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Chris Sacca is the co-founder of Lowercarbon Capital and manages a portfolio of countless startups in energy, industrial materials, and carbon removal. If it's unf**king the planet, he's probably working on it. Previously, Chris founded Lowercase Capital, one of history's most successful funds ever, primarily known for its very early investments in companies like Twitter, Uber, Instagram, Twilio, Docker, Optimizely, Blue Bottle Coffee, and Stripe. But you might just know him as the guy who wore those ridiculous cowboy shirts for a few seasons of Shark Tank. To purchase Chris's ranch, schedule a viewing at FivePondsRanch.com.P.S. This episode features a special, one-of-a-kind introduction that Chris recorded of yours truly. :) Sponsors:MUDWTR energy-boosting coffee alternative—without the jitters: https://MUDWTR.com/Tim (between 15% and 43% off) Helix Sleep premium mattresses: https://HelixSleep.com/Tim (Between 20% and 27% off all mattress orders and two free pillows)AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: https://DrinkAG1.com/Tim (1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase.)*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign up for Tim's email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim's books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Paul Lambert is the Co-founder and CEO of Quilt, a company designing smart ductless heat pumps for residential heating and cooling with intelligent room-by-room controls. Quilt was founded in 2022 and launched in the San Francisco Bay Area in spring 2024. Since then, they have achieved hundreds of deployments and are preparing to expand to their next market in Southern California. Earlier this year, they announced a $33 million Series A financing round co-led by Energy Impact Partners and Galvanize Climate Solutions, following a $9 million seed round in 2023 co-led by Lowercarbon Capital and Gradient Ventures. MCJ is proud to have invested in both rounds through our venture funds.Before founding Quilt, Paul led sustainability efforts at Area 120, Google's in-house incubator for product ideas developed during employees' 20% time. He previously held product roles at Google and Twitter and began his career by founding, running, and exiting a startup called LearnDot.In this conversation, we wanted to understand Paul's product mindset—how Quilt works, the assumptions he's validated along the way, and how he's approached the challenges of building the business.In this episode, we cover: [2:01] The origin of the name Quilt [3:32] An overview of Quilt's product stack [5:37] Quilt's installation process [8:24] An overview of mini splits[10:56] How Paul and his co-founder decided on ductless mini splits [17:09] Paul's path from design spec to prototype [18:47] The company's progress to date[21:38] Consumer sentiment about heat pumps[23:51] Seasonal changes that drive consumers to purchase Quilt[27:16] Paul's biggest learnings in building the company [32:16] Design considerations in Quilt's product[34:59] Workforce development and other inertia challenges [40:51] What's next for Quilt [45:52] Where Quilt is hiring, plus its newly launched merch storeEpisode recorded on Dec 17, 2024 (Published on Jan 23, 2025) Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
Join us for this episode with Shawn Xu, a partner at Lowercarbon Capital which is a leading venture fund investing in Climate Tech. In this episode we dive into the differences between investing in both hardware and software startups, what the capital stack for more capital intensive startups should be, and how Shawn broke into the VC industry. Being on the founding team of a YC startup and a Wharton graduate, Shawn's insight into the Climate Tech world is incredibly insightful. Please share the episode if you enjoyed it!
This week, I talk with Clea Kolster, Head of Science and Partner at Lowercarbon Capital, a venture capital fund dedicated to solving climate change, or, as they put it, un-f***ing the planet. Lowercarbon is one of my favorite funds because they're not just focused on making an impact—they're also unafraid to make serious money along the way. Clea has a fascinating background, growing up between Persian and Danish cultures, and ultimately finding her passion in science, technology, and climate solutions. Over her career, she's shifted from a policy-centric approach to tackling climate change to a venture capital perspective, where she now helps build the companies that will shape the future. We dive into Clea's personal journey, the global challenges we face due to climate change, and how innovative companies are developing solutions. I've had the pleasure of working with Clea before, and I know you'll enjoy our conversation. Let's get to it! In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (04:21) - Biking from London to Paris (09:17) - Physical challenges and personal growth (16:37) - Cultural identity and its Impact (25:05) - Clea's mission-driven career in climate tech (32:13) - From policy to capital (38:25) - Lowercarbon and Clea's approach to solving climate change (44:24) - The impact of the IRA bill (47:47) - Hydrogen and its challenges (51:53) - Evaluating investment opportunities (54:48) - The excitement of deep tech (58:33) - Leadership and building a strong team (01:03:54) - The future of fusion energy (01:11:31) - Unique carbon capture solutions (01:20:00) - Clea's beautiful future (01:22:01) - Who Clea is becoming Get full show notes and links at https://GoodWorkShow.com. Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@barrettabrooks.
Julia Reichlstein is the CEO and Co-founder at Vaulted Deep, a carbon removal company that injects carbon-rich waste slurries deep underground into permanent geologic storage. They've come onto the scene quite fast recently securing just north of a $58 million order from Frontier to sequester over 152,000 tons of carbon between now and 2027, which is Frontier's largest commitment yet. They're one of 20 finalist teams still in the mix for the $100 million Carbon Removal Xprize, and one of 24 semi-finalists of the DOE's Carbon Dioxide Removal Purchase Pilot Prize. Try saying that three times fast.They also recently announced an $8 million seed round led by Lowercarbon Capital with participation from Earthshot, Woven Earth, Collaborative Fund and others. We got to know Julia and her co-founder Omar Abou-Sayed as they set up Vaulted as a spin-out of Omar's waste disposal company, Advantek. Vaulted is a complex set of operations based on a relatively simple construct: Humans have been sucking geologically stored carbon in the form of oil out of the ground for 150 years now. What if we could put it back? In this episode, we cover: Backgrounds of Vaulted's co-founders and the company's mission How Vaulted turns organic waste into carbon storage Julia's shift from venture capital to carbon removal Advantek's history and technological contribution to Vaulted Technical details of Vaulted's sequestration wells Types of wells used in Vaulted's process Community and environmental benefits Vaulted's business model and financial sustainability The rigorous process for selecting and processing waste for carbon removal Comparison of carbon removal strategies and Vaulted's unique approach Financial and ecological benefits of Vaulted's methodology Hutchinson Kansas facility's role and historical significance Vaulted's partnership with Frontier for carbon removal Vaulted's participation in the $100 million Carbon Removal Xprize competitionPotential global health impact of Vaulted's technology Open roles and opportunities at Vaulted for furthering its missionEpisode recorded on Jun 17, 2024 (Published on Jul 11, 2024) Get connected with MCJ: Jason Jacobs X / LinkedInCody Simms X / LinkedInMCJ Podcast / Collective / YouTube*If you liked this episode, please consider giving us a review! You can also reach us via email at content@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Seaweed science is helping the beauty industry transition away from petrochemicals. Biotech entrepreneurs, producing natural polysaccharides for skincare, are reinventing the ingredient supply chain. In this episode of the CosmoFactory podcast, we explore zero-waste skincare ingredient production, single-country supply chains, regenerative ocean agriculture, marine bioactives, and more! Our