Clima Now

What Clima Now does

Clima Now is a Swiss foundation headquartered in Zurich (Riesbachstrasse 61, 8008 Zurich) that pursues climate action through three coordinated programs. Its core program is Spotlight, an annual competition platform that accepts submissions from climate project initiators (aged 14+ with legal capacity), narrows them through an expert jury and community voting (three votes per visitor), and culminates in a live Pitch Night at which seven finalists compete for discretionary prize money (CHF 90,000 per edition in disclosed terms; CHF 175,000 distributed across three winners in Spotlight 2022) plus coaching via the Horizon Support Program delivered with One Planet Lab and Impact Hub Zürich. The second program, PACT (Policy & Advocacy Climate Transition), engages Swiss policymakers, political parties, and civil society through alliance-building and policy sprints aimed at aligning Swiss climate policy with the Paris Agreement and Net Zero 2050. The third program, Climate Narrative by Design, is a publicly accessible four-phase practitioner guide (Probing, Reimagining, Crafting, Catalyzing) developed in collaboration with Catalytic (Femke Bartels) and supported by Stiftung Corymbo.

The foundation operates digital infrastructure across three subdomains — climanow.ch, spotlight.climanow.ch, and narrative.climanow.ch — built on WordPress CMS hosted at Hostpoint in Zurich, with SSL encryption, Mailchimp newsletters, Google Analytics/Tag Manager, Google reCAPTCHA v3 for vote integrity, Vimeo for embedded video, and MaxMind GeoIP2 used locally for vote-origin verification. Donations are processed through RaiseNow AG (a certified non-profit payment platform) into a Zürcher Kantonalbank account (IBAN CH47 0070 0114 8047 4189 3). The organization operates with a small core team of approximately 6-7 staff plus a six-member foundation board led by Martin Meili (President). Revenue is generated primarily through charitable donations and matched crowdfunding (notably a CHF 250,000 match of the Wemakeit Impact Fund 2021). In July 2025, Clima Now announced the spin-off of its direct investment activities into Vitamin°C, an independent climate tech venture fund that reached a first close of €18 million; prior direct investments include Einhundert Energie GmbH (CHF 500,000, Feb 2022), Blue Farm (Sep 2021), Planeteers (Jul 2024), and The Generation Forest cooperative membership.

Name

Clima Now

Legal name

Clima Now

Website

https://climanow.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Clima Now is a Zurich-based Swiss foundation that funds climate solutions through an annual Spotlight project competition, policy advocacy (PACT), and a public Climate Narrative Guide, while spinning off its investment activities into the Vitamin°C climate tech fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Philanthropy & Advocacy

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF), Climate Mitigation Programs (Energy, Industry, Transport) (BPADALAC), Carbon Markets & Climate Finance (Offsets, Allowances, Carbon Funds) (FSAAALAH)

Keywords

• Climate action funding
• Climate project competition
• Climate policy advocacy
• Climate narrative communication
• Climate tech investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Clima Now operates as a Swiss foundation funded primarily through donations. The foundation accepts charitable contributions via its donation account at Zürcher Kantonalbank (IBAN CH47 0070 0114 8047 4189 3) and online through RaiseNow AG payment platform. As a registered foundation, it relies on private donations to fund climate projects, the Spotlight competition prize money, and operational activities.
2. Investment Returns (Spin-off: Vitamin° C): Clima Now's investment activities are being spun off into an independent climate tech fund called Vitamin° C. The fund launched its fundraising phase in July 2025. Clima Now previously made direct investments in climate tech companies including Einhundert Energie GmbH, Blue Farm, Planeteers, The Generation Forest, and others, indicating a funding/investment model as a core activity.
3. Crowdfunded Project Co-Financing: As partner foundation of the Wemakeit Impact Fund, Clima Now matched crowdfunded contributions (CHF 250,000) to support climate projects. This demonstrates a co-financing model where donor funds are matched and deployed to climate initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Clima Now is a Swiss foundation that funds and supports solutions reducing greenhouse gas emissions through three core programs: the annual Spotlight competition for climate projects (with prize money and coaching), the PACT policy & advocacy initiative targeting Swiss climate legislation, and the Climate Narrative by Design guide for climate communicators. It also makes direct investments in climate tech companies (being spun off as the Vitamin°C fund).

