POPULARITY
Join James as he discusses the burgeoning relationship between venture capital and climate change investment as well as the importance of investing in sustainable companies.
On this podcast, you've heard from a range of experts about the policies and politics of decarbonization. But what does the fight against climate change look like from the business side?Sophie Purdom is the Founder and Managing Partner of Planeteer Capital, a venture capital fund that invests in early-stage climate technology companies. She also writes Climate Tech VC, an industry newsletter that goes deep into the business side of the green transition. On this episode, Sophie Purdom talks with a special guest host for the Rhodes Center Podcast, political scientist and director of the Watson Institute's Climate Solutions Lab Jeff Colgan. They talk about the world of “climate tech,” as it's known in the startup community, how the industry started, where it's going, and what it can teach us about the relationship between private enterprise and the global fight against climate change.Learn more about and subscribe to Sophie Purdom's newsletter, Climate Tech VCLearn more about the Climate Solutions Lab at the Watson InstituteLearn more about the Watson Institute's other podcastsTranscript coming soon to our website
In today's show, I'm receiving Timothee Parrique, Dr. in economics at Lund University. He is a rising scholar, who made a big splash at the European Commission Beyond Growth conference. His book on Degrowth has sold more than 35,000 copies. He is a brilliant guy and a true artist with words.We talk about:-Why Timothée thinks Climate Tech VC and green growth are fairy tales-Degrowth as an alternative, what does that even mean?-How to engage the Top 10% and motivate them to embrace a new narrative-Whether a Covid-scale catastrophe will be the triggering event for our system to move away from Capitalism-Why the well-being economy should be our collective future--------------ABOUT CLIMATE INSIDERS:Learn all the insights from the top Climate Tech Founders and Investors. Listen to the stories behind the startup successes, understand the drivers of investment decisions, and become a true Climate Insider.Check us out at: https://www.climateinsiders.co--------------ABOUT THE GUEST:Timothée Parrique (pronounced “tea-mo-tay pa-rick”) is an economist, originally from Versailles, France. He is currently a researcher at the School of Economics and Management of Lund University (Sweden).He holds a PhD in economics from the Centre d'Études et de Recherches sur le Développement (University of Clermont Auvergne, France) and the Stockholm Resilience Centre (Stockholm University, Sweden). Titled “The political economy of degrowth” (2019), his dissertation explores the economic implications of degrowth.Tim is the author of Ralentir ou périr. L'économie de la décroissance (September 2022, Seuil), a wide-audience book adaptation of his PhD dissertation.Tim frequently writes about green growth and decoupling; he is the lead author of “Decoupling Debunked – Evidence and Arguments against Green Growth” (2019), a report published by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB).Tim is passionate about the philosophy of science and academic writing. When not ranting about economics stuff, Tim likes to surf, climb, and do backflips on his mountain bike – yes, it's possible. (He also spends more time than he would like to admit playing chess online.) --------------SHOW NOTES:00:09 – Intro00:55 – Who is Timothy?02:03 – Is Climate Tech BS?05:30 - The Quest for the Holy Grail of Energy08:14 – Is green growth really possible?13:24 - The Need for a New Narrative in Climate Change18:32 - Rediscovering the Sweetness of a Slower Economy; Does it Actually Work?24:03 – How do we convince the top 10% that degrowth is the way to go?28:58 – What is the plan? What is the first domino that tickles the rest of the dominoes? 33:16 – Have we reached the "end of history" with liberal democracy and consumerism as the dominant forces?36:18 - The Need for a Catalyst of Change39:31 - The complex relationship between activism and politics43:54 - The concept of timing and its crucial role in effecting change47:49 – How can people play an impactful role today? Is joining a climate VC or startup the way to go?51:37 – Outro--------------ABOUT THE HOST: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yberno/ Yoann Berno is committed to the democratization of climate tech investing, to contribute significantly to the fight against global warming. Passionate about empowering individuals striving to make a difference in addressing climate change, he is renowned as the podcast host of Climate Insiders. In this role, he dedicates himself to showcasing the perspectives of trailblazers in environmental sustainability.--------------Mentioned in the podcast:Timothee Parrique - https://www.linkedin.com/in/timoth%C3%A9e-parrique-7b593450/Timothee's Book: "Ralentir ou Périr" -...