guest is Matthew Perkins, Founder and CEO of Macro Oceans, a seaweed biotechnology company transforming sustainably farmed seaweed into a range of low-carbon chemicals for the beauty, food, and materials industries. Founded in 2020 and headquartered in California, United States, Macro Oceans has raised more than $5m from leading climate tech investors including Refactor Capital, Lowercarbon Capital and McKinley Capital. If you appreciated this episode:SUBSCRIBE to the CosmoFactory podcast & please LEAVE US A REVIEW today. With your help, even more cosmetic industry professionals can discover the inspiring interviews we share on CosmoFactory! ABOUT CosmoFactoryBeauty industry stakeholders listen to the CosmoFactory podcast for inspiration and for up-to-date information on concepts, tactics, and solutions that move business forward. CosmoFactory – Ideas to Innovation is a weekly interview series for cosmetics and personal care suppliers, finished product brand leaders, retailers, buyers, importers, and distributors. Each Tuesday, CosmoFactory guests share experiences, insights, and exclusive behind-the-scenes details—which makes this not only a must-listen B2B podcast but an ongoing case study of our dynamic industry. Guests are actively working in hands-on innovation roles along the beauty industry supply chain; they specialize in raw materials, ingredients, manufacturing, packaging, and more. They are designers, R&D or R&I pros, technical experts, product developers, key decision makers, visionary executives. HOST Deanna UtroskeCosmetics and personal care industry observer Deanna Utroske hosts the CosmoFactory podcast. She brings an editorial perspective and a decade of industry expertise to every interview. Deanna is also Editor of the Beauty Insights newsletter and a supply-side positioning consultant. She writes the Global Perspectives column for EuroCosmetics magazine, is a former Editor of CosmeticsDesign, and is known globally for her ability to identify emerging trends, novel technologies, and true innovation in beauty. A PRODUCTION OF Cosmoprof Worldwide BolognaCosmoFactory is the first podcast from Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, taking its place among the best B2B podcasts serving the global beauty industry. Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna is the most important beauty trade show in the world. Dedicated to all sectors of the industry, Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna welcomes over 250,000 visitors from 150 countries and regions and nearly 3,000 exhibitors to Bologna, Italy, each year. It's where our diverse and international industry comes together to build business relationships and to discover the best brands and newest innovations across consumer beauty, professional beauty, and the entire supply chain. The trade show includes a robust program of exclusive educational content, featuring executives and key opinion leaders from every sector of the cosmetics, fragrance, and personal care industry. Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna is the most important event of the Cosmoprof international network, with exhibitions in Asia (Hong Kong), the US (Las Vegas and Miami), India (Mumbai) and Thailand (Bangkok). Thanks to its global exhibitions Cosmoprof connects a community of more than 500,000 beauty stakeholders and 10,000 companies from 190 countries and regions. Learn more today at Cosmoprof.com
In this panel discussion from SOSV's 2024 EarthDay+ sessions (Apr 22-26, 2024) moderated by Tim De Chant, Senior Climate Reporter at TechCrunch, panelists Christina Karapataki from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Shuo Yang from Lowercarbon Capital, and Duncan Turner from HAX and SOSV discussed the current state and future of climate tech venture capital.The challenges and opportunities in the sector, noting a decrease in deal counts but robust fundraising, with venture capital and private equity firms holding significant "dry powder."The scrutiny in Series B and C funding rounds, the faster pace of seed and pre-seed investments, and the impact of recent economic uncertainties on investor behavior.The importance of building large, profitable companies to combat climate change.The role of technology in bridging the commercialization gap.The need for new investment structures to support CapEx-heavy projects.The global scope of climate tech, emphasizing the need for local partnerships in emerging markets and the potential influence of U.S. elections on the investment climate.The video of this episode and more can be found online at sosvclimatetech.com.SpeakersChristina Karapataki, General Partner, Breakthrough EnergyDuncan Turner, Managing Director, HAX; General Partner, SOSVShuo Yang, General Partner, Lowercarbon CapitalModeratorTim de Chant, Senior Climate Reporter, TechCrunchCreditsProducer: Ben Joffe Podcast Summary: Written by gpt-4-turbo, edited by Ben JoffeIntro Voice: Cloned voice of Ben Joffe by ElevenLabs Intro Music: EL WailiKeywords: #deeptech #venturecapital #climatetech #vc #robotics #lifesciences #biology #hardware #startups #innovation #technology #frontiertech #hardtech #energy #decarbonizationHosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Episode 37 is with Lukas May, Head of Policy and Expansion at IsometricThe traditional carbon offset market is riddled with problems. We've seen reporting on this from The Guardian, Bloomberg, and other media outlets. Researchers at CarbonPlan have also done some excellent work exposing just how broken some of these systems really are. As we build a new carbon removal industry, we now have an opportunity to build trust in a high integrity carbon removal market. One company, Isometric, is working to figure that out, building scientific integrity, transparency, and incentive alignment into their business model. The company just launched its own carbon registry this week, and the question is, can the company avoid the same pitfalls of the legacy actors in the traditional carbon offset market?In this episode, Na'im and Lukas discuss:* Isometric's mission and why trust is the central job of scaling carbon removal;* Definitions of the terms standards, methodologies, and protocols;* Ways that Isometric's products improve on incumbent models that exist today;* How Isometric addresses problem around misaligned incentive in the market today;* How Isometric defines quality;* Isometric's approach in developing protocols and partnering with the wider community;* The role of policy in helping build trust and rigor;* Alternatives to countries' building their own methodologiesRelevant Links:* Launch of Isometric Registry* Isometric receives ICROA Conditional Endorsement* Isometric Website* Isometric Registry* Isometric Protocols* Carbon Dioxide Removal Purchase Pilot PrizeAbout LukasLukas May is the Head of Policy and Expansion at Isometric. He has spent over a decade working between government and start-ups. He was most recently a Senior Civil Servant in the UK Government, where he led post-Brexit trade negotiations in the Asia-Pacific region. Before that he led international expansion at fintech start-up Wise, and he started his career at the UK financial services regulator.About IsometricIsometric is a new kind of registry on a mission to ensure the transition to carbon removal happens responsibly and fast. As carbon markets mature, buyers are rapidly shifting their attention and purchases from low-quality, temporary carbon offsets to high-quality, durable carbon removals. The Isometric Standard sets the world's most stringent set of rules for removing carbon, raising the bar for scientific rigor, transparency, and incentive alignment. The Isometric Registry provides a permanent audit trail for all credits issued by Isometric, allowing the information behind every credit to be reviewed and scrutinized. Isometric was founded in 2022 by CEO Eamon Jubbawy, who previously co-founded Onfido. The company is based in London and New York and has raised over $25 million from Lowercarbon Capital, Plural, and more.This episode was created and published by Na'im Merchant. Episode production and content support provided by Tank Chen.Na'im Merchant is the co-founder and Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada, a policy initiative focused on scaling carbon removal in Canada. He is also a policy fellow with Elemental Excelerator. He previously ran carbon removal consulting practice Carbon Curve, and publishes The Carbon Curve newsletter and podcast. Every two weeks, Na'im will release a short interview with individuals advancing the policies, technologies, and collective action needed to scale up carbon removal around the world.Tank Chen is a carbon removal advocate based in Taiwan whose focus is on communicating the importance of CDR to policy makers, corporate leaders, and the broader public through education, communications, and policy advocacy.If 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 LinkedIn. 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