Product overview

Clima Now is a Swiss foundation operating as a climate action platform with multiple interconnected programs. Its core product is Spotlight, an annual competition platform that sources, evaluates, and supports climate projects through community voting and Pitch Night events. The foundation also offers Climate Narrative by Design, a four-phase practitioner’s guide for building effective climate communication narratives. PACT (Policy & Advocacy Climate Transition) focuses on systemic policy change in Switzerland. Clima Now’s investment activities have been spun off into Vitamin°C, an independent climate tech venture capital fund. The offerings work together to enable climate innovation, shape policy, and drive action across Swiss society.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Spotlight: Annual competition for climate projects, featuring pitch nights and prize money for winning ideas
• PACT
• Climate Narrative by Design

Products and services

• Spotlight Annual competition and platform that invites project initiators to submit climate action ideas. Projects are evaluated through community voting (3 votes per visitor) and jury evaluation, culminating in a Pitch Night event where 7 finalists compete for prize money (up to CHF 175,000) and coaching support.
• Climate Narrative by Design A practitioner's guide in four phases (Probing, Reimagining, Crafting, Catalyzing) for building climate narratives rooted in audiences' values, helping communicators show that climate action aligns with what people care about.
• PACT (Policy & Advocacy Climate Transition) Policy and advocacy initiative focused on shaping political frameworks to enable ambitious climate action in Switzerland, building alliances and supporting selected partner projects with a systemic approach toward Net Zero 2050.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 150 project ideas submitted and 7 finalists presented at Pitch Night 2021; 175,000 CHF distributed to 3 winners in 2022
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WWF SwitzerlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWWF Switzerland is a Spotlight 2021 partner, providing organizational support and co-branding for the annual climate project competition. WWF is committed to biodiversity and sustainable resource use in over 100 countries and shares Clima Now's mission of environmental protection.
• One Planet LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne Planet Lab is a Spotlight partner for both 2021 and 2022 editions and co-implements the Horizon Support Program for Spotlight finalists. The organization designs and shows paths to a world where resources consumed equal what the planet can provide, supporting pioneers in implementing projects.
• Impact Hub ZürichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImpact Hub Zürich co-implements the Horizon Support Program for Spotlight finalists and is a Spotlight 2022 partner. It is part of a global innovation network for social entrepreneurs, working with climate and circular economy as key program themes, including the Circular Economy Incubator and Climathon.
• Die LöwenbräukunstminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDie Löwenbräukunst is the venue partner for Spotlight 2022, hosting the Pitch Night at its schwarzescafé in Zürich. It is a unique art center in Zürich-West housing museums, galleries, publishing houses, and art foundations.
• Catalytic (Femke Bartels)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFemke Bartels of Catalytic collaborated with Clima Now to develop the Climate Narrative Guide, a practitioner's guide in four phases for building climate narratives. The guide is a product of this co-development partnership.
• WemakeitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClima Now is a partner foundation of the Wemakeit Impact Fund 2021, which raised over CHF 500,000 total (CHF 290,000 from 2,300+ crowdfunding supporters, matched by CHF 250,000 from Clima Now). The fund supported at least 21 climate projects.
• LGT Venture PhilanthropyminorOthersNathalie Moral, co-founder of Clima Now, previously worked at LGT Venture Philanthropy before founding her own consultancy mavia in Zurich in 2012. This represents a historical organizational connection rather than an active partnership.
• ETH ZürichminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerETH Zürich's Institute for Sustainable Building and Infrastructure Management is a partner of the Spotlight 2022 winning project Co-Habitations: Urban Resilience through Art, which involves building a pavilion as a meeting place and model of ecological construction.
• ZHAW (Zurcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZHAW's Research Group on Sustainability Communication and Environmental Education is a partner of the Spotlight 2022 project Co-Habitations, contributing research expertise to the initiative.
• MYBLUEPLANET (Klimaschule)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMYBLUEPLANET runs the Klimaschule program, a four-year educational program for schools on climate protection and sustainability. Clima Now supported this initiative, reaching 31 schools and 12,000 students by 2021.
• Take Action Global (Climate Action Project)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTake Action Global runs the Climate Action Project, a 6-week program bringing youth together across six continents to work on climate solutions. Over 2 million students in 149 countries have participated. Clima Now supported this initiative.
• Expedition ZukunftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClima Now supports the activities and policy sprints of Expedition Zukunft in the climate sector. This politically neutral civil society initiative brings politicians of all parties together with administration, business, academia and civil society to develop effective climate measures submitted to the federal government.
• SDSN Switzerland (Sustainable Development Solutions Network)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClima Now supports SDSN Switzerland's parliamentary events on sustainable development and climate policy, contributing to the policy and advocacy work (PACT) objectives.
• Swiss Donut Economic NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorinne Grässle, Managing Director of Clima Now, is co-founder of the Swiss Donut Economic Network, connecting Clima Now's work to doughnut economics frameworks for sustainable development.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• myclimate: Swiss non-profit foundation (Zurich-headquartered) focused on climate protection through carbon offset projects, corporate partnerships, and education. Highly comparable to Clima Now as a fellow Swiss climate foundation with overlapping funding/advocacy model and a shared board member (Franziska Heidenreich previously led myclimate's carbon offset projects department for ten years).
• ClimateWorks Foundation: Global climate philanthropy that grants to and partners with climate-focused organizations to drive systemic emissions reductions. Comparable as a grantmaking foundation funding climate solutions, although operating at significantly larger scale and global geographic scope.
• Good Energies Foundation: International philanthropic foundation focused on climate change and clean energy access. Closely comparable to Clima Now as a dedicated climate-philanthropy foundation, although operating globally with substantially larger endowment.
• Stiftung Klimafonds Schweiz: Swiss climate foundation pooling corporate contributions to finance climate protection measures in Switzerland and abroad. Most direct geographic and structural peer to Clima Now, both being Swiss foundations funding climate projects through pooled capital.

