Funding the Future: Capital Access and Survival in Clean Technology
Startups

Samaira Singh

doi:10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i06.029

Title: Funding the Future: Capital Access and Survival in Clean Technology Startups
Authors: Samaira Singh
Journal: International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research (IJSSER) ISSN: 2455-8834 Volume: 11 Issue: 6 Publication Date: June 2026 DOI: 10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i06.029
\|\| \|\|
Samaira Singh Student at Jayshree Periwal International School, Rajasthan, India
MLA 8 Singh, Samaira. "Funding the Future: Capital Access and Survival in Clean Technology Startups." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, vol. 11, no. 6, June 2026, pp. 2856-2865, doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i06.029. Accessed June 2026. APA 6 Singh, S. (2026, June). Funding the Future: Capital Access and Survival in Clean Technology Startups. Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, 11(6), 2856-2865. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i06.029 Chicago Singh, Samaira. "Funding the Future: Capital Access and Survival in Clean Technology Startups." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research 11, no. 6 (June 2026), 2856-2865. Accessed June, 2026. https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i06.029.
References [1] . Acemoglu, D., Aghion, P., Bursztyn, L., & Hemous, D. (2012). The environment and directed technical change. American Economic Review, 102(1), 131-166. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.102.1.131 [2] . Evans, D. S., & Jovanovic, B. (1989). An estimated model of entrepreneurial choice under liquidity constraints. Journal of Political Economy, 97(4), 808-827. https://doi.org/10.1086/261643 [3] . Ghosh, S., & Nanda, R. (2010). Venture capital investment in the clean energy sector. Harvard Business School Working Paper 11-020. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1669445 [4] . Gompers, P. A. (1995). Optimal investment, monitoring, and the staging of venture capital. Journal of Finance, 50(5), 1461-1489. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.1995.tb04796.x [5] . Headd, B. (2003). Redefining business success: Distinguishing between closure and failure. Small Business Economics, 21(1), 51-61. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022361807543 [6] . Kerr, W. R., & Nanda, R. (2015). Financing innovation. Annual Review of Financial Economics, 7, 445-462. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-financial-111914-041938 [7] . OECD. (2021). Financing SMEs for Sustainability. OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org/environment/financing-smes-for-sustainability.htm [8] . Robb, A. M., & Robinson, D. T. (2014). The capital structure decisions of new firms. Review of Financial Studies, 27(1), 153-179. https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/hhs098 [9] . Shuwaikh, F., Tanguy, A., Dubocage, E., & Alolah, O. (2024). Insights for sustainable business practices: Comparative impact of independent and corporate venture capital funding on financial and environmental performance. Research in International Business and Finance, 69, 102632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2024.102632 [10] . Crunchbase. (n.d.). Startup and funding dataset. Retrieved from https://www.crunchbase.com
ABSTRACT: This paper examines the extent to which access to capital affects the survival of clean technology startups relative to conventional firms. Using a Crunchbase-derived dataset of 4,757 startups with confirmed binary outcomes, we estimate binary logistic regression models with an interaction term between funding level and clean technology classification. Clean technology startups (n=115) exhibit a raw survival rate of 40.9% compared to 62.5% for conventional firms, a gap of 21.6 percentage points, despite raising nearly three times the median capital ($13.0M versus $4.8M). A one-unit increase in log total funding raises the odds of survival by 48% (OR = 1.478, p < 0.001), and each additional funding round raises odds by 10% (OR = 1.099, p = 0.004). The interaction term between clean technology status and log funding is negative but statistically insignificant (coefficient = -0.071, p = 0.639), indicating that the marginal return to capital on survival probability is statistically indistinguishable between clean technology and conventional startups. The survival penalty for clean technology firms operates primarily through a lower baseline intercept, consistent with higher fixed capital requirements and longer pre-revenue periods characteristic of physical-technology ventures.

IJSSER is Member of