1. An important lesson Clay learned early in his career about destinations and opportunities 2. A deep dive into Lowercase and Lowercarbon Capital 3. The idea of improving existing processes versus fundamental breakthroughs in the issue of climate change 4. A debate on the future of the energy transition and different paths to tackling climate change
The ZENERGY Podcast: Climate Leadership, Finance and Technology
“Where is that special spot in the universe that can channel all the energy I have and magnify it to make the most positive good as possible?” - Shuo Yang An entrepreneur at heart, today's guest is no stranger to the often confusing world of venture capital. Shuo Lang is a Partner at Lowercarbon Capital and in today's episode, he shares his journey from entrepreneur to investor and what it takes to succeed in either role. In our conversation, Shuo talks a lot about superpowers, not only his own, but those of founders as well. Business plans change, but the constant is the team and Shuo is passionate about helping founders discover and hone their superpowers. In climate tech, where the stakes couldn't be higher, this is crucial. Listen on to the episode to learn more about early stage startups, the investor-founder dynamic, the challenges that founders will face, and what this often misunderstood process looks like. With Shuo's guidance, we can demystify the venture capital process and take steps to making a positive impact on the world. Show Notes: [1:31] - Shuo shares his background and how he was driven to make a larger impact on the world. [4:47] - The early stages of a business are exciting. One of Shuo's “superpowers” is seeing the strengths and potential as an investor. [7:16] - Be wary of people who give general answers to questions. [7:56] - The investor-founder dynamic is built on tension. [9:09] - Building trust with founders in the beginning can be tough, but Shuo emphasizes the importance of compassion. [11:06] - There are a lot of challenges as a founder. A good investor will acknowledge this and build trust and drive. [12:04] - What does the investment process look like? [14:26] - It is always a two-way street and Shuo says that this is often overlooked. [16:37] - “Part of the job is constantly digging for this buried treasure.” [18:05] - Shuo describes a general timeline of the investment process. [19:32] - The work is brutal. Shuo explains the importance of knowing what a founder's mission is and the intentional plan of their venture. Links and Resources: Shuo Yang on LinkedIn Lowercarbon Website
Welcome to episode 3, we were lucky enought to speak with Dr. Clea Kolster from LOWERCARBON Capital. Their Mission: Back kickass companies that make real money slashing CO2 emissions, sucking carbon out of the sky, and buying us time to unf**k the planet. If that mission statement didn't captivate you, then the dynamic conversation certainly will. Clea, alongside hosts Russell and Jurriaan, delves into a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from nuclear power to cultivated meat. This episode is bound to leave you feeling both engaged and excited about our future, envisioning a more carbon-neutral world. Subscribe to Fused ⚛ Leave a review Have a question? Want to be a guest? Contact us: rs@russellshorto.com & jurriaan.ruys@gmail.com
Sarah Lamaison is the CEO and Co-founder of Dioxycle. Dioxycle is developing technology to produce sustainable ethylene from recycled carbon emissions. Ethylene is the world's most used organic chemical and it's a precursor to many everyday products including construction materials, plastics, and textile fibers. Indeed, it's a core feedstock for polyester.Ethylene is also an enormous market at well over $100 billion. We were excited to learn from Sarah about Dioxycle as an example of a startup leveraging electrolysis to convert electricity, water, and carbon emissions into low carbon chemicals. Dioxycle announced a Series A of financing earlier this year with investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital and Gigascale. In this episode, we cover: [02:00]: An overview of Dioxycle[04:37]: Sarah's background in CO2 electrolysis[06:41]: Ethylene's role in everyday products, including polyester fabrics [11:02]: Dioxycle's novel carbon electrolysis technology for converting emissions into ethylene[17:53]: The challenge of decarbonizing ethylene's embedded emissions[23:14]: Dioxycle's goal of cost-competitive production below fossil prices[25:24]: Current trends and challenges in sustainable ethylene production[28:26]: The need for renewable power sources for Dioxycle's electrolysis process[30:19]: Dioxycle's focus on deploying an industrial pilot and team expansion[33:49]: Key global centers for ethylene production[34:36]: Dioxycle's vision as a trusted tech provider in emissions recyclingEpisode recorded on Dec 14, 2023 (Published on Jan 25, 2024) Get connected with MCJ: Jason Jacobs X / LinkedInCody Simms X / LinkedInMCJ Podcast / Collective / YouTube*If you liked this episode, please consider giving us a review! You can also reach us via email at content@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
The voluntary carbon market is a mess. Oil majors, big tech, and many other industries purchase voluntary credits hoping to offset their carbon emissions. But years of reporting have revealed major problems in the industry, from worthless credits to outright fraud. Amid allegations that many of its credits might actually worsen global warming, the CEO of the largest issuer of credits, Verra, resigned last year. And so perhaps it's no surprise that the market for traditional offsets like renewable energy credits and avoidance credits shrank in recent years. Yet the market for a newer type of credit, carbon removal, is actually growing. So what's behind this bifurcation in the market? And are the voluntary carbon markets fixable? In this episode, Shayle talks to Ryan Orbuch, partner at Lowercarbon Capital. He leads the firm's carbon removal work. Ryan argues the market is fixable with major reforms, like overhauling incentives and ditching the idea that the voluntary carbon market can offset buyers' emissions with as many cheap credits as needed. Shayle and Ryan cover topics like: The bad incentives underlying the problems with the current market. The role of credit-rating agencies in the market. Ryan's ideas for designing a better market from scratch, including ex-post payments, modular protocols, and a feedback loop for improving supplier methods. The potential challenges with these approaches, like financing prior to payment and uncertainty in credit delivery as protocols change. Companies that are pioneering some of these approaches, like Isometric's new protocol for the bio-oil geological storage technique used by Charm Industrial. Recommended Resources: The New Yorker: The Great Cash-for-Carbon Hustle UC Berkeley: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) Carbon Crediting CDR.fyi Isometric: Aligning incentives Sign up for Latitude Media's Frontier Forum on January 31, featuring Crux CEO Alfred Johnson, who will break down the budding market for clean energy tax credits. We'll dissect current transactions and pricing, compare buyer and seller expectations, and look at where the market is headed in 2024. Sign up for Latitude Media's newsletter to get updates on the tech and business frontiers of the climatetech industry. Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more. Catalyst is brought to you by Atmos Financial. Atmos is revolutionizing finance by leveraging your deposits to exclusively fund decarbonization solutions, like residential solar and electrification. FDIC-insured with market-leading savings rates, cash-back checking, and zero fees. Get an account in minutes at joinatmos.com.
