By partnering with inclusive businesses operating in the agriculture sector, these partnerships seek to develop sustainable business models while delivering vital social, gender equality, and development benefits to the Mekong communities. The Women’s Agribusiness Climate Adaptation Accelerator is a key component of this initiative, focusing on empowering women entrepreneurs to overcome climate change-related obstacles and contribute to the region’s resilience.

The Role of the BPP

The Business Partnerships Platform (BPP) supports strategic development outcomes by facilitating partnerships between the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and inclusive, commercially-sustainable businesses. Since its inception in 2016, the BPP has fostered 16 business partnerships in Vietnam, with seven specifically located in the Mekong Delta. These partnerships prioritize gender equality, disability inclusion, social integration, and climate impact, promoting sustainable development and positive change.

Empowering Women through the Accelerator

The Women’s Agribusiness Climate Adaptation Accelerator is a testament to the BPP’s commitment to gender equality and social inclusion. By providing tailored training, mentorship, access to finance, small grants, and networking opportunities, the accelerator aims to empower women entrepreneurs in the Mekong Delta. Through this targeted support, women-led enterprises will be better equipped to navigate climate change challenges, build resilience, and contribute to the economic and social well-being of the region.

Looking Towards a Sustainable Future

As we launch the Women’s Agribusiness Climate Adaptation Accelerator, we invite all stakeholders, including women entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and the community, to join us in creating a sustainable and inclusive future for the Mekong Delta. By harnessing the power of partnerships and supporting women-led enterprises, we can drive positive change, strengthen local economies, and enhance the region’s resilience in the face of climate change.

The launch of the Women’s Agribusiness Climate Adaptation Accelerator under the Business Partnerships Platform (BPP) in the Mekong Delta signifies a significant step towards empowering women entrepreneurs and addressing climate change. This initiative aligns with the joint efforts of Vietnam and Australia to create sustainable, inclusive, and resilient communities. Together, through collaboration and targeted support, we can unlock the potential of women-led enterprises and pave the way for a brighter and more sustainable future in the Mekong Delta.

Stay updated on the Women’s Agribusiness Climate Adaptation Accelerator and other BPP initiatives by visiting our website.

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