Inside Green Angel Ventures with Emma Mee

“Angel investing isn’t just for multi-millionaires,” says Emma Mee, Head of Membership and Marketing at Green Angel Ventures, the UK’s largest angel syndicate focused on climate tech. In this episode of Profit Meets Purpose, Emma shares insight into funding early-stage innovation, highlighting issues like the lack of exits, cultural clashes between startups and corporates, and gender disparity in investing. Despite the challenges, Emma remains optimistic. This episode offers practical insight and encouragement for anyone exploring the climate tech investment landscape.

Listen to the episode here.  

Emma Mee has spent most of her career in climate. While the climate tech label is often misperceived as niche, Emma reframes it, “It’s a horizontal, not a vertical. Every part of the economy needs to decarbonise, climate tech isn’t a category; it’s a lens.”

At Green Angel Ventures, their 300+ members are not only investors but former experts from oil and gas, the water industry, engineering, law, and finance, many of whom roll up their sleeves to scrutinise deal flow, grill founders, and support scaling. With over 1000 applications from startups each year Emma estimates that they have contact with 85% of all UK climate tech startup activity. “If you’re an investor with us,” she explains, “you’re going to see almost everything. It’s one of the biggest reasons people join.”

Syndicates, Community, and the Investment “Crowd Mind”

Unlike traditional VC funds, Green Angel Ventures operates as a syndicate, a network where individuals invest directly. The benefits include shared expertise, crowd validation, and a chance for new investors to learn from those with more experience.

Emma describes the dynamic of pitch nights, held in-person in London with wine in hand, but streamed and recorded for members across the UK. It’s part of an intentional effort to build real community, even across distance. “Some of our strongest groups are in places like Bristol, Brighton, and Scotland,” she adds, noting that regional meet-ups allow members to co-watch pitches and discuss in a more informal way.

Importantly, this structure allows for more democratic input: “Founders are grilled by people with real sector experience,” she explains. “And there’s definitely a bit of FOMO when the crowd’s moving in on a deal.”

When asked about exits Emma is honest with me. “We’ve had four exits so far. One got bought by Schneider Electric, one floated around breakeven, and two went through profitable secondaries.” Still, Emma acknowledges that more needs to be done. It’s a current focus for the team, particularly as the early momentum seen at the start of the decade has begun to taper off.

“Right now, the system’s backed up. We’re not seeing enough movement at the top, no big IPOs, not enough buyouts, and that stagnation filters all the way down.” Without that liquidity, early investors can’t recycle capital into new innovations.

Emma doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but she points toward underfunded later-stage capital (Series C+), policy conversations, and macro factors. “There are good people talking to government,” she says. “But honestly? We need a big enema.”

Startups vs Corporates

One of the most urgent challenges Emma identifies is the broken dynamic between startups and corporates, partnerships that should accelerate scaling but often stall.

Emma believes that the cultural divide is the biggest barrier to their success. 

“Startups live and die by fast decisions. Corporates move like elephants.”

Emma suggests what's missing is long-term brokerage: entities that can facilitate and sustain partnerships between startups and large incumbents, acting as cultural translators and accountability keepers.

“We need corporates to bend a little. To work differently. Not just sponsor accelerators for PR, but actually show up, fund deployment, and scale what works—because we’re out of time.”

From CSR Disillusionment to Angel Belief

Emma didn’t start in investing. Her roots lie in corporate sustainability, back in the days when it was still called CSR. But watching companies talk the talk without walking it eroded her faith.

“If corporates had done even half of what they said they were doing, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” she says.

The turning point came when she encountered early-stage founders: "mad, scrappy, brilliant" people who were actually building solutions. She followed them, from accelerators to venture builders like Carbon13, where she helped form teams from scratch and watched new companies come to life.

“Some of those founders I met at the very beginning are now raising from Green Angels. I get to work with them twice, on different parts of their journey.”

The Diversity Gap

Emma doesn’t dodge the question of gender disparity. Only 14% of angel investors in the UK are women. Green Angel’s figure of 24% is an improvement, but as Emma points out, it’s still not good enough.

I asked Emma what she thinks is driving this, and she shared a few ideas. Firstly, women often have different risk profiles,  and simply don’t have as much disposable capital to play with.

“But the barriers are also perception-based. Most people think you need to be a millionaire to angel invest. Our minimum investment is £5,000.”

She also challenges the VC-centric narrative. “A lot of women are building fantastic, regenerative, socially beneficial businesses but they’re not 10x moonshots, so they’re ignored by VCs. That doesn’t make them less valuable.”

Listen to the episode here.  

Scaling 

With 52 portfolio companies, Green Angel Ventures is expanding. They want to grow their fund, double down on follow-on capital, and increase diversity by age, region, gender, and profession.

“We’re not just building a portfolio, we’re building an ecosystem,” Emma says. And her optimism is still burning, even as the clock ticks louder.

“I’ve spent my whole career working in climate. And honestly? I think we’re all a bit fucked. But I’m not giving up. Because if the only viable future is green, then that’s where I want to put my money and my energy.”

Listen to the episode here.  

If you think that you have an idea that is going to be part of a future that Sustainable Times, and the likes of Green Angel Ventures is building, apply for the RISE awards. 

The RISE Awards celebrate purpose-driven innovation and give a platform to those shaping a better future.

Taking place Thursday 6th November with reception drinks, a 3 course dinner, followed by our awards and the afterparty with entertainment at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, London.

Apply Here.

Why register?

• Connect directly with investors actively seeking sustainable and impactful opportunities.

• Recognise your team's hard work and the positive change you're driving.

• Leverage judges' insights from across industries including Microsoft, TechUK, Octopus Energy and more to refine your strategy and strengthen investor outreach.

I will be featuring all the entries, nominees and winners along the way through Sustainable Times, making this a great opportunity to increase your reach as a business, so once you have registered get in touch so we can delve deeper into your sustainability focused business venture.

Apply Here.