Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors are an increasingly important part of investment decision-making, however being able to access accurate and transparent data remains a challenge for many firms. Over the years, investors have faced growing pressure to incorporate ESG considerations into their strategies, yet reporting frameworks are complex and evolving, whilst ESG data is often fragmented and unstructured.
For many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), limited resources make it difficult to meet reporting requirements which is blocking them from attracting ESG-focused capital, whilst investors are unable to gain a consistent and verifiable view of sustainability performance of a potentially investable company.
The opportunity is significant: the UK’s investment management industry manages £9.1 trillion in assets, with almost £100 billion allocated solely to responsible investment funds, which means that the demand for reliable ESG data remains a priority.
PortF, a female-founded UK startup, is tackling this challenge with a scalable AI-powered solution that streamlines the collection and analysis of ESG and financial data from multiple sources to help investors and fund managers make more informed, validated, and meaningful decisions.
Commenting on the funding received, Alex Lu, CEO and Founder of PortF said:
We wouldn’t really have been able to take off with this project without Innovate UK. The support allowed us to hire additional staff, focus more on data analytics, and explore how financial and non-financial data can be integrated at scale.
By combining advanced AI-driven tools for ESG data extraction, assessment, and reporting with a robust carbon calculator for Scope 3 emissions, the PortF.io customisable dashboard and analytics AI enables more consistent and transparent ESG insights for both investors and companies, giving them more agency over their ESG goals and sustainability impact.
As well as partnering on this project with NextWave Consulting, Pinsent Masons LLP, University of the West of England, PortF continue to develop partnerships and earn industry recognition that is testament to the platform’s growing momentum. For instance, PortF collaborated with ESG_VC to help drive adoption of improved ESG reporting standards in the venture capital sector, and more recently, PortF was named Solution Provider of the Year (ESG) at the Private Equity Wire European Awards 2025.
To hear more from Alex Lu of PortF, please watch our panel discussion on Small Steps for Big ESG Impact from the UK National Showcase: Next Generation Professional and Financial Services.
This project has been supported by the Innovate UK and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
Filmed in late summer of 2024. All data and events mentioned are accurate as of that time.