Marianne Lehnis, founder of The Green Techpreneur and now the Climate Marketplace, is on a mission to spotlight innovation and connect climate founders with the investors they need to grow. With a background in journalism and a deep passion for sustainability, she turned her frustration with the negativity of mainstream media into a platform that amplifies solutions. Her journey—marked by resilience through health challenges and determination to build a global network—shows us that one person’s vision can catalyze collaboration and create meaningful impact. At Humans of Fuzia, we celebrate Marianne for empowering climate entrepreneurs and advancing a more sustainable future.
Q: Marianne, can you share your journey into entrepreneurship?
I began my career in journalism, working as a video journalist and later in the reinsurance sector. But I often felt unfulfilled and frustrated by the negative bias in the media, which rarely highlighted the inspiring innovations I knew were out there. During the pandemic, my life changed dramatically—I moved back to Germany, reduced my costs, and decided to launch my own project. That became The Green Techpreneur, where I began interviewing climate founders and showcasing their solutions. From there, the natural evolution was to focus on their biggest pain point: fundraising. That’s how I eventually acquired the Climate Marketplace, connecting startups with investors.
Q: What challenges did you face, especially in growing your platform?
One of the biggest challenges was visibility and building trust with founders and investors. I decided to focus on building an audience first, through interviews, newsletters, and social media. That gave me credibility and reach before I even had the marketplace. It’s a slow process when you’re bootstrapping, but it’s also one of the most important steps—without visibility, even the best solutions go unnoticed.
Q: How do you personally define success?
For me, success is balance. After going through a major health struggle, my definition of success goes beyond business growth—it includes vibrant health, meaningful relationships, and a life where I can contribute positively to the world. Work is important, but so is wellbeing.
Q: Tell us about your current focus and goals.
I’m relaunching the Climate Marketplace and currently building partnerships with climate accelerators worldwide. The goal is to make this platform a tool that helps their startups gain visibility and connect with investors. I want to expand it into a truly global platform and set it up as a social impact enterprise—offering free access to female climate founders.
“Building a better world starts with visibility—when we spotlight solutions, we give them the power to grow.” – Marianne Lehnis
Connect with Marianne Lehnis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-lehnis?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_android
Want to be featured?
If you’d like to be featured in the Humans of Fuzia series, email us at fuziatalent@fuzia.com.
