The UK is the leading European nation for the number of tech start-ups and scale-ups, with a total of 519, according to new data from Tech Nation and Dealroom.

This is nearly double the number of those in France - 270 - and 63 per cent more than the 318 in Germany according to the industry body’s statistics.

Tech Nation claims it has supported the growth of 13 per cent of the UK’s climate tech companies in total.

The news comes as Tech Nation said it has accepted 32 climate tech companies into its “Net Zero 2.0” program - the second iteration of its existing net-zero programme.

Net Zero 2.0 is a government-backed programme designed to support climate tech companies and to accelerate the UK’s path to net-zero.

Tech Nation said this year’s successful companies were assessed by 40 judges across different industries, including people from Google, National Grid, Sky Ocean, Bulb and B Corp, Hayden Wood, chief executive and founder at Bulb, Azeem Azhar, founder of the Exponential View, and Pippa Gawley, founder and director of Zero Carbon Capital.

Tech Nation said four-in-ten – 41 per cent - of the companies in its Net Zero 2.0 cohort have at least one female founder and that 63 per cent are headquartered outside of London.

Space tech is also gaining momentum in the world of climate technology according to Tech Nation.

The industry body highlighted Edinburgh-based start-up Earth Blox, which it said is using satellite data to identify deforestation or mining activities, monitor supply chains and support nature-based solutions, as well as London-based firm Sylvera, which it said is using machine learning and satellite data to verify the carbon offsetting industry.

Tech Nation also highlighted how some climate tech businesses are offering increased availability to consumers as well as businesses, over a third - 11 - of the companies in Net Zero 2.0 offer services directly to consumers.

“With Europe recording its highest ever temperature on record this Summer, and the latest IPCC report published last month, there isn’t a more urgent time to take climate action,” said Sammy Fry, net-zero lead at Tech Nation. “Every successful climate tech company is another step towards decarbonising the world.”

He added: “I’m proud to say that in the run up to COP26, our pioneering Net Zero growth programme gives these revolutionary, high-impact scale-ups the access they need to investors, insights, education, networks and practical support, enabling the UK to lead our transition to a green economy as quickly as possible.”

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