Grace Donnelly is executive editor for Climate Tech VC. Grace previously appeared on Episode 117 of the Future of Mobility podcast: https://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/gracedonnelly/ Key topics in this conversation include: Climate tech funding trends from the first half of 2023 How CTVC provides value for their customer base and reader base Marine decarbonization Decarbonized fuels Links: Show notes: http://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/gracedonnelly2 https://www.ctvc.co/climate-tech-h1-2023-venture-funding/ https://www.ctvc.co/maritime-decarbonization/ https://www.ctvc.co/clean-fuels-biofuels-electrofuels/ Future of Mobility: The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields. linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/ brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/
Host Brian Walsh chats with Amy Cortese to set the stage for the UN General Assembly and Climate Week NYC. Plus, the headlines. Amy sketched the landscape in “Protesters and investors to pressure global leaders at Climate Week NYC.” Here are the details of Sunday's march, Climate Group's event guide and Climate Tech VC's cheat sheet to hundreds of side events. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/impact-alpha-briefing/message
Host Brian Walsh chats with Amy Cortese to set the stage for the UN General Assembly and Climate Week NYC. Plus, the headlines. Amy sketched the landscape in “Protesters and investors to pressure global leaders at Climate Week NYC.” Here are the details of Sunday's march, Climate Group's event guide and Climate Tech VC's cheat sheet to hundreds of side events. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/impact-alpha/message
This time we're turning tables. I will not be conducting the interview. Instead, I will be interviewed. By popular demand, you will hear a little bit about me and my thoughts on some awesome topics, such as risk management, ways to become an angel investor with as little as $1000, alternative forms of growth, why technology won't solve this deeper crisis faced by humanity, the critical need to better communicate visions, and the power of women to transform society! In addition, we will discuss my decision to leave Climentum Capital, my evolving role to help democratize climate investing, and how YOU can get involved! Analisa Winther, a veteran podcaster and a great Climate ecosystem builder, will be conducting the interview. She will be asking me tough questions to extract a lot of valuable insights. This has been one of the most engaging conversations I have had on the show, and I am confident that you will find a lot of inspiration from it. Let's go!--------------ABOUT CLIMATE INSIDERS:Learn all the insights from Europe's top Climate Tech Founders and Investors. Listen to the stories behind the startup successes, understand the drivers of investment decisions, and become a true Climate Insider.Check us out at: https://www.climateinsiders.co--------------ABOUT THE GUEST:Yoann Berno is committed to the democratization of climate tech investing, with a goal to contribute significantly to the fight against global warming. Passionate about empowering individuals striving to make a difference in addressing climate change, he is renowned as the podcast host of Climate Insiders. In this role, he dedicates himself to showcasing the perspectives of trailblazers in environmental sustainability.--------------SHOW NOTES:00:09 Intro01:03 Guests background01:56 Was the push in regulations in recent years the Turning Point for the Climate Tech industry and the main contributor to the booming number of dedicated funds? 05:58 How to measure impact at both the individual company and portfolio level?12:59 When to run the impact assessment? Is it during the due diligence process, after due diligence, or at the end of the fund? 14:10 Example of how to conduct pre-due diligence or during due diligence assessment.15:11 Conducting an LCA at the fund level: strategies, considerations, and recommendations!17:55 Are LCAs very expensive, and will this make VC money even more expensive? Can VCs still be cost-competitive vs generalist funds? 19:22 When does it make sense to be an Article 9 fund? 21:18 Intentions vs Reality Check: are Pre-Seed and Seed Stage the funds right fit for Article 9 or should it be reserved for Growth and Private Equity funds?25:42 Attribution vs Additionally: unraveling the tricky debate! Which one is the biggest problem?29:42 Mastering impact assessment in practice: A Guide to Effective Evaluation! 34:17 How to run an impact assessment for a project development case (ex: offshore floating wind farm)?36:58 Are there any external service providers, professionals, or software that they recommend to run impact investing? 40:48 Mastering LP documentation: best practices and reporting timelines for fund managers!43:28 What is the role of a Climate Tech VC? Is it to provide impact counseling to founders?46:15 Striking the balance: prioritizing impactful direction over purely commercial Goals!49:14 Preventing bad press and safeguarding your reputation53:19 Unleashing the power of incentives: how to build a successful and effective framework?56:49 Racing against the odds: how to supercharge industry growth despite capital constraints? 01:01:21 Outro--------------ABOUT THE HOST:Interviewing me today is Analisa Winther. She is an advisor to corporations helping them to invest in the future of
This week on Everybody in the Pool, we've got a double whammy of solutions. We know that to transition our economy away from fossil fuels as quickly as possible, we need to deploy as much renewable energy as fast as we can (and yes, interconnect it, I know). Also, renewable energy deployment is a huge investment opportunity that's mostly unavailable to you and me, even though these are projects that can throw off reliable cash for 20 or 30 years. So, startups are coming in to try to connect regular old people with renewable energy projects—like crowdfunding, but with a return. This week, Molly interviews Will Wiseman, co-founder and CEO of Climatize, an app that does all of the above. Win-win!This week's episode is sponsored by Fennel Markets.RESOURCES & LINKSGet the Climatize appClimate Tech VC deep dive into project financeSubscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/ Become a member and get an ad-free version of the podcast: https://plus.acast.com/s/everybody-in-the-pool Please subscribe and tell your friends about EITP! Send feedback or become a sponsor at in@everybodyinthepool.com To support the show and get an ad-free listening experience, please jump in and become a member of Everybody in the Pool! https://plus.acast.com/s/everybody-in-the-pool. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week on Cleaning Up, Michael welcomes Kim Zou, CEO and co-founder of CTVC (Climate Tech VC). Launched in 2020, CTVC is a leading climate innovation resource and newsletter with 50,000 weekly readers, providing data-driven insights and analysis into the latest deals and developments in climate tech. CTVC launched their H1 2023 climate funding update at the end of June, reporting a 40% drop in venture funding. Michael wanted to hear from Zoe whether this was a moment of crisis or correction, and to compare notes on building a market intelligence platform, having jumped through so many of the same hoops building New Energy Finance. Make sure you like, subscribe, and share Cleaning Up. We're growing fast on LinkedIn, and we'd love for you tell your professional network about us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cleaning-up-with-michael-liebreich/ You can find everything you need to keep up with Cleaning Up here: https://linktr.ee/mlcleaningup Links and Related EpisodesAll of the episodes mentioned by Michael at the end of the show can be found in our “Women Leaders of the Net-Zero Transition” playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe8ZTD7dMaaBJwVk9CfU-CZLeX42M7flC You can subscribe to CTVC here: https://www.ctvc.co/ Read CTVC's H1 2023 climate tech funding update: https://www.ctvc.co/climate-tech-h1-2023-venture-funding/#:~:text=Highlights,35%25%20from%20H2'22. CTVC's Climate Capital Stack is here: https://www.ctvc.co/the-climate-capital-stack/ In May CTCV announced their new climate intelligence platform: https://www.ctvc.co/ctvc-platform-fundraise/ Kim and co-founder Sophie Purdom spoke to Techonomy in September 2022: https://techonomy.com/video/the-state-of-climate-tech-venture-capital/ Guest Bio Kim has spent the last three years building Climate Tech VC, a leading source on climate and innovation with 50,000 weekly readers among climate investors, operators and market leaders. CTVC generates data-driven insights on the climate tech market which have been featured in channels including Bloomberg, Reuters, Financial Times, and TechCrunch. From 2020-2022, Kim was an Investor at Energy Impact Partners, a $2.5B AUM venture capital firm, and from 2018 – 2020, an Investment Banking Analyst at JP Morgan. From 2017 – 2019, Kim was Managing Partner at A-Level Capital. Kim holds a bachelor's degree from John Hopkins University in Economics, Environmental Science and Applied Mathematics.