Join Karl and Erum on the latest episode of Grow Everything as they explore the intersection of climate tech and biotech with Kristin Ellis of Lowercarbon Capital. From discussing the impact of biotech in the media to the future of climate tech and its impact on the job market, this episode covers a wide range of exciting topics. Tune in to hear about the failures of overcomplicating blood-based diagnostics, the key factors in being a strong team, and what VCs look for when investing in companies. Don't miss out on this engaging and informative ride through the world of climate tech and biotech. Grow Everything brings to life the bioeconomy when hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories from the field and interview leaders and influencers in the space. Life is a powerful force and it can be engineered. What are we creating? Learn more at www.messaginglab.com/groweverything Topics Covered: 00:00:00 - Welcome to Grow Everything! 00:00:30 - Meet Kristin Ellis: From Biotech to Climate Tech 00:02:45 - How Kristin Ellis Pivoted from Biotech to Climate Tech 00:11:15 - The Theranos Debacle: How Overcomplication Can Ruin a Startup 00:13:55 - Kristin Ellis Joins Lower Carbon Capital: A New Venture in Climate Tech 00:20:50 - What Does a Venture Capitalist Do in Climate Tech? 00:23:56 - The Importance of Diversity in Climate Tech 00:25:19 - How Climate Tech and Biotech Intersect and Innovate 00:26:33 - How Biotechnology Can Transform the Way We Make Things 00:29:08 - How Biotechnology Can Help Solve the Climate Crisis 00:32:13 - How Lower Carbon Capital Decides Which Climate Tech Startups to Invest In 00:37:05 - Some of the Most Exciting Climate Tech Startups in Lower Carbon's Portfolio 00:41:11 - How Lower Carbon Capital Measures the Impact of Its Investments 00:43:36 - Why Kristin Ellis Is Optimistic About the Future of Climate Tech 00:47:58 - Kristin Ellis's Final Words of Wisdom and Future Plans Episode Links: Kristin Ellis on LinkedIn Lowercarbon Capital Companies mentioned: OpenTrons Carbon 180 Solugen Have a question or comment? Message us here: Instagram / TikTok / Twitter / LinkedIn / Youtube / GrowEverything website Email: groweverything@messaginglab.com Support here: Patreon Music by: Nihilore Production by: Amplafy Media --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/messaginglab/message
Episode Description: We reflect on our first year of podcasting and share some of the things we learned, enjoyed, and appreciated about biotech. We discuss some of the themes and topics that emerged from our conversations with biotech leaders, such as the complexity and diversity of biology, the challenges and opportunities of scaling bioproduction, and the importance of radical thinking and innovation. We also highlight some of our favorite episodes and guests, and thank our listeners for their support and feedback. Join us as we celebrate one year of growing everything! Grow Everything brings to life the bioeconomy when hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories from the field and interview leaders and influencers in the space. Life is a powerful force and it can be engineered. What are we creating? Learn more at www.messaginglab.com/groweverything Topics Covered: 00:00:00 - Opening Insights: A Year in Biotech Podcasting 00:01:03 - Behind the Scenes: Engaging with Our Biotech Community 00:03:20 - Key Takeaways: What Biotech Taught Us This Year 00:05:56 - Deep Dive: The Promise of Terraformation in Biotech 00:08:19 - The Essence of Biotech: Unraveling Biological Complexity 00:09:03 - Microbial Marvels: Their Crucial Role in Biotechnology 00:13:19 - Fan Favorites: Highlighting Top Episodes & Guests 00:16:20 - Scaling Up: Tackling Biotech's Biggest Challenges 00:21:25 - Forward-Thinking: The Future of Biotech & Our Podcast 00:23:33 - Gratitude and Goodbyes: A Special Thanks to Our Listeners Episode Links: 51. Cell-Free, Problem-Free: Enzyme Alchemy with Alex Rosay at Cascade Biocatalysts 48. Belly of the Beast: How BiomEdit's Aaron Schacht Cashes in on Animal Microbiomes for Health & Profit 43. Emission Impossible: Lanzatech's Zara Summers on Converting Carbon into Cash 49. From Edibles to Medicals: Jellatech's Stephanie Michelsen Uncovers the Multiple Uses of Collagen & Gelatin 27. Charting the Unexplored Microverse for Biological Gold with CULTIVARIUM's Nili Ostrov 25. From Lab to Table: Meat Orbillion's Better-For-You Beef 21. The Venn Diagram of Climate and Biology is a Circle: Kristin Ellis of Lowercarbon Capital 20. The Butterfly Effect: Sustainable High-Performance Materials from Micro-Algae 14. Cannabis & Biotech. Nuff Said. 54. Money, Molecules, and Mind-Benders: Seth Yakatan Returns, Nuff Said 5. Dreaming in Biology: Tales from the Ginkgo Bioworks Studio Have a question or comment? Message us here: Text or Call (804) 505-5553 Instagram / TikTok / Twitter / LinkedIn / Youtube / GrowEverything website Email: groweverything@messaginglab.com Support here: Patreon Music by: Nihilore Production by: Amplafy Media --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/messaginglab/message
Capital formation, aka fundraising, is the unglamorous side of venture capital. Building a strategy and executing it is the reality for both emerging managers and established brands. Our guest today is Ashton Rosin, an Operating Partner and Head of Capital Formation at Lowercarbon Capital.Ashton shares her amazing journey working in the non-profit and NGO space in Washington DC before making a complete 180 and joining the fast-paced world of hedge funds as an IR manager. Ashton explains how her time working in investor relations at a hedge fund opened her eyes to how other asset classes were so far behind when it came to managing investor relationships and how the role at Lower Carbon came to be.Lastly, we get some tips and tricks for other emerging managers struggling to raise capital and how narrowing down your target list of LPs when fundraising is a better approach than spraying and praying. And John Ruffolo is back to dissect the week's news.About Ashton Rosin:Ashton Rosin is an Operating Partner and the Head of Capital Formation at Lowercarbon Capital where she leads the firm's partnerships with existing and future investors.Prior to Lowercarbon, Ashton was the Head of Investor Relations at Obvious Ventures where she led capital-raising efforts and built solutions for relationship management, including the ESG considerations of limited partners. She started her career in financial services leading investor relations at Clocktower Group, helping the firm to conceptualize and scale new offerings across the hedge fund and venture capital landscapes. Before her financial services career, Ashton spent her time advocating for international disability rights through her academic, policy, and direct service pursuits around the world. Ashton holds a BA in International Development and a minor in Disability Studies from UCLA. In this episode, we discuss:(1:22) Cohen and Ruffolo delve into Openview's unexpected pause in new investments and its potential causes.(2:26) Exploring the impact of possible key man clauses and layoffs at Openview.(4:10) Predictions about LPs' reactions to Openview's investment suspension.(5:37) The implications for founders backed by Openview are questioned.(7:18) Skepticism about Elon Musk's involvement in multiple businesses.(10:32) Ruffolo shares his views on Bitcoin and Ethereum's roles in investment.(14:00) Ashton recounts her journey from South Africa to the U.S. and her career shift to venture capital.(19:31) Describing her role evolution at Clocktower Group and learning in asset management.(25:10) Ashton discusses the significance of building strategic investor relationships in a climate-focused fund.(30:15) Challenges faced by emerging managers in diversifying their investor base.(36:49) The importance of personal branding for GPs in capital formation and engaging LPs.(40:56) Strategies for maintaining communication with LPs during fundraising gaps.(43:39) Insights on hiring a dedicated head of capital and the use of placement agents.(48:46) Emphasizing research for targeting prospective LPs and the benefits of networking in capital formation.Fast Favorites:*
