• 100×100 is targeting a $100 million Fund II to co-build 50 climate technology companies across India and Southeast Asia.
• Each company is designed to reduce up to 100 million tonnes of CO₂e and generate more than $100 million in annual revenue.
• The fund will focus on high-emissions sectors including energy, agriculture, transport, land use, buildings, industry, and supply chains.

Singapore Climate Investor Targets Asia’s Emissions Economy

Singapore-based climate venture builder 100×100 has launched a $100 million Fund II to create and scale 50 new climate technology companies across India and Southeast Asia.

The fund places the newly rebranded firm in one of the world’s most strategically important climate regions. South and Southeast Asia are driving fast growth in manufacturing, food production, infrastructure, clean energy, and digital systems. At the same time, the regions face rising pressure to reduce emissions while securing economic growth.

100×100, previously known as Wavemaker Impact, was founded by the team behind the climate venture builder of the same name. Its new fund follows a $60 million raise in 2023 under the Wavemaker Impact brand.

Rather than backing only existing startups, 100×100 uses a venture-building model. It works with experienced founders and operators from the earliest stage. Together, they identify emissions problems, build a commercial solution, and launch a company.

Venture Building for Commercial Climate Scale

The firm typically launches a business within six months of ideation. It then invests $500,000 on standard terms and works closely with the founder for about 18 months. Once the company reaches product-market fit, 100×100 may invest a further $500,000 to $1 million. It also helps bring in other investors for Series A financing.

The model is designed to close a long-standing gap in climate technology. Many low-carbon technologies already exist, yet they often struggle to reach commercial scale. Barriers include weak market access, high adoption costs, limited operating expertise, and slow customer conversion.

100×100 says its approach is built around what it calls the “green discount.” That means climate solutions must be cheaper and better than fossil-based alternatives. For investors, this positions decarbonisation as an economic opportunity, not only an ESG obligation.

“We believe that solving the world’s most pressing emissions challenges also represents a significant economic opportunity. Our name reflects our conviction that profit and carbon reduction are not a trade-off, but a multiplier,” said Marie Cheong, Founding Partner, 100×100, in a statement.

The firm adds on its website: “We don’t invest in green premium, we look for green discount. For climate tech to scale, it must be cheaper and better than the existing fossil alternative. We build companies that win on unit economics first, carbon second,”

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Fund Targets Energy, Food, Industry and Land Use

Fund II will focus on sectors where emissions are hard to abate and demand is rising. These include energy, transport, agriculture, food systems, industrial decarbonisation, land use, buildings, sustainable materials, and supply chains.

The firm has already co-created 27 climate-focused companies across India, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Its portfolio covers renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, resource efficiency, green materials, carbon reduction, and cleaner industrial systems.

Together, those companies have raised more than $28 million from 16 external investors. According to the firm, most became revenue-generating within six months of launch.

The new fund aims to expand that pipeline sharply. Its target is to create 50 more businesses. Each is intended to cut up to 100 million tonnes of CO₂e and generate more than $100 million in annual revenue.

That ambition is reflected in the firm’s name. The 100×100 model links climate impact with revenue scale, with carbon reduction and profitability treated as mutually reinforcing goals.

Asia’s Climate Capital Gap Draws New Attention

Climate-focused venture capital remains less visible in Southeast Asia than in larger technology markets. However, the category is growing. Other regional players include The Radical Fund, which has a $40 million Southeast Asia fund, ADB Ventures with $60 million, Clime Capital with $175 million, and Circulate Capital, which raised $220 million in April.

India has a broader climate venture ecosystem, supported by clean energy deployment, industrial expansion, and rising policy pressure on emissions.

For C-suite leaders and investors, 100×100’s fund reflects a larger shift in climate finance. Capital is moving toward solutions that can compete on cost, scale across supply chains, and help companies meet decarbonisation targets without relying only on offsets or compliance measures.

The governance stakes are also rising. Governments across Asia are tightening climate policy while trying to protect jobs, energy security, and industrial competitiveness. As a result, companies that can cut emissions while improving efficiency may become critical to national growth strategies.

What Investors Should Watch

The key test for 100×100 will be whether its early-stage venture-building model can produce companies that attract later institutional capital. Series B funding remains difficult in many parts of Southeast Asia, especially for hardware-heavy or infrastructure-linked climate businesses.

Still, the fund arrives as the region’s climate economy is becoming harder to ignore. India and Southeast Asia sit close to global supply chains, fast-growing energy demand, food security risks, and industrial emissions.

If 100×100 can turn technical climate solutions into commercially durable companies, Fund II could help shape a new generation of Asian climate businesses. More importantly, it could show that decarbonisation in emerging markets can be built around cost, growth, and competitiveness, not only compliance.

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