Sophie Purdom is a leading climate venture capitalist at Planeteer Capital, specializing in early-stage climate tech startups. Sophie's passion for climate and innovation is also expressed through her highly popular newsletter, Climate Tech VC. With a community of over 50,000 subscribers, she explores cutting-edge advancements in climate technology and sustainable innovation. Her diverse experience includes launching an ESG fund, strategy development at Bain & Co., publishing a book on sustainable investing, and co-founding a successful agricultural tech company that raised more than $65 million. About VSC Ventures: For 20 years, our award-winning PR agency VSC has worked with innovative startups on positioning, messaging, and awareness and we are bringing that same expertise to help climate startups with storytelling and narrative building. Last year, general partners Vijay Chattha and Jay Kapoor raised a $21M fund to co-invest in the most promising startups alongside leading climate funds. Through the conversations on our show CLIMB by VSC, we're excited to share what we're doing at VSC and VSC Ventures on climate innovation with companies like Ample, Actual, Sesame Solar, Synop, Vibrant Planet, and Zume among many others.
Today's show features not just one, but two guests, who will provide super actionable insights to FINALLY demystify the IMPACT of Climate Tech Funds.-We will break down the most important concepts around impact measurements, such as SFDR, ESG, LCA, and other key acronyms ruling European Climate Tech. -We will ask two of Europe's best impact experts how they put it all into practice when making investments and growing their startup portfolio. -And we will answer some chicky questions to figure out what is truly necessary and what is a bit overkill in this whole impact assessment world.--------------ABOUT CLIMATE INSIDERS:Learn all the insights from Europe's top Climate Tech Founders and Investors. Listen to the stories behind the startup successes, understand the drivers of investment decisions, and become a true Climate Insider.Check us out at: https://www.climateinsiders.co--------------ABOUT THE GUEST:Our two guests are Isabelle Canu, Partner at the Green European Tech Fund, and Stefan Maard, General Partner at Climentum Capital.--------------SHOW NOTES:0:09 – Intro01:40 – Guests background02:43 - Was the push in regulations in recent years the Turning Point for the Climate Tech industry and the main contributor to the booming number of dedicated funds? 06:50 - Is Article 9 the 'holy grail' of Climate impact funds? 08:50 - What is the definition of ESG and how does it overlap with Article 6, 8, 9 funds?12:00 – How to measure impact at both the individual company and portfolio level?13:49 – When to run the impact assessment? Is it during the due diligence process, after due diligence, or at the end of the fund? 15:00 – Example of how to conduct pre-due diligence or during due diligence assessment.17:00 – Conducting an LCA at the fund level: strategies, considerations, and recommendations!18:45 - Are LCAs very expensive, and will this make VC money even more expensive? Can VCs still be cost-competitive vs generalist funds? 20:10 – When does it make sense to be an Article 9 fund? 23:00 – Intentions vs Reality Check: are Pre-Seed and Seed Stage the funds right fit for Article 9 or should it be reserved for Growth and Private Equity funds?26:30 – Attribution vs Additionally: unraveling the tricky debate! Which one is the biggest problem?30:30 – Mastering impact assessment in practice: A Guide to Effective Evaluation! 35:08– How to run impact assessment for a project development case (ex: offshore floating wind farm)?37:40 –Are there any external service providers, professionals, or software that they recommend to run impact investing? 41:38 – Mastering LP documentation: best practices and reporting timelines for fund managers!44:18 - What is the role of a Climate Tech VC? Is it to provide impact counseling to founders?47:05 – Striking the balance: prioritising impactful direction over purely commercial Goals!50:04 – Preventing bad press and safeguarding your reputation54:09– Unleashing the power of incentives: how to build a successful and effective framework?57:39 – Racing against the odds: how to supercharge industry growth despite capital constraints? 1:02:11 - Outro--------------ABOUT THE HOST:Yoann Berno https://www.linkedin.com/in/yberno/ After a career spent building and investing in top tech startups, Yoann is now a founding member and General Partner at Climentum Capital focused on investing in game-changing technological solutions to our worsening climate crisis.--------------Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER to stay tuned about the next episodes: https://www.climateinsiders.coTWITTER: https://twitter.com/yoannberno LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/climate-insidersIsabelle Canu (GP at Green...