In der Rubrik “Investments & Exits” begrüßen wir heute Pierre Bourdon, Investor von Picus Capital. Pierre bespricht die Finanzierungsrunde von Safi sowie der neue Scipio Swanlaab SF SCR Fund.Das in London ansässige Recycling-Marktplatz-Startup Safi hat in einer Series-A-Finanzierungsrunde unter der Leitung von Nosara Capital, Lowercarbon Capital und Transition 19,5 Millionen US-Dollar erhalten. Safi setzt KI ein, um die Recyclingraten zu erhöhen, und betreibt einen B2B-Marktplatz für den Handel mit wiederverwertbaren Materialien wie Plastik, Papier und Metall. Die Plattform digitalisiert den gesamten Prozess der Händlerfindung, der Qualitätskontrolle, der Zahlungen und der Logistik und geht damit die aktuellen Herausforderungen der Branche an, die aus Stift-und-Papier-Prozessen, Zwischenhändlern und einem Mangel an Transparenz bestehen. Die Finanzierung wird für die weitere Entwicklung von KI, Automatisierung und eingebetteten Finanztools sowie für den Ausbau des Teams und die Digitalisierung weiterer Teile der Lieferkette verwendet.Der spanische Vermögensverwalter Swanlaab Venture Factory und die niederländische Investmentgesellschaft Scipio Holding Group haben gemeinsam einen Fonds mit einem Volumen von 25 Millionen Euro aufgelegt, den Scipio Swanlaab SF SCR, der weltweit in Search Funds investieren soll. Der Fonds wird sich auf familiengeführte kleine und mittlere Unternehmen konzentrieren.https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/case-studies/2022-search-fund-study-selected-observations
Gaurab Chakrabarti and Sean Hunt are the Co-founders of Solugen, which replaces petroleum based products with plant-derived substitutes without sacrificing affordability or performance. They met playing poker in college, kickstarted the company with $10k from an MIT pitch competition, and have since scaled the business to over nine-figures in revenue. Solugen has raised over $642 million from investors like Fifty Years, Lowercarbon Capital, Founders Fund, Refactor Capital, and Cantos Ventures. — Brought to you by Secureframe, the automated compliance platform built by compliance experts: https://bit.ly/47sxTQ0— Topics discussed: How the chemicals industry touches 25% of US GDP Why the industry is like real estate: fragmented and focused on asset utilization The reason chemicals companies have terrible NPS scores How Solugen's manufacturing process converts plants and C02 into chemicals Meeting over a game of poker while getting their PhD's Winning $10k from an MIT pitch competition to capture 10% of the float spa market in Dallas, Texas Why the first wave of Cleantech startup fail Why logistics and supply chain are the biggest problems in Chemicals Their framework for thinking big, but taking little steps to get there Running their homemade metal catalyst reactor at YC Demo Day Launching, scaling, and selling a CPG wipes company to prove their chemicals worked Building their first factory (the BioForge) on the site of an exploded wax distillery Their strategy for getting large, multinational companies to try their products — Referenced: YC Application video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tItLPnLIH4o Solugen - The First Carbon Negative Molecule Factory: https://jeffburke.substack.com/p/solugen-the-first-carbon-negative Solugen - The Century of Biology: https://centuryofbio.com/p/solugen — Where to find Gaurab: Twitter: https://twitter.com/gaurabc LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaurabchakrabarti — Where to find Sean: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TungstenSeanide LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/huntsean — Where to find Turner: Newsletter: https://www.thespl.it Twitter: https://twitter.com/TurnerNovak — Production and distribution by: https://www.supermix.io —For sponsorship inquiries: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSebvhBlDDfHJyQdQWs8RwpFxWg-UbG0H-VFey05QSHvLxkZPQ/viewform
Shreya Mishra is the CEO and Co-founder of SolarSquare, a venture-backed startup dedicated to driving the growth of residential rooftop solar installations in India. In late 2022, they successfully secured a series A funding round led by Elevation Capital, with participation from Lowercarbon Capital and others.In this episode, Shreya and Cody discuss the elements necessary for market adoption of rooftop solar in India, including consumer sentiment, financing options, permitting, government subsidies, net metering policy, system maintenance, and even the form factor of the panel installation setup itself, due to the unique nature of many Indian rooftops. And she recounts the ways in which SolarSquare is supporting or innovating in each of these areas. She's building an ambitious company and we enjoyed learning about the Indian context surrounding rooftop solar. This is a big topic, and this episode covers a lot of ground. In this episode, we cover: [01:48]: Shreya's journey from fashion tech founder to solar entrepreneur[04:07]: How Shreya learned the ins and outs of the solar industry [07:22]: The evolution and key inflection points of the Indian solar market[11:33]: India's policies for residential solar[13:46]: How India is streamlining processes with a National Solar Portal[16:31]: The permitting process for homeowners with a solar setup[21:50]: Sectors and regions with the highest solar adoption rates[25:43]: How SolarSquare addresses challenges unique to the Indian market, including roof architecture, cyclone risk, and lack of professional solar service providers[28:03]: A deeper dive on SolarSquare's modular prefabricated solar pergolas[35:59]: The emergence of financing options for residential solar in India[43:08]: SolarSquare's staffing and focus on operational excellence over marketing [46:07]: The role of large corporate players in the solar market [48:34]: SolarSquare's financing history[52:02]: How India's economic growth is driving increased electricity consumption and Shreya's vision for the future[55:10]: SolarSquare is hiring!Get connected:Shreya Mishra LinkedInCody Simms X / LinkedInMCJ Podcast / Collective / Instagram*You can also 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 on Oct 3, 2023 (Published on Oct 19, 2023)
In this discussion from the 2023 SOSV Climate Tech Summit (Sept 26-27, 2023), three scientists working at notable venture funds: Clea Kolster, Partner and Head of Science at Lowercarbon, Ken Caldeira, Senior Scientist at Breakthrough Energy and Susan Schofer, Partner and Chief Science Officer at SOSV's HAX program, discuss the importance of having Phd scientists on venture capital teams and how they play a role in translating technical research into marketable solutions. They also touch on the relationship between science and investment in their respective firms, the need for diverse expertise, and the transition from academia to investing. Overall, they emphasize the importance of combining technical knowledge with market understanding to make informed investment decisions in the field of climate tech. This conversation is moderated by Tim DeChant, Senior Climate Reporter at TechCrunch+. The video of this episode and more can be found online at sosvclimatetech.com. Speakers Ken Caldeira, Senior Scientist, Breakthrough Energy Clea Kolster, Partner and Head of Science, Lowercarbon Capital Susan Schofer, HAX, Partner & Chief Science Officer Moderator Tim DeChant, TechCrunch+, Senior Climate Reporter Credits Producer: Ben Joffe Podcast Summary: Written by gpt-3.5-turbo, edited by Ben Joffe Intro Voice: Cloned voice of Ben Joffe by ElevenLabs Intro Music: EL Waili Keywords: #deeptech #venturecapital #climatetech #vc #robotics #lifesciences #biology #hardware #startups #innovation #technology #frontiertech #hardtech
