Sustainability platform Change by Degrees raises €700k

Cork business Change by Degrees to develop its skills platform and scale into new markets.

Sustainability skills platform Change by Degrees has closed a €700,000 seed funding round.

The funding round was led by Japanese firm Value Create Ventures and was supported by influential private investors with the support of HBAN and the Enterprise Ireland High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) funding.

The Kinsale, Co Cork, business will use the new funding to develop its platform and scale into new markets.

Making organisations more sustainable

Change by Degrees was founded by Dr Tara Shine and Madeleine Murray in 2018 and grew over time into a B2B SaaS business. Per-Fredrik Hagermark joined the business in 2024 bringing over 10 years’ experience in sales and online learning from LinkedIn Learning.

The B Corp Certified company is fully remote with nine employees, several consultants and further hires anticipated in 2025. 

“Change by Degrees is committed to building the skills every employee needs to do their job differently and contribute to the sustainability goals of their organisation,” said Dr Tara Shine.

“Sustainability is not the job of one person or department – it requires skills across all functions, from the board to the factory floor, to deliver real change and remain competitive. Our interactive content and tools make it affordable, accessible and fun to upskill everyone.

“Clients are using Change by Degrees to upskill teams in preparation for new sustainability regulations like CSRD, to cultivate the mindset their leadership team need to be competitive, to develop a sustainability plan to enable them to win work, to upskill HR and procurement teams, and to engage frontline workers in delivering the mission and purpose of the business. They can do all of this in one place in partnership with us.”

Marking the start of B Corp Month this March, Change by Degrees is further proof that B Corp companies are attractive propositions to investors, adds Madeleine Murray, chief product officer, citing research from B Lab that 44% of B Corps seeking investment found that their certification helped with initially attracting their eventual investor.

“Setting sustainability goals and targets is a standard business requirement these days. Taking action to achieve them is progress, but measuring their impact and influence is where businesses start to see excellence. Change by Degrees supports companies to create tangible proof points and stories about the work they do and the obligations they have, going way beyond completion rates and tick-box exercises. Our clients feel seen, safe and supported by us at a time when new sustainability reporting requirements demand radial transparency and better accountability to all stakeholders.”

The business said that demand for green skills outstrips supply globally by 2:1 with some of the most significant talent gaps in the UK and Ireland, increasing the imperative to build sustainability skills in-house to ensure compliance and competitiveness.

Companies seeking to attract and retain the best talent benefit from investing in sustainability upskilling and employee engagement, especially for younger employees.

“When education leads to real-world action, online learning becomes an unmatched tool for upskilling. In only 6 months, learners enrolled on our sustainability skills platform with one of our clients logged over 10,000 individual and team sustainability actions,” noted Per-Fredrik Hagermark, chief operations officer at Change by Degrees.

“Our clients consistently share how our content helps them embed sustainability into their work with confidence and clarity.”

According to a recent report by Deloitte, nearly nine in 10 Gen Zs and millennials say purpose is important to their job satisfaction and they are increasingly likely to turn down work or employers that don’t align with their values. It’s not enough to have a sustainability statement on your website – employees want to see that commitment lived and breathed in how a business operates and uses its influence.

Martin Corkery, Department Manager, Climate Tech & Renewable Energy, Enterprise Ireland, said: “Sustainability and decarbonisation is essential for resilience in today’s competitive landscape. Enterprise Ireland is committed to supporting Irish companies on their sustainability journey to help them not only meet climate targets but to also thrive in a decarbonising world. Change by Degrees’ innovation, ambition and expertise is driving real change, offering companies tangible actions and tools as they navigate this environment, and Enterprise Ireland is excited to support them on their business journey.” 

Eshna Gogia, HBAN Lead, added: “Our investors were really impressed by the Change by Degrees team – their expertise, ambition and practical approach to driving real sustainability impact stood out. With EU regulations set to bring major changes, businesses will need the right tools to adapt and Change by Degrees is positioned to help them navigate this shift. It’s a huge opportunity and we’re excited to support their growth.”

Main image at top: (from left) Per-Fredrik Hagermark, COO, Change by Degrees; Dr Tara Shine, CEO and co-founder, Change by Degrees; Madeleine Murray, CPO and co-founder, Change by Degrees; Eshna Gogia, HBAN Lead; and Martin Corkery, Enterprise Ireland