Kristy Drutman is a speaker, content producer, consultant and environmental advocate. Much of her work is focused on where media, diversity, equity and environmentalism intersect. She founded the storytelling site Browngirl Green and co-founded the Green Jobs Board, where she curates good, paid jobs in the climate space. Drutman has been invited to speak on environmental issues at the White House several times, and E&E News listed her as part of the “next generation of climate and environmental visionaries.”***Resources from this episode:Browse Drutman's Green Jobs Board and see what people are talking about on the jobs board's Instagram page.Check out the Environmental Defense Fund Green Jobs Hub. Read up on the 2022 LinkedIn Global Green Skills Report.Check out and join the following climate-specific communities: Work on ClimateTerra DoWomen in ClimateClimatebaseClimate DraftMCJ CollectiveBrowse other climate-related job boards:GreenBiz Sustainability JobsGreen Jobs NetworkClimate PeopleSign up for the Degrees newsletter or the Climate Tech VC's newsletter.Read #OpenDoorClimate's “Day in the Life of a Climate Profile” series.Here are a few articles we've been reading about the Inflation Reduction Act's impact on the green jobs market:Bloomberg: 100,000 Green Jobs Announced Since US Adopted Climate Law, Study FindsGreebiz: How will the Inflation Reduction Act spur job creation for the climate tech sector?The Hechinger Report: COLUMN: New climate legislation could create 9 million jobs. Who will fill them?Related episodes:How Heather McTeer Toney is redefining climate action for the next generation of leaders10 ways to save the planetBuilding a Black community for green jobseekers ***
In this newsletter-turned-podcast episode from Entrepreneurs for Impact, I cover the following:
If you're interested in venture investing in climate tech, you probably already know about Climate Tech VC (CTVC). It began as a side hustle and small newsletter and now reaches 40,000 people. In my opinion, there's really no better source of data and insights around climate tech investing. In this episode, I sat down with CTVC's Co-Founder Kim Zou. Kim was an investor at Energy Impact Partners and has been following climate tech investment closely as its taken off over the past several years. In fact, Kim might have actually been the person who coined the term "climate tech." Beyond that bold claim, there's a lot to learn about regarding the state of climate tech investing in this interview. We talked about how CTVC got started, how climate tech has grown in recent years, where that investment is coming from and going to, how the economic slowdown has affected things and a bunch more. Buckle up and enjoy.In today's episode, we cover:[3:07] What is Climate Tech VC & how did it get started[5:33] Finding synergies for accelerating climate innovation[8:29] CTVC's growing team & business model[13:29] The scale and growth in climate tech venture investing[15:43] The different spaces within climate tech & areas with the most investment activity[19:08] Built environment opportunities[23:33] How has corporate interest in climate investing changed over recent years[25:56] IRA impacts on climate tech companies and climate tech investing overall[29:50] Valuation & fundraising trends[37:34] Bumps in the road - long term transition to sustainable protein or just climate tech overall[40:25] The influence of elections on climate tech investingResources MentionedClimate Tech VCGreentown LabsKula BioEnergy Impact PartnersSyzygy PlasmonicsConnect with Kim ZouConnect with Kim on LinkedInConnect With Jason RissmanInvestedInClimate.com On LinkedInOn TwitterSubscribe to Invested In Climate
This week: Climate change in the curriculum Increasingly divergent subvariants Cell-cultured meat RSV vaccines are coming Generative AI (...didn't write this, but it might one day) Here's What You Can Do: Teachers can't teach without understanding the material. Check out https://www.climetime.org/ (ClimeTime) and the https://cleanet.org/index.html (CLEAN) project for free, vetted resources for educators K-12. Bring everyone you know to get their bivalent boosters, bring masks back (they can help defend against the flu and RSV too), and improve your air quality wherever you can Our friends at Climate Tech VC put together a free deep-dive on methane emissions from cows. https://www.ctvc.co/ruminating-on-methane-emissions/ (Read it) and get up to speed. Join our friends at Pod Save America tohttps://votesaveamerica.com/ ( call, text, knock on doors, and vote) for people who will fight for the 75% of Americans who don't have access to paid leave through an employer Check out https://bleedingedge.ai/ (Bleeding Edge AI) for a cool timeline for developments as they happen, and/or https://bensbites.beehiiv.com/subscribe?ref=5286465a33 (Ben's Bites), a free, digestible, pithy email update with all things generative AI Get more: Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at https://www.importantnotimportant.com/newsletter (importantnotimportant.com/newsletter) Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.com Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/importantnotimp (@importantnotimp) Get fun merch at https://www.importantnotimportant.com/store (importantnotimportant.com/store) Take a nap you deserve it Advertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsors (https://www.importantnotimportant.com/sponsors)
Benjamin Joffe is a Partner at SOSV, a global deep tech fund with 1000 portfolio companies and $1.3B AUM. They focus on early-stage planetary and human health. They invest the very first checks at pre-seed via the startup programs HAX (hard tech), IndieBio (biology), Orbit (frontier markets), and dlab (blockchain). Benjamin started in an investing role in the HAX program in Shenzhen (invested in Opentrons, now a unicorn), and later chose to work in a non-investing role across the portfolio.He's been an active angel investor, super speaker, and moderator in hundreds of events globally, and he's now the curator at SOSV Climate Tech Summit which happens virtually every year, generally in October.Listen and LearnDescribe SOSV, ticket size, geography, and history (2:18)Who backs SOSV today? (4:03)How is SOSV structured today? (5:00)Why did you decide to invest in climate? (6:35)SOSV Climate Tech summit (8:07)Do you see a better balance between the US, EU, and China in Climate Tech going forward? (10:30)Have you seen more climate funds start outside of the US this year? (12:58)What is the interaction between the EU and China in ClimateTech? (14:13)Has the climate conversation matured in Asia? (16:06)What is your role and how do you structure your investment scope? (18:40)Is building a personal brand a must as a fund? (20:22)Would you advise new funds to be more visible? (21:59)Is building a personal brand the best way to access the best deals? (25:01)What drives maximum return: software or hardware? (26:37)What is the key to differentiation? (28:13)Rapid fire round (30:08)Where would you advise people to look for jobs within climate? (35:01)Show LinksBenjamin Joffe LinkedIn profileSOSV HAX - Hard Tech Venture CapitalIndieBioOrbit StartupsdlabSOSV Climate Tech SummitVoyagers community eventClimate Tech VCWork on climate Land Your Dream Job in Climate Tech by Yoann Berno
