Climate tech leads in early-stage startups
Giant Leap's latest Impact Startup Benchmark Report demonstrates the resilience and demand for climate and impact in early stage investment.
The data doesn’t lie: Impact startups are rising against the tide
Melbourne-based Impact investors Giant Leap’s 2025 Impact Startups Benchmark Report is now live! It's a deep dive into the past three years of Australia’s impact startup ecosystem, exploring how founders have navigated change, where capital has flowed and the trends shaping what’s next across climate, health and people.
"We are proud to announce the launch of our 2025 Impact Startups Benchmark Report which will be distributed in our Small Steps newsletter on Thursday. (Link in comments.)
Australia’s early‑stage market has seen its toughest run in two years, moving from a feeling of abundance to one of scarcity. Conventional wisdom says when times get tight, people retreat inward. That’s what we’re seeing in the media but the data tells a very different story.
Yes, some sectors have contracted, but when it comes to impact, funding hasn’t just held; it’s grown in proportion." - Rachel Yang, General Partner at Giant Leap
Climate tech and health tech remain the top-funded sectors in 2024 and into early 2025. 41.5% of all early-stage investment went to impact startups in 2024—up from 38.9% in 2022, rebounding from a peak of 55.6% in 2023.
The takeaway? The biggest problems of our time create the biggest commercial opportunities for those bold enough to tackle them.
The report was produced in collaboration with Cut Through Venture
Read the full Report here
