What Subak does

Subak is a London-based non-profit climate action incubator founded in 2020 that operates as a global capability-building platform for the climate movement. Its stated mission is to equip climate-focused individuals and organisations with the skills, knowledge, and networks required to drive systems change, framed through a methodology rooted in "living systems thinking" and regenerative leadership. The organisation serves two interlocking customer segments: established and growing climate non-profits (which seek organisational resilience, strategic clarity, and strengthened back-office functions) and individual climate changemakers (who seek peer community, mentorship, and capability development).

Subak's product surface is organised into four interlocking offerings. The Learning Programmes consist of the Changemaking Programme (targeted at individuals scoping new projects) and the Resilient Organisations Programme (a 6-month cohort-based programme for established climate nonprofits covering operations, strategy and regenerative leadership). The Subak Fellowship awards 6–12 month funding, coaching and community support to individual climate data experts working on data-driven projects. The Impact Lab convenes and funds thematic missions across climate verticals including Heat, Land & Agriculture, and Energy. Living Learning Environments — Guilds, Communities of Practice and monthly Climate Sanghas — provide continuous peer-to-peer engagement and access to coaches, mentors and advisors. Together these reach a global community of 300+ members across 10+ countries (also reported as 500+ climate actors).

The business model is community-led and programme-based rather than transactional. Revenue mechanics consist of programme and fellowship services, layered on top of philanthropic grant funding, with Quadrature Climate Foundation identified as a core strategic-tier financial partner. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is hybrid: formal application processes for cohort programmes and fellowships, self-serve community membership for ongoing engagement, and in-person gatherings at Subak's County Hall office in London plus remote participation. Geographic reach extends from the UK headquarters to a dedicated Subak Australia regional entity, with additional member presence in the United States, India, Poland, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Indonesia, Rwanda and New Zealand.

Name

Subak

Website

https://subak.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Subak is a London-based non-profit climate action incubator that runs learning programmes, fellowships, thematic missions and a global community of 300+ members across 10+ countries to build capability for climate-focused nonprofits and individual changemakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Action Incubator Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Business Support Services (5614)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPADALAD), Benchmarking, Ratings & Stakeholder Reporting Portals (Scorecards, Dashboards) (EUABAEAJ), Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA)

Keywords

• Climate action incubator
• Capacity building programs
• Climate fellowships
• Regenerative leadership training
• Community of practice

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Programme and Fellowship Services: Subak generates revenue through running learning programmes (Changemaking Programme, Resilient Organisations Programme) and Fellowships for climate-focused organizations and individuals. These are capacity-building initiatives for the climate movement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Subak is a non-profit climate action incubator that runs cohort-based learning programmes (Changemaking Programme, Resilient Organisations Programme), the Subak Fellowship, and thematic Impact Lab missions for climate-focused not-for-profits and individual changemakers. It complements these with living learning environments such as Guilds, Communities of Practice, and monthly Climate Sanghas, designed to build resilience, capability, and collaboration across the global climate movement.

Product overview

Subak is a climate action incubator that operates as a single unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organisation delivers climate capacity building through interconnected programmes including the Changemaking Programme for individuals with new ideas, the Resilient Organisations Programme for established nonprofits, the Impact Lab for thematic missions, and the Subak Fellowship for individual climate data innovators. These are complemented by Living Learning Environments such as Guilds and Communities of Practice, along with community activities like Climate Sanghas. All offerings are grounded in living systems thinking and designed to strengthen the capability and capacity of the climate movement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Changemaking Programme A learning journey designed to equip climate-focused individuals and organisations with the knowledge, capacity, networks, and resilience to enact lasting impact. Targeted at changemakers with new ideas or projects still being scoped out.
• Resilient Organisations Programme A 6-month cohort-based programme helping climate nonprofits build resilient and scalable foundations. Combines systems thinking and practical leadership to build resilient, effective teams and back-office functions covering operations, strategy, and regenerative leadership.
• Impact Lab Thematic missions that convene and fund not-for-profits collaborating to drive transformation in key climate sectors such as Heat, Land & Agriculture, and Energy.
• Subak Fellowship Individual fellowships awarded to climate data experts working on innovative, data-driven climate projects. Fellows receive funding, coaching, and community support for 6-12 month projects.
• Guilds and Communities of Practice Functional communities that nurture collaboration and knowledge sharing across business functions to encourage continuous, peer-to-peer learning. Includes access to coaches, mentors, and advisors.
• Climate Sanghas Monthly climate gatherings as part of the global community activities, including thematic events, panels, book discussions, and quarterly socials to build internal resilience.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ members supported across 10+ countries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• MCS FoundationminorOthersQuality standards organization for microgeneration products and installers in the UK. Part of Subak's wider community network. They promote study and funding research into renewable and low carbon technology to drive innovation and widespread adoption.
• AKA CollectiveminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCreative studio for climate focused organisations led by founder Alice Apsey. Provides design, brand building, website development, investment decks and research report services to support Subak members scaling.
• Velvet GreenminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVideo and image production company focused on conscious media production for campaigns and sustainability-focused businesses. Committed to innovating production practices that elevate sustainability narratives.
• Seeham CyreneminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCoaching and leadership consultancy providing one-to-one coaching and COACH/LEAD programmes for Senior Leadership Teams. Helps embed coach-leadership as the liberating leadership style for modern challenges.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Third Derivative: Climate tech accelerator operated by RMI, running cohorts and community programmes for early-stage climate startups globally. Directly comparable accelerator model with similar cohort-based learning journeys.
• Sustainable Ventures: London-based climate tech accelerator and workspace supporting climate founders. Geographic and functional overlap with Subak's London base and climate capacity-building focus.
• EIT Climate-KIC: Europe's largest climate innovation accelerator running programmes, fellowships, and community-building activities for climate entrepreneurs and organisations. Direct functional comparison to Subak with significantly larger scale.
• Greentown Labs: US-based climate tech incubator providing programmes, lab space, and community to climate startups. Comparable mission and member-based model, though oriented more toward hardware/cleantech startups than Subak's data/non-profit focus.

Broad incumbents

• The Carbon Trust: UK-based climate non-profit running accelerator programmes and capability-building services for climate-focused organisations and corporates. Overlapping target audience and London base as Subak.
• Ashden: UK-based climate solutions charity running awards, fellowships, and capacity-building programmes for climate entrepreneurs, particularly in developing economies. Comparable non-profit capacity-building mission.
• Acumen: Global non-profit that builds entrepreneurial capacity in social enterprises including climate-adjacent sectors, running long-duration fellowships and leadership programmes for founders. Comparable capacity-building mission at meaningfully larger scale.
• Unreasonable Group: Impact-focused accelerator running programmes and international fellowship networks for entrepreneurs tackling social and environmental challenges, including climate. Comparable fellowship/community model with global reach.
• Techstars Sustainability: Global accelerator network with sustainability-focused programmes providing structured mentorship and investor access to climate founders. Comparable accelerator format though primarily tech-startup focused.

Emerging players

• Element14: Carbon removal-focused accelerator building community and capability in the carbon dioxide removal sub-sector. Niche overlap with Subak's Impact Lab sectoral missions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

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

Investments6 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Subak