- Article

- Infrastructure and Sustainable Finance
- Innovation
Turning venture-backed innovation into bankable climate infrastructure
The green economy is heading to $7tn by 2030, but $90bn of climate capital is uninvested alongside a $150bn scale-up gap.
Our whitepaper, in partnership and co-authored with BCG, explains why FOAK (First-of-a-kind) is the bottleneck—and what it takes to turn FOAK into repeatable NOAK (Nth-of-a-kind) deployment.
For start-ups / scale-ups (Series B+)
If you’re stuck between “it works” and “it scales”, this is your playbook.
FOAK isn’t just a bigger pilot; it’s where you prove bankability: contracts, risk allocation, delivery readiness, and a capital stack that can survive lender diligence.
Read the report to learn:
- The five imperatives founders need to act on in parallel to move from FOAK to NOAK
- The eight gates to pass through before FID (Final Investment Decision) - so financing doesn’t stall late
- How to structure funding so the right capital carries the right risk as uncertainty retires
For SMEs/MMEs (EPCs, manufacturers, operators, supply chain)
FOAK is where the next decade of climate infrastructure work gets awarded.
As projects move from prototypes to plants, delivery partners become the difference between a one-off and a repeatable rollout. This report shows what “bankable delivery” looks like for SMEs/MMEs.
Read the report to understand:
- What FOAK projects require across EPC, commissioning, O&M, and safety
- Why standardisation and repeatability matter, and how suppliers can help unlock NOAK pipelines
- How risk, guarantees, and performance expectations shape procurement decisions
For Large corporates, investors and lenders
FOAK is the missing middle, and the biggest unlock for deployable capital.
Traditional infrastructure finance often can’t price FOAK risk, while venture equity can’t carry FOAK capex. This report lays out how to translate novelty into bankable structures, and proposes a scalable solution.
Read the report to explore:
- A common underwriting lens: the eight FOAK gates to reach FID
- How catalytic layers (guarantees/insurance/blended finance) can unlock senior capital
- The blueprint for a FOAK Finance Facility
Download the report to see the FOAK-to-NOAK playbook, the de-risking framework, and the financing blueprint designed to move climate infrastructure from “promising” to “bankable”.
Does your business plan have more room for the planet?
Kickstart your net zero journey with us.

Disclaimer
© Copyright HSBC Bank plc 2026. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored, distributed or transmitted in any form without the prior written permission of HSBC Bank plc.
