Across Asia, a new wave of climate innovation is being led by women, from civil engineers working to cut construction emissions to biotech founders transforming methane into animal feed.
These entrepreneurs are developing scalable, science-driven solutions to some of the region’s toughest decarbonisation challenges. Whether it's making electric transport more accessible in Dhaka or helping companies reduce their carbon footprints from within, each of these five women-led ventures is leading the way toward a more sustainable, low-emissions future.
Founders: Nishita and Nikita Baliarsingh
Nexus Power is building biodegradable, fast-charging batteries for electric vehicles, and they’re doing it using crop residue. Founded in 2019 by twin sisters Nishita and Nikita Baliarsingh, the company uses nanotech to extract organic polymers from agricultural waste to create battery cells. The result is batteries that skip the need for lithium, charge quickly, and safely break down at the end of their life. Nexus is starting with two- and three-wheelers, which are a common sight on streets across Asia.
Why it matters
Transport is a major and growing source of emissions in Asia’s cities. Nexus Power’s approach tackles two issues at once: it reduces air pollution from crop burning by repurposing farm waste, and it offers a cleaner, faster-charging alternative to conventional EV batteries. That could make electric rickshaws and scooters more affordable and appealing, especially in cities where millions rely on them every day.
Noteworthy
The founders were featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 for their work and have landed multiple grants to grow the business. The company has patented its process and developed prototypes that charge in under 30 minutes. Their tech has the potential to make a serious dent in emissions, both from vehicles and crop burning. It’s a strong example of grassroots climate innovation emerging from Eastern India.
Founder: Shriti Pandey
Strawcture Eco is turning farm waste into carbon-negative building materials. Its core product, the AgriBioPanel, is made by compressing crop residues like rice straw into sturdy boards that can replace drywall, plywood, and other construction materials. These bio-based panels don’t just hold up well, they also lock away carbon that would otherwise be released through burning or decay.
Why it matters
In India and across Asia, stubble burning is a major source of air pollution and CO₂ emissions. Strawcture flips that problem on its head by transforming crop waste into affordable panels for homes and furniture. It’s a win-win: reducing emissions from both farming and construction, while also creating a new income stream for farmers. With infrastructure growing fast across the region, this kind of solution is both timely and necessary.
Noteworthy
Strawcture’s panels have already helped avoid thousands of tonnes of CO₂ emissions. The company works directly with farmers to source leftover straw and has built a supply chain focused on low-carbon materials. Founder Shriti Pandey, a civil engineer and Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia honoree, launched the venture after seeing the impact of stubble burning up close in Punjab, and has been scaling it steadily across India ever since.
Founder: Dr. Ezhil Subbian
String Bio is using biotech to turn methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into useful products like protein-rich animal feed, crop inputs, and biodegradable materials. Co-founded by Dr. Ezhil Subbian, the company has built a fermentation platform that uses microbes to convert methane into valuable compounds. In simple terms, they take methane from sources like biogas or natural gas and transform it into things like fish feed or organic fertilizer. Their first commercial product is a single-cell protein designed for poultry and aquaculture, a sustainable alternative to conventional feed ingredients.
Why it matters
Methane is a major contributor to climate change, especially in Asia, where it escapes from landfills, rice paddies, livestock, and oil and gas operations. String Bio’s tech tackles this from two angles: it captures methane before it enters the atmosphere and replaces high-emission products like soy-based feed or synthetic fertilizers. That means fewer emissions from both waste and food production. For Asia’s agricultural sector, which needs more sustainable protein sources and soil inputs, this approach offers a way to reduce environmental impact without compromising productivity.
Noteworthy
String Bio holds more than 55 global patents covering its biotech and engineering platform. In 2022, it raised $20 million from investors including Woodside Energy and Indian agri-food funds, a strong signal of support from both the energy and agriculture sectors. It also signed a deal with Woodside to build a commercial plant to produce methane-based protein. By converting waste gas into something useful, String Bio is helping build a circular carbon economy, and offering a clear example of industrial decarbonization in action.
Founder: Nicole Mao and Yiwei Zhu
Tiger New Energy is building a battery-swapping network for electric vehicles, starting with Bangladesh’s widely used three-wheeler rickshaws. Co-founded by Nicole Mao (CEO) and Yiwei Zhu in 2021, the startup has set up stations where drivers can swap out dead batteries for fully charged ones in under a minute, instead of waiting hours to recharge. It’s a fast, affordable solution that keeps e-rickshaws on the road longer and helps drivers earn more with less downtime.
Why it matters
In Bangladesh’s crowded cities, millions of people depend on small EVs and three-wheelers for daily transport. But the sector has long struggled with unreliable lead-acid batteries and a lack of proper charging infrastructure. That means more frequent battery waste, higher operating costs, and real safety concerns, like fires caused by makeshift charging. Tiger New Energy tackles all of this with its simple but effective swap model. By making it easier to keep electric vehicles running, the company is helping cut emissions and reduce urban air pollution. With around 4 million electric three-wheelers moving more than 100 million passengers each day, even modest improvements in performance can add up quickly.
Noteworthy
Tiger New Energy has quickly grown into the largest battery-swapping provider in Bangladesh. Its asset-light, franchise-based approach, modeled after similar systems in China, makes it easier to scale in emerging markets. In 2024, it raised US$3.5 million from investors including Wavemaker Partners and ADB Ventures to expand its network. Early results are promising: drivers using Tiger’s service have seen their incomes rise by around 60% due to reduced downtime. The startup is also focused on inclusion, 30% of its workforce are women, and it runs a “Her Driver” program to bring more female drivers into the EV space. From its roots as a Harvard-incubated project to becoming a fast-growing clean mobility platform, Tiger New Energy shows how innovation can drive real change in South Asia’s transportation sector.
Founder: Grace Sai
Unravel Carbon is a software platform that helps companies measure and reduce their carbon emissions, all in a user-friendly, automated way. Co-founded by Grace Sai in 2021, it is often cited as “Asia’s first AI-powered climate tech platform”. Unravel connects directly to a company’s existing data, like utility bills, procurement records, and travel logs, and uses emissions databases to calculate carbon footprints across operations and supply chains. From there, it recommends specific decarbonization actions and tracks progress, turning what used to be a complex consulting task into a streamlined digital tool for sustainability teams.
Why it matters
Across Asia-Pacific, businesses of all sizes are under growing pressure to align with net-zero goals. But many don’t have the tools or expertise to make sense of their emissions data, especially Scope 3 emissions from suppliers and logistics. That’s where Unravel steps in. By making carbon management “plug-and-play,” it gives companies a clear view of where their biggest impacts lie and how to address them. In a region with vast supply chains and a large SME base, tools like this are essential for scaling up climate action, and for helping businesses stay ahead of evolving carbon regulations and investor expectations.
Noteworthy
Unravel Carbon hit the ground running. In its first year, it raised seed funding from Y Combinator, and started working with major corporations across tech, real estate, and finance. Co-founder Grace Sai, a seasoned entrepreneur and Kauffman Fellow, has been recognized for her leadership in building one of the region’s most promising climate tech ventures. The platform was also selected for Google and Singapore’s 2022 Point Zero program for climate fintech.
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