Cleantech Companies to Watch from the Asia-Pacific Region

*This article is adapted from * Cleantech Group

This quarter’s ‘Companies to Watch’ highlights companies that our guest investors from the region think our international audiences would find interesting. 

Our guest contributions this month have highlighted four companies spanning a vast array of innovation from South Korea (wastewater), India (EV leasing and fleet management), Singapore (solar energy infrastructure), and China (biotech). 

The guests were asked this open question: 

What cleantech company from your country/region would you wish to highlight to our international audiences at this time, and why is it of international significance?  

Max Han, CEO, Managing Director, Sopoong Ventures

Tomorrow Water, a Korean cleantech company, is pioneering circular wastewater and resource recovery solutions. Its “Co-Flow” platform transforms wastewater treatment plants into energy- and resource-producing hubs, reducing carbon emissions and operational costs. With global projects in the U.S. and Asia, Tomorrow Water demonstrates how integrated water-energy systems can drive urban sustainability worldwide.  

Bryan Ki, Investment Intern, Eurazeo

Alt Mobility, based in India, is an EV leasing and fleet management platform.  They provide EV leasing and asset management solutions for B2B fleets, individual drivers, and corporate mobility programs in India. Its platform offers access to over 30 EV models, from 2-wheelers to cargo 4-wheelers, supporting a range of commercial and consumer use cases. The company currently has operations in 20+ cities across India, supported by a growing network of 7,000+ charging stations and 150+ service garages. Beneath the surface, Alt Mobility combines telematics and maintenance data to underwrite both credit and technology risk.  

The company’s leasing model solves the problem of large upfront capital requirements associated with vehicle ownership. It also ensures that users can stay current without resale and depreciation risks, as customers gain the flexibility to upgrade as EV technology advances – important in a rapidly growing market where improvements in range, charging speed, and vehicle systems can quickly render older models outdated. Meanwhile, its asset management platform bundles leasing, servicing, insurance, and real-time vehicle monitoring into a single solution, reducing operational friction and improving asset reliability and utilization. 

This all aligns well with the ambitious electric mobility targets that India has set. By 2030, the country aims for 30% of private cars, 40% of buses, and 80% of two- and three-wheelers among new purchases to be electric, supporting a national goal to reduce overall emissions by 45% this decade. By enabling fleets to transition from ICE to electric alternatives, Alt Mobility helps decarbonize commercial transport at scale. It is currently on track to offset more than 67,800 metric tons of CO2 annually. 

Yichu Zhang, Investment Associate, ADB Ventures  

Solar energy infrastructure is scaling rapidly across Asia to meet net-zero targets, but this growth has exposed a critical challenge: maintaining long-term performance against system losses. Solar assets are designed to operate efficiently for 25 years, yet undetected degradation remains a persistent issue. In 2023 alone, equipment faults and asset health issues caused over $4.6B in lost revenue globally, with sites averaging 4.47% power loss. 

What we’re seeing on the ground is a shift toward electroluminescence (EL)-based imaging technology combined with AI-driven analytics. A cleantech company from our region that deserves international attention is Quantified Energy (QE), which applies drone-based EL imaging to conduct field-based inspections, scaling first of its kind technology that was previously conducted manually and confined to small-scale pilots. This technology enables early detection of microcracks, cell defects, and module failures before they cascade into revenue loss.  

This approach addresses more than just operational efficiency. By recovering lost solar generation and increasing clean energy yield, QE’s diagnostic solutions enable measurable CO₂ emissions avoidance, directly supporting climate targets while strengthening resilience against disruptions. As the world relies increasingly on renewable infrastructure for decarbonization, scalable solutions that enhance solar reliability and drive measurable climate impact will be more essential than ever. 

Dr. Eric Wang, Managing Partner, GRC SinoGreen

In China’s rapidly accelerating biotech ecosystem, industry-leading start-ups will be defined by their ability to harness AI for new materials development. MetaNovas Biotech is one of the companies leading this trend. Whereas many start-ups are already focusing on AI-driven general-purpose protein design and therapeutics, MetaNovas specializes in peptide ingredient development. While traditional peptide design is limited to previously known protein sequences, the company is capable of generating novel peptide structures with high applicability in a fraction of the time. 

MetaNovas implements four proprietary AI-based platforms to systematically streamline the R&D process: 

• MetaNLP – Natural language processing to distill scientific literature and patents into structured data 
• MetaKG – Biomaterial knowledge graph modeling to accelerate knowledge discovery and fast-track R&D 
• MetaOmics – Automated multi-omics analysis enabling precision targeting for product development 
• MetaPep – Function-based & target-based peptide innovation platform for accelerated material design 

Powered by these AI platforms, the company successfully reduces an R&D process that normally takes years down to weeks, while increasing the R&D success rate to over 60%. 

Commercially, MetaNovas has established partnerships with several Fortune 500 cosmetics/health product firms including P&G, Estée Lauder, and Unilever. The company has developed and launched five major peptide products with properties including anti-inflammation, acne reduction, anti-aging, skin brightening, and anti-hair loss. Several of their ingredients have already been integrated into leading products internationally and are receiving positive market recognition. 

For the latest news on Vertex Ventures SE Asia and India and our portfolio companies, follow us on Linkedin or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.