This week, we're doing something a bit different outside of our typical interview format. This is a recap of New York Climate Week. I'll share some of my impressions and you'll hear from folks like Vice President Al Gore, California Senator Henry Stern, several friends, and fellow climate travelers. You'll hear some segments from sessions I attended and sometimes it might sound like you're actually there in a room full of people. If you hear an occasional cough or something, try to just think of it as getting closer to the experience of being there without any risk of coming home with COVID.Over 75,000 people kicked off the week by taking to the streets for the Climate March on September 17th. Over the ensuing week, thousands of people from around the world joined over 585 official Climate Week sessions and likely as many unofficial ones. I kicked off the week in a somewhat surreal way. I work for a company called NationSwell. We're an executive membership network and advisory that helps sustainability and other leaders take on bigger bets and be more successful. We were invited to bring some NationSwell members like Michael Komori, Chief Sustainability Officer of Starbucks, and joined Al Gore and other climate leaders in ringing the NASDAQ bell on Monday morning – which felt like a fitting start, as a question on everyone's minds is: “If capitalism is up for the challenge, will corporations lead the transformation needed to cut emissions?”In today's episode, we're hearing from:[1:34] Adam Lake, Climate Week NYC Lead of the Climate Group[2:34] Bonnie Gurry, Co-Founder of GreenPortfolio[5:15] Alex Wright Gladstein, Founder of Sphere[6:48] Nyla Mabro, New York Chapter of New Energy Nexus[7:18] Tom Chi, Founder of At One Ventures[8:54] Kirsten Snow Spalding, VP of the Investor Network at Ceres[10:45] Former US Vice President Al Gore[19:29] VP Al Gore on Climate TRACE[12:59] VP Al Gore on the state of climate progress[20:56] Katie Rae, CEO & Manager Partner of The Engine[22:51] Jeff Johnson, Managing Partner of Temasek[24:03] Clay Dumas, Founding Partner of Lowercarbon Capital[25:44] Clay Dumas on the unique opportunity for climate founders today[27:06] Ian Samuels, Founder & Managing Partner of New System Ventures[28:09] Colin le Duc, Founding Partner of Generation Investment Management[33:43] Dr. Vanessa Chan, Chief Commercialization Officer for the US Department of Energy and Director of the
Today, we're happy to welcome you to David de Picciotto, Co-founder & CEO of Pledge, a climate software company helping decarbonise the logistics supply chain through its accredited and integrated platform. Founded in 2021 in the UK, Pledge is backed by venture investors including Zinal Growth, Lowercarbon Capital and Visionaries Club. Before Pledge, David worked for Partners Group, a global private equity firm, where he focused on growth equity investments and previously led International Expansion at Revolut, the UK FinTech. David is also the co-founder of media start-up iRewind, where he exited in 2016. David is also one of the trailblazing Sequoia scouts leading the charge in Europe
What technologies can get us to net-zero steel? Dr. Christina Chang knows this space as well as anyone in venture capital. She's a PhD chemist and inventor in fields from solar PV to advanced manufacturing, a former steel startup CEO, and now a partner at Lowercarbon Capital. Join us to learn: -- Which technologies can help cut steel emissions -- and why near-commercial options like CCUS and hydrogen can't get us to net-zero -- How modularity can help electrochemical iron-making drive down the green premium -- What the Inflation Reduction Act means (and doesn't mean!) for green steel production costs Christina's full background: A chemist, climate tech founder and CEO, Dr. Christina Chang has invented technologies across nanomaterials, catalysis for mining waste remediation, thin-film solar panels, solar water-splitting for H2 production, and sustainable steel. She is a Partner at Lowercarbon Capital, the multi-billion dollar VC firm backing kickass companies that fix the planet profitably. Previously, Dr. Chang led federal funding for sustainable manufacturing research ARPA-E, including steel, chemicals, cement, rare earths, and carbon-negative building materials. Dr. Chang earned her PhD in Physical Chemistry from Harvard. On the Marshall Scholarship, Dr. Chang earned an MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures from Imperial College London and an MPhil in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge. She graduated summa cum laude from Princeton with a Bachelor's in Chemistry, with Certificates in Engineering Biology, Applications of Computing, and Materials Science and Engineering. She is a United States Presidential Scholar, a Goldwater Scholar, a Draper Laboratory Fellow, and an alumna of the Research Science Institute.
Shawn Xu is a venture capitalist and current Chief of Staff at Lowercarbon Capital. Shawn believes in audacious founders and bold solutions to the climate crisis and we wanted to have him on CLIMB because he's not just an investor; he's also a relentless builder helping to expand Lowercarbon's platform and founder products. Shawn has personally partnered with ~50 companies to date and brings with him a wealth of knowledge on helping founders go zero to one, from ideation to product-market fit. As a Partner at On Deck's venture fund and accelerator, he successfully backed companies in over 20 countries, earning a perfect founder NPS of 100. Prior stints at Floodgate and First Round Capital's Dorm Room Fund propelled him into Forbes' 30 Under 30 for Venture Capital. Before his investing career, Shawn was a startup executive leading international expansion for companies like Square. His commitment to social impact led him to serve as a tech policy advisor to California Governor Gavin Newsom. A Silicon Valley native, Shawn earned his MBA/MA in International Affairs from Wharton and the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania after completing his undergraduate studies at UC San Diego. 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.
We're back! And this time with Alfred Johnson, Founder and CEO of Crux. Crux just raised a seed round led by Lowercarbon Capital and is building a marketplace to help climate companies unlock billions in IRA tax credits. If you want to understand the IRA, look no further!We nerd out on everything from the ins and outs of transferability, what the democratization of tax credits means, who stands to benefit, step ups, and how the IRA actually works to more macro musings on the intersection of gov't, tech, and finance, what the IRA really accomplishes, what the downsides could be, what keeps us up at night, and so much more! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dertaskforcenews.substack.com/subscribe
Is there a zero sum trade-off between investing in mitigation and investing in adaptation? Alex Laplaza from Lowercarbon Capital discusses the importance of adaptation and building resilience to mitigate the felt human and economical impacts of climate change.Ep.#82 Alex Laplaza @ Lowercarbon Capital - Tech4Climate Podcast by Startup basecampPART 1: Meet the investorToday we are speaking with Alex Laplaza, Partner @ Lowercarbon Capital. Lowercarbon is a seed and early-stage fund investing in technologies and solutions to dramatically reduce and remove greenhouse gas emissions. They aim to be the first money in and remain investing in the company for its full lifecycling. Alex was born in Spain but grew up in New York, after studying International Relations he found himself spending a summer working in a school in rural Uganda and describes how he first experienced the magic of environmental solutions being implemented with the installation of a water well meaning increased school attendance of young girls. He went on to continue working on water security issues as a Fulbright scholar in Indonesia before studying Energy Policy at Stanford which eventually led him to work at Lowercarbon Capital. In today's episode we discuss scaling adaptation solutions and the green vortex, a positive feedback loop between policy and technology. And how policies can make the cost of technologies cheaper, and vice versa. Alex also gives his take on what the most promising sectors are for building impactful companies at scale whilst being highly profitable.Today we are speaking with Alex Laplaza, Partner @ Lowercarbon Capital. Part 2: My Secret SauceIn the second part of the show, Alex tells us how he switches off to find a healthy work-life balance. He also shares his go-to podcast and books and also tells us his tip for catching the attention of a climate tech investor!