Episode 5 of The Carbon Curve is with Ben Rubin, Executive Director of the Carbon Business Council.Over the past two years, the carbon removal (CDR) sector has flourished according to a Climate Tech VC report.Carbon removal, carbon utilization and CCS companies, as well as carbon marketplaces raised a combined $1.5 billion in the first half of this year. That's an eightfold increase over the same period last year (with much of that growth happening in the carbon removal space) which led me to ask: with the carbon removal industry beginning to take shape, when does it make sense for this plethora of startups to join forces, learn from one another and secure the policy wins necessary to thrive as an industry? And how do you find common interests across companies with different technologies, geographies, and business models.A few weeks ago, the Carbon Business Council officially launched with 40 member organizations in tow representing every facet of the carbon management space. I thought I'd ask their new Executive Director, Ben Rubin, about their theory of change (especially given their technology neutral approach) and how they are going to find a shared set of priorities in this nascent and disparate industry to help get to gigaton scale carbon removal. In this episode, Na'im and Ben discuss:What makes the Carbon Business Council different from other system actors in the carbon removal spaceThe types of members represented in the Carbon Business Council, and how they're being brought together to help shape the policy landscape to achieve gigaton scale carbon removalWhy they endorsed the Carbon Removal and Emissions Storage Act (CREST Act) at launchHow they address the needs of members outside of the USTheir Ethical Oath to Restore the EarthMentioned in this episode:Climate Tech VC's analysis on climate funding in 2022Carbon Business Council website and Oath to Restore the EarthBipartisan Policy Center's blog post comparing the CREST Act and CDRLA; also my previous post on government procurement of carbon removalIf you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast app or subscribe via The Carbon Curve newsletter here. If you'd like to get in touch with Na'im, you can reach out via Twitter and LinkedIn.Na'im Merchant is an advisor and thought partner to start-ups, policy groups, and research organizations on scaling up the climate technologies to meet the monumental challenge removing billions of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere to combat climate change. Every two weeks, Na'im will release a short interview with individuals advancing bold new ideas and taking a collective action approach to scaling up carbon removal. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carboncurve.substack.com
When you start working in climate tech, it's hard to feel the same way about any other industry. And that's what keeps Lily Bernicker, Principal at Wireframe Ventures, deep in the trenches. Nick and Lily get into conversation about why flexibility is critical to be a great climate tech investor, why saying no to companies is still hard, and the challenges of a long feedback loop. You'll also hear Lily's take on why scientists are learning the business playbooks and how that can only help drive forward innovation. And if you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcool (https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcool) Thank you so much! Follow Lily: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-bernicker-2b638a89 (linkedin.com/in/lily-bernicker-2b638a89) Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool:https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ (https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ )or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol (https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol)
Today's guests are Craig Shapiro and Tomas Alvarez Belon from Collaborative Fund. Collaborative Fund is an investment firm focused on supporting and investing in the shared future. Their funds center around two macro themes, the growth of the creative class and the concept of the collaborative economy. Recently, Collaborative Fund announced their new Shared Future Fund which provides rapid funding and useful resources to early-stage entrepreneurs working to solve the global climate crisis. It's a programmatic fund and they aim to make 100 investments of $100,000 in 2022 alone, giving a decision within 10 days of application.Craig is the Founder and Managing Partner of Collaborative Fund. He currently holds a board seat or board observer seat in several pioneering climate focused companies, including: Brimstone Energy, Dandelion Energy, Kula Bio, and Quaise Energy. Tomás is a climate investor at Collaborative Fund focused on decarbonization and the Shared Future Fund initiative. Prior to joining Collab, Tomás co-founded Canopi, a Y Combinator-backed carbon accounting startup, and was a consultant at Bain & Company. He also advises Climate Tech VC, a 20,000+ subscriber newsletter focused on climate innovation.We cover a lot in this episode, including the origin story of the firm Collaborative, how their approach has evolved over the years, and what led them to get into climate investing. We also discuss the types of risk they're comfortable with, criteria they look for, and how they think about different sectors. And we cover the Shared Future Fund, what it is, how it works, Craig and Tomas' vision for it, and how it fits in with the other things that they do as a firm. Enjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded June 14, 2022.
