Melinda French Gates puts $1 billion behind women tackling climate change

Melinda French Gates is committing $1 billion through 2026 to advance women's power and influence, while her investment platform is backing women-led funds working on climate solutions. Through Pivotal Ventures, Gates has invested in Planeteer Capital, a climate-tech fund led by Sophie Purdom that backs early-stage companies developing solutions to climate change. The investment comes at a time when women remain heavily underrepresented in climate-tech finance. PwC found that solo female founders accounted for just 5.28% of climate-tech deals and received 1.14% of the funding in the first nine months of 2024. Gates's approach puts greater attention on both the women receiving capital and those helping decide where investment flows.Melinda French Gates's $1 billion commitmentGates announced the additional $1 billion commitment in May 2024 as part of her next chapter of philanthropy. The money is being committed through 2026 to advance women's power and influence globally. Pivotal said the funding would support organisations working to remove barriers for women in the workplace, advance women's rights and power, improve women's health and strengthen the wider funding ecosystem. The c...