Chris Sacca is one of the most accomplished venture investors of the last half century. He founded Lowercase Capital in 2010 and made seed stage investments in Twitter, Uber, Instagram, Blue Bottle Coffee, and Stripe. Lowercase's first fund famously became one of the highest returning venture funds in history and landed Chris at #2 on the Midas List in 2017. After retiring together with his wife Crystal that year, they came back to the business to found Lowercarbon Capital to fund “kickass companies that make money slashing carbon emissions.” Lowercarbon manages in excess of $2 billion of outside capital, excluding its largest investor – Chris and Crystal. Our conversation covers Chris's humble upbringing, early entrepreneurial endeavors, and ups and downs in his early professional years. We cover his transition to Google, foundations of his investing philosophy at Lowercase, and work today at Lowercarbon. Along the way, Chris shares his sourcing of deals, evaluation of founders, and work with portfolio companies. He is a gifted storyteller and a walking case-study on grit. Show Notes 03:51 Early entrepreneurial endeavors 07:17 Ups and downs of early years 17:28 Early days at Google 21:38 Investing philosophy at Lowercase 28:33 Sourcing founders 30:06 Adding value to startups 35:16 Evaluating entrepreneurs 40:28 Retiring from Lowercase 41:58 Founding Lowercarbon 54:10 Investment process 57:23 Future opportunities 1:01:59 Closing questions Learn More Follow Ted on Twitter at @tseides or LinkedIn Subscribe to the mailing list Access Transcript with Premium Membership
Shuo Yang is a Partner at Lowercarbon Capital, a climate-tech focused fund.
Join Karl and Erum on the latest episode of Grow Everything as they explore the intersection of climate tech and biotech with Kristin Ellis of Lowercarbon Capital. From discussing the impact of biotech in the media to the future of climate tech and its impact on the job market, this episode covers a wide range of exciting topics. Tune in to hear about the failures of overcomplicating blood-based diagnostics, the key factors in being a strong team, and what VCs look for when investing in companies. Don't miss out on this engaging and informative ride through the world of climate tech and biotech. Grow Everything brings to life the bioeconomy when hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories from the field and interview leaders and influencers in the space. Life is a powerful force and it can be engineered. What are we creating? Learn more at www.messaginglab.com/groweverything Topics Covered: 00:00 - Climate and biology are inseparable 02:45 - Advocacy for carbon removal research funding by Carbon 180 07:03 - Importance and urgency of carbon removal 13:59 - Building recycling robots to tackle construction waste in Oakland 16:21 - Start small and learn for successful project building 20:02 - Ginkgo bioworks presenting portfolio at small meeting in Boston 24:09 - Inspiration from climate optimism and exciting low-carbon concrete industry company 27:18 - Biotech and climate tech: the same thing 31:06 - Balancing innovation and sustainability in biotech 34:49 - Criteria for early-stage investments 38:13 - Trons creates affordable liquid handling solution for biology labs 39:57 - Key traits for successful company founders 43:45 - Warm greetings and longstanding friendship 50:15 - Future of jobs: climate jobs and government support Episode Links: Kristin Ellis on LinkedIn Lowercarbon Capital Companies mentioned: OpenTrons Carbon 180 Solugen Have a question or comment? Message us here: Instagram / TikTok / Twitter / LinkedIn / Youtube / GrowEverything website Email: groweverything@messaginglab.com Support here: Patreon Music by: Nihilore Production by: Amplafy Media --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/messaginglab/message
Keiran is the Founder of Entocycle, an insect-farming startup based out of London. They commercialize high-tech insect breeding modules to enable efficient and scalable insect farming.Keiran has a TON of insights to share.-Why insect farming is at a turning point due to Covid, the war in Ukraine, and the global protein shortage-The magical properties of insects to turn waste into highly nutritious protein-Why Europe has the lead globally on insect farming-Keiran's vision of the future and why this industry might become a much bigger game changer than most people think--------------ABOUT CLIMATE INSIDERS:Climate Insiders is brought to you by Climentum Capital, a Seed+ and Series A cleantech European venture capital firm focused on funding and scaling climate-positive ventures that cut down on CO2 emissions.If you are interested in how smart capitalism and mission-driven founders building innovative tech startups can overcome our climate crisis and build a better future, you've come to the right place.Check us out at: https://www.climateinsiders.co and https://www.climentum.com--------------ABOUT THE GUEST:Keiran is the Founder of Entocycle, an insect-farming startup based out of London. They commercialize high-tech insect breeding modules to enable efficient and scalable insect farming.He worked for five years as a scuba diving instructor, studied Environmental Design, and has become one of the world's top experts in Entomology. He knows everything about insects.Entocycle attended Y Combinator's Summer 2017 batch. And has been backed since by top investors like Lowercarbon Capital, Climentum Capital, Teampact Ventures, and many others.--------------SHOW NOTES:00:09 – start01:42 – from scuba diving to venture-backed startup founding.03:41 – why insect farming and how does it fit into the broader context of agriculture?05:13 – what are the magical properties of the black soldier fly?09:03 – how long does it take a larva to turn into an insect?11:19 - why has there been a point of inflection in the insect farming space due to covid, the war in Ukraine, and other global supply chain disruptions?13:26 – this is particularly important in Africa. Can you explain why it is so game-changing for these territories that historically cannot rely on their own chain?14:31 – How do you safeguard the positive impact of insect farming?16:50 - Why does Europe seem to be doing insect farming so much better than the US or the rest of the world? What lessons might be drawn from it?19:57 - vertically integrated production vs picks and shovels approach23:06 – what are the regulatory and policy changes that could help support the growth and development of the insect farming industry?25:42 – will the source of the protein not be included in the product description in the future?26:14 – how will we deliver the enormous volumes of sources of protein?29:07 – How is your company going to evolve in terms of new product development?31:28 – How is the whole industry going to change, especially in the geographical sense? Where is this industry going to blossom the most?35:32 – As a founder of the insect farming industry, what advice can you give to other entrepreneurs that are entering this type of protein creation?39:04 – Wrap up of the episode. --------------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.--------------To learn more about CLIMENTUM CAPITAL and apply for funding, please visit https://www.climentum.comTo become an LP and...
Super excited to share this with you. We've got someone who went to the same high school where Steve Jobs and Woz did back in the day. He then worked at Square on international expansion, went on to work with VC Legend Mike Maples, and eventually ended up as the Chief of Staff at Chris Sacca's, Lowercarbon Capital. We are talking about Shawn Xu. Shawn talked us through his journey to climate, what it takes to be a good VC, what they look for, the areas he's bullish on, and what he's working on now. I quite enjoyed this conversation (I say that a lot but I do mean it). Enjoy today's episode! Topics: 4:29 Intro to Shawn, his career journey, going to high school where Steve Jobs went and getting into VC11:37 Creating access and equity to the Silicon Valley mentality15:59 His climate journey24:38 The inside scoop on VCs - what skills do you need to developFinding 26:44Picking 27:54Winning 28:58Supporting 29:3131:54 Lowercarbon's Thesis34:29 The founders they look for36:49 Advice to Founders42:20 Areas he's bullish on44:42 His role at Lowercarbon Links: Connect with Shawn: The Lowercarbon Capital Website: Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: Join the Slack Channel: Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show
In this episode, Ned Downie and Ellie McDonald chat with a founder from an area of climatetech that's only starting to get the attention it deserves -- adaptation. Guest Bessie Schwarz is co-founder and CEO of Floodbase, a company that provides near real-time data on flood mapping and flood risk for markets including parametric insurance, risk analysis, and disaster management. They announced a $12mn Series A in late January 2023 led by Lowercarbon Capital. Bessie talks about what Floodbase brings to insurance, risk, and disaster management markets; what it's like to go from being a community organizer to being a startup founder and climate tech; and how adaptation funding as a space has changed since she and her co-founders started working on this company a decade ago.