Taylor McCarten is the Co-Founder and CEO of BinBreeze, the world's first non-toxic and all-natural composting powder. A University of Victoria graduate, Taylor created BinBreeze as he was finishing his MBA at the school. He went on to appear on season 15 of CBC's Dragons' Den with his product and successfully teamed up with Dragon Arlene Dickinson. BinBreeze is now in over 500 retail locations across Canada and counting. Want to try BinBreeze for yourself? Use the promocode ASM25 at BinBreeze.com! Today's Sponsors: Wren is your all in one climate subscription! Fund carbon removal, offsets, climate policy, and conservation–all in one subscription. Use our special link Wren.co/ASM and get 10 extra trees planted in your name! Wondrium offers documentaries, series, lessons, how-to's, and more, on any topic you can imagine. Watch on any device and on the go! To get your free trial go to Wondrium.com/ASM In this episode Marjorie and Taylor discuss: The challenges with indoor compost What inspired Taylor to create BinBreeze The dangers of burning wood and the benefits of circular economy (upcycling wood dust) Tips for eco and social entrepreneurs just starting out Resources mentioned in today's episode: Trevor Handcock (wiki), 1st candidate for Green party in Canada, sustainability is a human rights issue Climate Tech VC - https://climatetechvc.co/ Mindset by Carol Dweck (Audible/Amazon)*- https://amzn.to/3yhZWD6 Connect with Taylor and the BinBreeze Team: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/binbreeze/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/binbreeze LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/binbreeze Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7szK_8cczPpO1yYyi_V2Vw Taylor's LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/taylormccarten/ Connect with Marjorie Alexander: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asustainablemind/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SustainableMind Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asustainablemind/ Website: http://www.asustainablemind.com Interested in sponsoring or supporting A Sustainable Mind? Visit our sponsorship page at ASustainableMind.com/sponsor! *Some links on this page might be affiliate links, helping to support ASM's efforts, while not increase your purchase price one cent. Thank you!
“Inflection Point,” “New Frontier,” “Finally Getting Serious”- are some of the ways the carbon removal field has been described in headlines over the past few weeks. With Frontier Climate, Lowercarbon capital, and Climeworks all announcing big new infusions of money into the wicked problem of pulling CO2 from the air, it's fair to say the field has entered a new stage. At a recent panel at Columbia University, Carbon Direct Vice-Chair Nili Gilbert said that she believes there are currently over 1000 companies working on carbon removal. She also noted that of those that are vetted, only 5% will be invested in. The online newsletter Climate Tech VC found that after the IPCC mitigation report identified a major need for carbon removal in April, over $2.2 billion has been invested into CDR. Forty-five companies received funding, with $1,100 million flowing to climate tech, $920 million to carbon accounting and marketplaces, and $65 million to MRV (with the other $1b committed by Stripe et al. via Frontier). Before all this happened, our co-host Susan Su said that if a startup has a good CDR idea, it will access funding. That has turned out to be very prescient in the months since that forecast. On this episode we talk about some of the big deals that have happened in 2022, the technical aspects of different funding methods, as well as what VC can and cannot do for CDR companies. The group also discuss Adam Neumann's much-publicized foray into the world of carbon credits. There's also one more piece of big news we can announce - Na'im Merchant will be joining us as a regular co-host! That means every month you can hear Radhika, Susan, and Na'im discuss the latest news in CDR Business. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/carbonremovalnewsroom/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/carbonremovalnewsroom/support
Alexander Langguth is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Übermorgen Ventures, an early stage Zurich-based venture firm with early investments in climate innovators like Sunvigo, carbo culture and delicious data.Alex has always shown a high level of transparency and collaboration with other Climate Tech investors. In this episode, I take you behind closed doors and give you maximum insights.We discuss Ubermorgen's evergreen fund model and why it actually helps to raise 1st-time funds.We hear Alex share how difficult it was to raise a first fund and how they run investment decisionsAnd Alex and I rip on contrarian views, on what most people get wrong about being a fund manager and advice for job seekers and entrepreneursListen and LearnThe reasons why Ubermorgen picked an evergreen fund modelThe difficulty to sell this new model to LPs initiallyAlex's expected ratio of institutional funds, evergreen funds, solo GPs in Europe in 10 years Alex most painful moment raising their 1st fund Whether LPs cared more about impact of financial returns Why having contrarian views and avoiding confirmation bias is so important in VCThe area where Alex has completely changed his views over the last 2 yearsWhat most people have wrong about being a fund managerHow Übermorgen handles investment decisions internally and votes on deals (with 1 to 10 scoring) The best advice to share with entrepreneurs on HOW to engage with VCs to maximize success of their fundraisingHow to land your first job in Climate TechShow LinksUbermorgen Ventures' Website Alex's LinkedinThe Sequoia evergeen fund and more about Sequoia's open ended fund model Climate Tech Slack communities: Voyagers and My Climate JourneyThe runing list of all Climate Tech VC funds (in Europe and worldwide)The Huge heat wave hitting India and Pakistan with 42C The Wet build 35 phenomenon when it's too hot for humans to surviveUbermorgen NewsletterImpact assessment framework by Full Frame InitiativeClimate Fiction book recommendation: The Ministry for the FutureCarveoutsClimate Fiction book recommendation:
Clean Tech, ESG, Sustainability, Decarbonization, Energy Transition, Impact Investing, etc. descriptors have all seemed to blur, and Sophie helps us tie this all together with her definition of ‘Sustainable Investing' and how she buckets efforts into 7 climate-related industry sectors (spoiler alert: a further deep dive with 80 sub-sectors is coming shortly!). We then discuss the newly proposed SEC rules to standardize and enhance climate-related disclosures for investors, how she thinks these potential SEC climate disclosure rules will be adopted in practice given how far behind most industrial corporations are in their digital transformation journeys, and we wrap up with a deals and dollars venture investment (and exit liquidity!) outlook on the trends she is seeing where Climate Tech is intersecting with industrials sectors.
