She Wins Climate Southeast Asia Acceleration Program

She Wins Climate

Women-led climate startups hold immense potential to develop effective climate solutions. However, these ventures often face significant barriers including gender biases, limited visibility, inadequate support, and insufficient investment needed to scale their innovations and bring impactful solutions to market.

She Wins Climate, a global initiative by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), aimed at accelerating women-led climate startups and increasing their access to climate investment. The Southeast Asia acceleration program, supported by the Government of Canada and the Government of Australia, and delivered in partnership with New Energy Nexus (NEX), is a 12-month program designed to propel 25 promising women climate entrepreneurs in the region to lead the transformation of climate action.

Tailored specifically to address the unique challenges faced by women founders, this program provides comprehensive support to accelerate business growth, unlock investment opportunities, and scale breakthrough climate solutions in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Who can apply

Participant eligibility

Be the founder, co-founder, owner, or executive of the startup
Be 21 years or older
Identify as a woman
Be able to communicate in English

Startup eligibility

Be women-owned or women-led
Be legally registered and operating for at least one year at the time of application
Be in the early stages of growth, beyond the ideation phase (pre-seed, seed, or Series A stage)

*Read FAQs below for more details on eligibility criteria.

Timeline

5 May – 13 June 2025: Call for applications

13 June 2025: Application deadline

14 Jun – 24 Jul 2025: Evaluation of applications

30 Jul 2025: Announcement of the cohort

Aug 2025: Virtual kick-off event

Aug 2025 – Feb 2026: Virtual mentoring and learning sessions

Aug/Oct (date tbc): In-person workshop in Indonesia

Feb – Mar 2026 (date tbc): In-person investor matching event in Thailand

May 2026: Program ends

For whom?

In retraining
Freelance
Executive
Employee

Funding

Free

Duration

6 months - 1 year