Why Micro-Investing Can Unlock Climate Innovation: Gowtham Athem
The global sustainability transformation requires more than bold policies and ambitious targets — it requires financing models that can scale. Gowtham Athem, a startup portfolio manager in Frankfurt, brings a unique perspective shaped by both engineering and finance. His journey from green building projects in India to supporting climate tech startups in Europe shows how one individual can bridge innovation and capital. In this interview, Gowtham outlines why micro-investing, citizen-driven initiatives, and corporate-startup collaboration are essential for the next wave of sustainable business solutions. His reflections highlight the growing need for sustainability managers to link financial innovation with environmental management, Scope 3 software, and decarbonization strategies.
Micro-Investing as a Bridge to Climate Innovation
"This is a relatively new problem that the world is facing, which means there needs to be new innovation and new finance — the money that needs to go into it. Just like any other kind of innovation, climate innovation also requires finance. And I thought I can be a reason, and I can be one of the sources of that finance."
Gowtham views the climate challenge as inseparable from the financing challenge. For him, innovation will remain an abstract idea unless it is paired with accessible and scalable sources of funding. This is why he stresses the importance of linking everyday investors with climate startups. By drawing attention to the gap between large-scale capital requirements and the limited access for individuals, Gowtham makes the case for democratizing climate finance.
"There are many different forms of climate finance. For example, World Banks and Development Banks direct government funding toward sustainability projects. But when it comes to the topic of micro-investing, we are talking about startups specifically. Startups are usually funded by venture capital, which is a very risky asset class because either you make multiples of your money or you lose the entire amount. It’s highly risky. This kind of asset class is not really available for a common investor. If you have €100 a month or even €1,000 a month, that level of money is not enough to enter this kind of innovation or support early-stage startups."
Gowtham explains that traditional venture capital excludes most individuals because of high risk and high entry thresholds. His insight challenges sustainability managers to think creatively about financial models, just as they do about environmental performance models. Opening up access does not only make funding fairer, it ensures more projects have the chance to scale.
"That is where micro-investing comes into the picture. If someone — an individual like you or me — is really passionate about making a difference with their money while also hoping for returns, this is a good opportunity. A large ticket of €50,000 or €100,000 can be broken down into several pieces, and you can contribute a smaller amount toward that bigger investment."
By framing micro-investing as a way for citizens to be part of the climate solution, Gowtham connects finance to personal agency. His perspective positions sustainability managers as potential enablers of this link, by supporting startups that build intelligent sustainability software, carbon footprint tracking platforms, and automated sustainability reporting solutions. In Gowtham’s view, sustainable finance and sustainable business solutions go hand in hand.
Lessons from India: Population as a Sustainability Asset
Gowtham’s reflections are also shaped by his experience in India, a country where the challenges of development intersect directly with sustainability. He believes that Europe has much to learn from the way India leverages its population and geography to drive large-scale impact.
"There’s no single answer to what Europe could learn, because every country has its own localized issues. India, as a growing economy, has very different challenges. For example, they are still working on public infrastructure like roads, bridges, and railways, and of course India has a huge population of 1.4 billion. What India is doing well is recognizing this as both a challenge and a strength, and trying to design initiatives that mobilize the population. One example is the LiFE program — Lifestyle for Environment. It encourages individuals to make small changes like saving a few liters of water or a few watts of energy each day. If even half of India’s population did that, it would add up to several gigawatts of energy savings. That scale is incredible."
Gowtham highlights how India’s LiFE initiative redefines the role of citizens in climate action. He sees value in mobilizing millions of people toward small but consistent behavioral changes that, when aggregated, create measurable system-level outcomes. For sustainability managers, this perspective reinforces the value of corporate engagement programs that align employees and stakeholders with carbon reduction goals.
"Another example is solar. India has climatic conditions that provide sunlight almost throughout the year, which means it has the opportunity to capture solar energy more economically than many other nations. India has set a massive target of 40 gigawatts of rooftop solar — just from homes. Think about the scale: 40 gigawatts from rooftop solar alone, which is equivalent to the entire energy consumption of some countries."
By pointing to rooftop solar, Gowtham illustrates the sheer scale at which decentralized action can transform energy systems. His message is particularly relevant for sustainability leaders in Europe, who often focus on regulatory compliance, such as CSRD or SBTi requirements. Gowtham reminds them that community-scale solutions and environmental management systems can complement top-down policies and corporate reporting, creating a fuller picture of sustainability progress.
Financing Mechanisms and Industrial Decarbonization
Industrial decarbonization is one of the hardest areas to transform, and it is where Gowtham sees startups as central players. His focus is on rethinking both the technologies and the financing systems that support them.
"Climate change only became a mainstream topic after the Paris Agreement. Before that, the focus was on efficiency — for example, getting cars to go more kilometers per liter of fuel. After Paris, the focus shifted to electric vehicles and extending their range. Now we see startups stepping into industrial decarbonization. Take the jacket I’m wearing — it contains many polymers, all produced in factories. These industrial processes require huge amounts of heat, often from furnaces or boilers, which are extremely energy-intensive. Today, most of that energy comes from coal or other non-renewable sources. The shift is happening, and startups are driving innovation in these processes, but it’s just a matter of time before we see major progress."
Here Gowtham draws attention to the hidden carbon embedded in everyday products. His point is clear: decarbonizing industry is not optional. For sustainability managers, the call is to support the technologies — and the funding pathways — that can scale solutions beyond pilot projects.
"Like any startups, climate startups also require financing, and one of the great evolutions in recent years has been the improvement in financing mechanisms. Micro-investment is one way of funding the transition. But there are many others — for example, the Inflation Reduction Act in the U.S. It’s not a business model but an incentive scheme to accelerate transition. What keeps me hopeful is seeing these new models emerge. Another example is corporates partnering with startups for their own energy transition. This is becoming an important part of the financing landscape."
Gowtham’s optimism stems from seeing governments and corporates experiment with new financial models. His examples show that innovation is not only technological — it is also financial and structural. Sustainability managers should take note: aligning with these new mechanisms will be as important as deploying decarbonization software or CO2 reduction platforms inside operations.
"For example, Microsoft has partnered with a startup called Sublime Systems, which produces green cement. With the rise of AI, companies like Microsoft are building many new data centers, and cement is a critical material in that construction. But cement production contributes around 8% of global emissions. At a scale like this, even companies with deep pockets cannot solve it alone — they need to work with startups. This collaboration shows another way of financing climate technologies, where corporate demand drives startup innovation."
By highlighting Microsoft’s partnership with Sublime Systems, Gowtham illustrates how demand-driven collaboration can accelerate industrial transformation. The lesson for sustainability leaders is that progress comes from building bridges — between corporates and startups, between finance and technology, between vision and execution. Corporate sustainability software and Scope 3 software can provide the measurement, but collaboration provides the momentum.
In Closing
Gowtham Athem’s perspective highlights the essential link between finance and sustainability. His call for micro-investing, his emphasis on population-scale change in India, and his optimism about industrial decarbonization through corporate-startup collaboration all point to one message: financing innovation is just as important as inventing it. For sustainability managers, following Gowtham’s lead means combining financial creativity with tools like carbon footprint software, decarbonization software, and intelligent sustainability software to turn ambition into measurable results. Gowtham’s insights demonstrate that sustainable business solutions will not come from technology or finance alone — but from their integration, guided by leaders willing to rethink how we invest in the future.
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of any company.
