Renewables First & New Energy Nexus Launch CLIP To Power Country's Climate Tech Ecosystem

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Apr, 2025) In the face of escalating climate threats, Renewables First and New Energy Nexus have jointly launched Climate Innovation Pakistan (CLIP), a first-of-its-kind national platform dedicated to accelerating homegrown climate tech solutions.

Pakistan ranks high amongst the most vulnerable countries to climate change, despite contributing less than 0.9% to global greenhouse gas emissions. The groundbreaking ceremony at the National Incubation Centre marks a significant milestone in addressing this existential climate challenge through technology driven solutions, said a press release.

The collaboration introduces two key components: a Climate Tech Incubator by Renewables First featuring a tailored curriculum for early-stage climate ventures, and a New Energy academy established by New Energy Nexus to upskill the solar industry workforce.

General Manager Ignite Funds Muhammad Bilal Abbasi praised the initiative, noting that “CLIP, not only adds value to the existing ecosystem but also helps to strengthen Pakistan's economy," while affirming that Ignite's own Incubator will complement CLIP's work.

Global Partnerships Director at New Energy Nexus Stanley Ng highlighted the organization's global footprint and extensive experience sharing in the South Asian region. He elaborated on the idea of New Energy Academy and how it serves the solar workforce of Pakistan.

Vice Chairman of the Pakistan Solar Association, Aafaq Ali endorsed the collaboration as "a very timely initiative," emphasizing the urgent need for improved solar installation quality across the country.

Ahtasam Ahmad from Renewables First presented his whitepaper "Pakistan’s Climate Tech Opportunity," outlining both challenges and untapped potential within the nation's evolving startup ecosystem, while identifying implementation roadmap to scale the nascent vertical.

The launch event featured an interesting panel discussion titled “The Role of Ecosystem Support Organizations (ESOs) in building an investable climate tech pipeline”. All panelists agreed that impact investment offers the most viable path forward for innovation in climate tech in Pakistan, but unlocking it requires stronger collaboration between public and private actors, greater alignment between academia and industry, and tailored support for early-stage startups.

Sayyed Ahmad Masood stated that a uniform approach to startup incubation is no longer effective, with incubators moving toward support models aligned with the specific stages and needs of founders and startups.

Shehryar Hyderi commented that "Pakistan is still experiencing a funding drought," but he anticipated that the post 2025 period could usher in a period of micro-recovery for the startup space with climate tech being a promising sector.

Merai Syed observed that the support infrastructure has not matched the evolving needs of climate tech ventures, identifying a gap between existing resources and sector demands. She pointed to the need for academic institutions to align more closely with practical climate challenges.

Zainab Saeed addressed gender inclusion, stating that the climate tech sector presents opportunities for women-led ventures. She called for ecosystem support organizations to reduce investment barriers for female founders by offering targeted mentorship, improving capital access, and addressing systemic issues such as risk perception and visibility.

The discussion underscored the urgent need for specialized incubation programs and targeted capacity-building curricula, supported by a balanced mix of global and local subject matter experts and experienced founders.