Earthshot Prize and 500 Global Launch Climate Investment Strategy for Emerging Markets

The Earthshot Prize and venture capital firm 500 Global have announced a strategic partnership to identify, support and scale climate solutions in emerging markets, targeting rollout in the first half of 2026. The partnership aims to address the imbalance whereby emerging markets face 75% of global climate risk but receive only 15% of the capital to confront climate challenges.

500 Global manages $2.1 billion in assets under management and has previously invested in more than 140 companies focused on sustainable innovation across 27 countries including India, Mexico, Egypt and Indonesia. Under the new strategy, the firm will leverage the Earthshot Prize's portfolio of climate solutions, drawn from five years of nominations with 40% based in the Global South, to identify investment targets. The strategy will prioritise AgTech, Clean Tech and Nature Tech themes at the intersection of climate impact and commercial viability, and will use blended finance structures to attract development finance institutions, foundations and private investors.

India is specifically named as one of the countries where 500 Global has previously invested in sustainable innovation, and the strategy's agricultural technology focus—covering soil and carbon analytics, seed innovation and ag-fintech—has direct relevance for Indian smallholder farming communities. The Natural Tech component, covering biodiversity marketplaces and carbon project enablers, aligns with India's growing participation in voluntary carbon markets and its forest and land restoration priorities under national climate commitments.

Alongside the partnership, 500 Global announced it will establish a new innovation hub in Rio de Janeiro to deepen its presence in Latin America, as part of a broader global hub strategy. The partnership reflects a structural effort to redirect private capital toward climate solutions in markets that are most exposed to physical climate risk but historically underserved by global capital flows. Target launch is set for the first half of 2026.

Key figure — Emerging markets face 75% of global climate risk but receive only 15% of climate capital