In the heart of South Africa, a new story is being written. It is not a story of despair but of ingenuity, of young entrepreneurs turning climate challenges into business opportunities that promise both prosperity and sustainability.
A new report, the UKTP GreenTech Startup Directory 2025, shines a light on this transformation. More than just pages of company profiles, it captures the spirit of South African innovation at a time when the world urgently needs solutions to climate change.
From Cape Town’s labs where scientists are creating next-generation alternative proteins to rural fields in KwaZulu-Natal where aquaponics is redefining food security, the directory showcases 18 pioneering GreenTech startups. These businesses are not just tinkering at the edges of sustainability—they are redesigning how we grow food, produce energy, manage waste, and protect biodiversity.
Take LiquidGold Africa, for example, turning human waste into valuable resources with dry sanitation systems that conserve water and reduce costs. Or Balancell, whose smart lithium-ion batteries are powering industries while lowering emissions. Then there’s Goodwill Products, which transforms invasive water hyacinth into organic fertiliser—tackling environmental degradation and supporting farmers at the same time.
But this movement is bigger than individual startups. The report reveals that South Africa’s GreenTech ecosystem has attracted over $300 million in investment across 70+ deals in the past five years. Most of that funding has gone into energy storage, sustainable agriculture, and waste management—sectors that directly address the country’s most pressing challenges.
What makes this story even more powerful is the ecosystem behind it. Accelerators, impact investors, universities, and policymakers are rallying to support these startups. Proposed reforms like the South Africa Startup Act aim to cut red tape, boost funding access, and make it easier for entrepreneurs to scale. It’s a signal that South Africa is serious about building a climate-smart economy that doesn’t leave anyone behind.
For the rest of Africa, this report is more than a South African success story; it’s a blueprint. It shows how innovation, backed by smart policy and international cooperation, can turn climate threats into opportunities for growth, jobs, and resilience.
As readers flip through the directory, one thing becomes clear: Africa’s green revolution is not a dream. It is already unfolding, one startup at a time.
And from South Africa’s townships to its tech hubs, the innovators featured here are proving that the continent is not just a victim of climate change; it is a leader in shaping the solutions.
