Summit Signals Rise of South West’s ClimateTech Firms

A summit in the heart of the Devon countryside brought together founders, investors, and organisations to focus on accelerating innovation to help tackle critical climate challenges.

The ClimateTech Founders Summit 2026 on Thursday 18 June at the Froginwell Estate in Devon, was a landmark day for the South West’s growing clean technology community.

Hosted by Tech South West (TSW) with headline sponsor Deloitte, the summit included experts from the likes of Deloitte, National Composites Centre, Cambridge CleanTech, Oxfordshire GreenTech, Green Angel Investors, Innovate UK Business Connect, University of Exeter and Microsoft working alongside founders.

The event responded to feedback gathered at last year’s inaugural ClimateTech Summit, also supported by Deloitte, where three quarter of founders identified access to capital as their primary barrier to accelerating innovation. This year’s summit went further, layering in work on product development, corporate access and insight into UK and global economic trends and the clean energy transition from Deloitte.

Dan Pritchard, Founder of Tech South West, said: “The South West has genuine climatetech capability in so many areas – marine technology, agritech, clean energy, the built environment and nature-based solutions, but too many of our founders are navigating the funding and corporate landscape in isolation. The summit is part of the work to change that. We’re building a community that shares intelligence, opens doors, and moves together. Thanks once again to Deloitte, for helping to shape and support this vital work.”

The summit brought together an exceptional cross-section of South West climatetech innovation, including firms working across some of the most critical areas of the net zero transition, including Kelpi (ocean-derived sustainable materials), QLM Technology (methane detection and quantification), Eden Geothermal (deep geothermal energy), Co Charger (peer-to-peer EV charging), Fetch Energy (energy flexibility), Nimbus Agri-Tech (agricultural technology), Lumenox (smart lighting), Natural Building Systems (low-carbon construction), NatureNode.io (nature data infrastructure), Rookwood Operations (environmental management) and Nature Equity (natural capital).

According to business intelligence platform Beauhurst, the South West secured over £1.47 billion in total equity investment through 2025, maintaining its regional market share against tighter national liquidity and valuation pressures. Unlike many other industries that saw a decline in deal volume, cleantech in the South West continued to grow year-on-year.

Andrew Wright, practice senior partner, Deloitte South West and Wales, said: “The energy transition is one of the defining opportunities of our time, and the South West has a central role in seizing it. In supporting the summit, we want to explore the geopolitical, regulatory and financial forces shaping the industry. Our hope is that founders are better placed to make informed, smart decisions that will build resilient businesses. The quality of innovation we’re seeing in this region is exceptional. The next step is building at scale.”

Investment funds including FSE Group and Foresight, alongside representatives from Green Angel Ventures, Angel Investors Bristol and the Fearless Female Investor Collective also took part.

Alongside workshops, delegates helped map out key climatetech assets in the region and took part in ‘Walk and Talk’ sessions across the estate. The day closed with key commitments on next steps across investment, innovation, and corporate access.

Neil Morris, Founder of Bristol-based Kelpi, said: “It’s incredibly tough to build successful climatetech companies. We’re smashing down old industries, navigating outdated regulation and accessing markets that are still adapting and emerging. That’s why it’s so vital for founders to support each other, and work with investors and support organisations to achieve the breakthroughs and scale the impact that’s so urgently needed.”