Third Sphere funds are top quartile or decile on a net TVPI basis backing pre-customer companies that are transforming global energy systems. Ranked by Techcrunch as one of the top 10 VCs founders love the most, co-founder Shaun Abrahamson describes how he backs Climatetech Superheroes and then leverages his vast network of advisors and angel investors to build a full stack early-stage climate investing platform.
60 gigatons of Carbon Dioxide (Co2) is discharged into the atmosphere every year. Co2 levels are now higher than they have been in at least 800,000 years making climate change the number 1 threat faced by mankind. What tech to invest in in order to 'unf*** the planet'? For a momentous & thrilling episode on understanding the successful approach of high-risk tech investing in combatting the climate change crises, our host at Waheed Rahman (@iwaheedo) sat down with Danijel Visevic (@visevic) - the Founding General Partner of World Fund, Europe's biggest climate tech VC fund. We cover : - the fundamentals & purpose of climate tech investing - the mechanics of a climate tech fund - how to manage LP expectations - Key technologies to invest in to undo the effects of climate change - Climate change policy prescriptions for government Follow our host Waheed Rahman (@iwaheedo) for more updates on tech, civilizational growth, progress studies, and emerging markets. Here are the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players, you should be able to click the timestamp for the episode. (00:00) - Intro (03:05) - Danijel's journey to becoming a leading climate tech investor (05:34) - World Fund's investment thesis for decarbonizing the planet (07:44) - Distinction between climate tech and clean tech (09:39) - Climate tech investing fund mechanics (12:24) - What are the upsides or downsides to being a dedicated fund vs private VCs like Sequoia & SoftBank (14:31) - The purpose of investing in climate tech (16:47) - Managing Limited Partner's (LP) expectations - How to prioritize between short-term profit maximization vs sustainability? (23:28) - Technologies that can help minimize the impact of climate change (25:07) - What makes Europe the most suitable place for climate tech investing? (28:11) - The different stages of fundraising for a climate tech startup (29:50) - How is World Fund developing the climate tech ecosystem in Europe? (31:13) - Next-generation climate tech innovations to look forward to (35:25) - What immediate policies can government undertake in mitigating the effect of climate change crises (40:07) - Outro
In Episode 126, Quinn meets his newsletter heroes: Kim Zou & Sophie Purdom, co-founders of the independent media outlet Climate Tech VC. Kim works with Energy Impact Partners, a venture capital firm investing in climate technology. Sophie works as an investor in early stage climate technology businesses. Together they write Climate Tech VC, the data-obsessed, essential take on the opportunities, deals, and news in the flourishing climate tech scene. There is a massive cost that comes with transitioning every single existing building and vehicle, not to mention all of our power and infrastructure to green tech. While it's arguably the biggest challenge of our time, it is also quite possibly the biggest market opportunity ever. Kim and Sophie discuss the sustainability of volunteer advocacy for these important endeavors, and managing the currency of free time as this work becomes people's second jobs--without the pay. They also outline the action steps you can take, whether an investor, journalist, or a student looking to make the leap into the climate tech space -- because (so fun) it's now or never! Today's episode is brought to you by Avocado Green Brands, where sustainability comes first. They craft their GOTS certified organic mattresses, pillows, and bedding with natural materials sourced from their organic farms in India, in their own clean-energy powered facility in Los Angeles, where their team shares a singular purpose: To raise the bar for what it means to be a sustainable business. Avocado is Climate Neutral Certified for net zero emissions and donates one percent of all revenue to environmental nonprofits through its membership with 1% For the Planet. https://www.avocadogreenmattress.com/?utm_medium=partner&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=INI_November (Find out what it means to sleep organic at AvocadoMattress.com). Have feedback or questions?http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp ( Tweet us), or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes athttp://podcast.importantnotimportant.com ( podcast.importantnotimportant.com). Important, Not Important Book Club: https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant (The Alchemy of Air) by Thomas Hager https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant (Reboot) by Jerry Colonna https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant (https://bookshop.org/shop/importantnotimportant) Links: Subscribe to Climate Tech VC: https://climatetechvc.substack.com/ (climatetechvc.substack.com) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-zou (linkedin.com/in/kim-zou) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiepurdom (linkedin.com/in/sophiepurdom) https://www.energyimpactpartners.com/ (energyimpactpartners.com) Connect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at http://importantnotimportant.com/ (ImportantNotImportant.com)! Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp (twitter.com/ImportantNotImp) Follow Quinn: http://twitter.com/quinnemmett (twitter.com/quinnemmett) Like and share us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant (facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant) Intro/outro by Tim Blane: http://timblane.com/ (timblane.com) Art by https://amritpaldesign.com (Amrit Pal) Important, Not Important is produced by http://crate.media/ (Crate Media) Support this podcast
Discover the adventurous story of Mike Winterfield and his passion for getting “lost in nature”, building high-performing teams, and creating impact at scale through investments & support of early stage climate startups with Active Impact Investments. Mike Winterfield Founder & Managing Partners @ Active Impact Investments - Tech 4 Climate Podcast by Startup Basecamp PART 1: Meet the Investor: In today's episode, we will speak with Mike Winterfield, Founder & Managing Partners @ Active Impact Investments. Founded in 2018, Active Impact Investments is a Certified BCorp based in Vancouver, BC, whose mission is to support environmental sustainability through profitable investment. With their fund TWO, they focus on providing funds and talent access to accelerate the growth of early-stage climate tech companies in North America that are capable of achieving venture scale while solving the most urgent environmental issues. I was excited to have Mike on the show to learn more about his adventurous story and passion for getting “lost in nature”, building high-performing teams, and creating impact at scale through investments & support of early stage climate startups. During his journey, Mike has worn many different hats; firstly as a successful executive in a large professional recruitment company, then as COO in a fast-growing SAAS company, and now as founder of a successful fund and board member in various fast-growing startups. During the show, Mike will give greater detail into Active Impact Investments' early days, their investments thesis, and how they enable founders to make an impact in their growth journey. Then, we will cover the why behind their B Corp certification vs a traditional fund model and how their LP base sees it. Mike will also share his very interesting views on the climate tech ecosystem today and how you can join the movement. Finally, he will highlight underdog areas in climate tech, in which he sees exciting potential for investments and growth. PART 2:My secret sauce: In the second part of the show, Mike will share his secret sauce that you can use to increase your odds of fundraising successfully as well as some interesting tips on how to build high-performing teams. Lastly, you will hear his valuable tips for founders and investors on achieving work-life balance in this fast-paced world.
