Should you call your firm ‘climate tech’ in 2026? These investors debate the label

How should you position your impact company in 2026? Is being labelled a "climate company" still an advantage, or should you lean on current buzzwords like "resilience" and "defence" – alongside, of course, AI?

The discussion has been simmering on Impact Loop for nearly a year. On Thursday, it resurfaced during Impact Loop's energy meetup last week, co-organised with Swedish trade body Teknikföretagen.

Kristina Söderberg, investment manager at Swedish venture capital firm SEB Greentech, argued that the market may in fact be swinging back towards climate. She pointed to her own fund, which recently saw its investment mandate increase from €56m to €94m.

However, she does see a shift in language.

"Climate investing hasn't had the most positive connotations in recent years. People might not talk solely about climate any longer – the conversation has broadened to nature, which people can relate to in a different way. It feels intuitive. Of course we should take care of our nature. It's a constructive way to move the conversation forward," she said on stage.

Asked what SEB Greentech looks for in potential investments, Söderberg replied:

"The sweet spot is where there's a clear customer and significant impact. Financials combined with impact – those are the two tracks for us."

A risk of polarisation

Fellow panellist Karin Edström, founder of the newly launched VC Turbine Capital, emphasised that the same company can be framed in different ways.

"It's about what you choose to put in the shop window. Instead of saying, 'this is a climate tech investment', you could just as easily say, 'this is a highly compelling energy transition investment'. Then something else becomes the primary lens," she said.

Edström doesn't describe Turbine Capital as a greentech fund.

"We're deeptech investors backing technologies that solve major problems. By definition, many of those problems are linked to climate and the environment. That nuance matters – it makes the conversation less polarised," she said.

'Climate is out of fashion'

A contrasting view comes from Ted Persson, partner at EQT Ventures & Growth.

"Climate tech is out of fashion...unfortunately," Persson said In an interview with Impact Loop CEO and editor-in-chief Camilla Bergman at the Swedish tech conference Techarena earlier this month.

Persson argued that, as an investor, he follows talent – and right now, he sees that talent gravitating not towards climate tech startups, but towards AI.