Broad incumbents

• South Pole Group: Zürich-based global climate solutions provider offering carbon credit development, climate strategy consulting, and renewable energy projects. Broader incumbent in the Swiss climate ecosystem with overlapping customer base (corporate sustainability buyers) but more commercial, scale-driven operating model.
• 350.org: Global grassroots climate movement organization focused on climate action and fossil fuel phase-out. Overlaps with Clima Now's PACT policy advocacy mission and narrative work, but operates globally through decentralized campaigns rather than as a grantmaking foundation.
• WWF Switzerland: Large established Swiss environmental NGO with climate, biodiversity, and resource conservation programs. Acts as a Spotlight partner to Clima Now; shares leadership alumni (Corinne Grässle and Lorin Preisig worked at WWF Switzerland). Comparable in mission but operates at much larger scale and broader scope than Clima Now.

Others

• Wemakeit: Swiss crowdfunding platform for creative and impact projects; partner foundation of the Wemakeit Impact Fund 2021 where Clima Now matched CHF 250K. Adjacent ecosystem player enabling crowdfunded climate project financing.
• Generation Forest: Hamburg-based reforestation cooperative of which Clima Now is a member (6,700+ members from 30 countries). Operates a comparable member-funded, mission-driven model for climate-positive land use, but focused exclusively on tropical reforestation rather than diversified climate action.
• Impact Hub Zürich: Global innovation network supporting social entrepreneurs; co-implements Clima Now's Horizon Support Program for Spotlight finalists. Adjacent enabling organization rather than direct competitor, but shares the climate/circular economy focus and target community of Swiss climate founders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_climanow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/climanow
• Instagraminstagram.com/climanow
• Facebookfacebook.com/climanow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments8 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clima Now