From Dubai to California, Mehrad invests and teaches others to invest in Climate Tech. Mehrad Yaghmai, Program Director @ Terra.do ClimateTech for VC's and Partner at Cool Climate Collective - Tech 4 Climate Podcast by Startup Basecamp PART 1: Meet the Investor: In today's episode, we will speak with Mehrad Yaghmai the Terra.do Director for the program ClimateTech for VC's and a Partner at Cool Climate Collective. The Climate Change for VC's Program by Terra.do, launched by https://www.linkedin.com/in/susansu/ (Susan su), is a 6-week intensive program for active venture investors who are seeking to get the latest in climate science and solutions, and explore ways that they can make a meaningful and profitable difference in the climate crisis. With Cool Climate Collective, a syndicate started in 2021 with Tristan Pollock (ex. 500), Mehrad seeks to invest in early-stage Climate Tech companies alongside a number of great investors and angels. I was excited to have Mehrad (who was also judging our last quarterly Climate Tech pitch competition with his partner Tristan) on the show to learn more about his very unique story which started in Dubai and then moved between, LA and San Francisco. During this journey, Mehrad has been wearing many different hats as a successful entrepreneur, product manager, supporter of various initiatives in the growing Dubai startup ecosystem and now supporting the Climate Tech movement by investing and teaching others to invest with the Climate Tech VC program. During the show, Mehrad will give greater detail into the Terra.do ClimateTech VC program and their high-value fellowship network. Covering how the program works and how they can help you to build your thesis and start investing in ClimateTech founders very quickly. Then we will cover the Cool Climate Collective syndicate investment thesis and how they support founders at the early stage. He will also share his very interesting views on the Climate Tech ecosystem today and how the Emirate's see the new waves of Climate Tech companies seeking to disturb traditional oil-based economies in the middle east. Finally, he will highlight underdog areas in Climate Tech, in which he sees exciting potential for investments and growth. PART 2: My secret sauce: In the second part of the show, Mehrad will share his secret sauce that can increase your odds to fundraise successfully. Then, future investors in the Climate Tech space will learn interesting advice on how to build your investment thesis. Lastly, you will hear valuable tips on achieving work-life balance for founders and investors in this fast-paced world.
In the world of venture capital, climate tech is about as hot as it gets. In the first two quarters of 2021, climate tech companies raised $16B from VCs. New designated funds are announced regularly, startup valuations are sky high, and times are frothy. It's never been a better time to be a climate tech entrepreneur.It's easy to get lost in the noise -- so what does the hard data say? How much investment are we talking about, really? Where is it coming from, and who is it going to? And what does that tell founders about how to operate and grow their businesses?To answer these questions, Shayle turns to Climate Tech VC, the leading newsletter on climate and innovation. Co-founders Kimberly Zou and Sophie Purdom have gathered and crunched the data in a new report.Sophie is a sustainability business practitioner and early-stage climate investor, and was a co-founder of the microbial fertilizer company Kula Bio. Kimberly is an investor at Energy Impact Partners, where Shayle is a partner.Shayle, Sophie and Kimberly define the space, look at hotspots, and discuss where the influx of capital is coming from. Also, be sure to check out the job board and investor list that Clean Tech VC maintains.The Interchange is brought to you by Hitachi ABB Power Grids. Are you building a renewable plant? Looking for a battery energy storage system? Thinking about how to integrate renewables to your grid? Hitachi ABB Power Grids is your choice. The Interchange is brought to you by LONGi Solar, the world's leading solar technology company. A global market leader, LONGi has unmatched bankability, quality and performance validated by third-party laboratories, and has breakthrough innovation at both the wafer and module level.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this episode, co-hosts Thomas Obermeier and Charles Lachapelle sit down with the authors of the Climate Tech VC newsletter, Sophie Purdom, early stage climate tech investor, and Kim Zou, investor at Energy Impact Partners. They discuss the state of climate tech, how it's different from cleantech 1.0, and which areas within the space are currently particularly attractive to venture capital investors. Check out the latest Climate Tech VC newsletter and subscribe at https://climatetechvc.org/.