In this week's episode, we welcome Dr. Christina Chang, Partner at Lowercarbon Capital, a venture capital dedicated to funding companies that are slashing C02 emissions, sucking carbon out of the sky, and buying us time to unf**k the planet. As a Partner at Lowercarbon Capital, Dr. Chang incubates and invests in new technology startups with tremendous climate impact. From 2020 to 2022, Dr. Chang was a fellow at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), within the U.S. Department of Energy, where she led several millions of dollars of funding for startups across manufacturing, from sustainable cement to rare earth extraction from mine tailings and has had her work featured in Physics Today and Forbes. Dr. Chang has engaged global audiences on climate and sustainable energy technology innovation, speaking at the ARPA-E Innovation Summit, TEDx, and various chemistry conferences. She graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 2012 with a Bachelor's in chemistry and Certificates in computer science, engineering biology, and materials science and engineering and has experience in techno-economics, R&D, and invention and patenting of clean energy technologies. Outside of her passion for climate technology, Dr. Chang enjoys the outdoors and serves as a rock climbing and hiking leader in the MIT Outing Club, where she teaches environmental stewardship to students. Follow us on Instagram @someonelikeyoupodcast.
Andrew Ponec sold his first startup after just four years. Now he has raised $80M to tackle climate change in a $100B a year industry. His venture, Antora Energy, has attracted financing from top-tier investors like Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, and Energy giant Shell's venture arm.
This week, the Current teams up with the Wharton Sustainable Business Club to talk with Alex LaPlaza, partner at major cleantech VC Lowercarbon Capital. He talks with hosts Ned Downie and Nehali Jain about how standing on the rim of an active volcano helped convince him to work on climate; why Lowercarbon is investing big-time in carbon removal; and why he thinks adaptation is a overlooked and undervalued area for investment. He's also got some interesting reflections on why he went into venture, and what you should consider if you're looking at that space.
Mia Diawara is a partner at Lowercarbon Capital, where she invests in ambitious teams building needle-moving climate tech — always with her eye on equity and inclusion. Before Lowercarbon, Mia spearheaded decarbonization strategy across a portfolio of more than $90 billion in assets at TPG and advised companies across industries at Bain & Company. Previously, she assessed climate policy and market-based climate solutions at NRDC and RMI, respectively.Mia is also a poet and dancer who has performed professionally with the San Francisco Bay Area Theater Company. She chairs the Nominating & Governance Committee on the board of Robert Moses' Kin—a San Francisco-based dance company. Have a green jobs question for Yesh? Send it to her on Twitter @yeshsays. Use the hashtag #askyesh. Job hunting? Visit our comprehensive Green Jobs Hub for job listings, networking resources, skills and certification information and more.Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on green careers, upcoming episodes and more. Discover the solutions that are turning the tide on climate change. Subscribe to EDF's Climate Tech Brief. Each month, you'll hear diverse perspectives from business leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs working on climate tech solutions around the world. Subscribe today. ResourcesThe Climate Draft, a member-supported coalition of climate tech startups and VCs on a mission to collectively bring more top talent, investment, and commercial opportunities into the spaceLowerCarbon Capital's extensive jobs boardClean Up on Aisle Earth — LowerCarbon Capital cofounder Chris Sacca's blog post on raising $350 million to invest in carbon removal. This is worth a read to learn about the ethos of this forward-thinking company. Twitter Space conversation about investing in climate techCarbon capture startups received a record $882 million in VC investments, Protocol, 9/16/2022An Inconvenient Truth – the trailerOn the fact that climate change disproportionately affects the global south: Temperatures in the Sahel region of West Africa will rise 1.5 times faster than the global average, according to this article by the Brookings Institution.TPG's Rise Climate fundNRDCRMIThe LowerCarbon Capital portfolio companies mentioned in this episode, and others, including: Carbon EngineeringLiving CarbonRunning TideZanskarCoda Pakistan floods: A health crisis of epic proportions, Al Jazeera, 9/13/2022Pakistan's Deadly Floods Pose Urgent Questions On Preparedess and Response, Center for Strategic & International StudiesJackson, Miss. residents struggle with basic needs as the water crisis disrupts life, NPR, 10/1/2022Giveaway To win a copy of Speed & Scale, rate and review Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser or Spotify. Take a screenshot of your review and share it with us on Instagram @environmental_defense_fund. Use the hashtag #DegreesPodcast. We're giving away up to five books per episode!Who makes Degrees?Yesh Pavlik Slenk is Degrees' host. Amy Morse is our producer. Podcast Allies is our production company. Tressa Versteeg is senior producer; Rye Taylor is our audio engineer; Elaine Grant is CEO of Podcast Allies and Tina Bassir is project manager. Our music is Shame, Shame, Shame from Yesh's favorite band, Lake Street Dive. Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers is presented by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). How to find YeshFollow Yesh on Twitter at @yeshsays, and stay up to date with us on Instagram @environmental_defense_fund. Share Degrees:TwitterFacebookLinkedInWebsite — Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers
PODCAST GUEST BIO: Enduring Planet is a fast and founder-friendly non-dilutive capital source for climate entrepreneurs. Apply in 10 mins. Get funded in 30 days. No collateral, no personal guarantees. Their goal is to fund $2.5B in these capital solutions in the next five years. Dimitry Gershenson is the cofounder and CEO of Enduring Planet. He is also a former entrepreneur; prior lead on Meta's Energy Access program, a $15M+ investing initiative that enabled energy access for 3M people and unlocked nearly $500M in additional capital in underserved markets like Kenya and India; and Board member at Ecosafi, a Lowercarbon Capital-backed climate startup enabling clean cooking in emerging markets ------- QUESTIONS THAT WE COVERED: Business What does your company do? What makes you unique versus the competition? What are 1-2 lessons you've learned about funding your growth with outside investors? Personal If you had to start over, what are 1-2 tips you'd give yourself in order to be faster, more effective, and higher impact? What are some habits and routines that keep you focused, healthy, and sane — e.g., meditations, exercise, productivity hacks? What recommendations do you have for our audience — books, podcasts, quotes, tools? ------- PODCAST HOST: Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate innovators grow faster with new investment capital, share best practices among peers, expand their networks, and reach their full potential. Our three offerings include: Climate CEO Mastermind Peer Groups — Our invite-only cohorts of 12 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls. Today's highly curated Mastermind members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. Online course on "Funding Your Climate Tech Startup" — Two-week boot camp offering 500+ climate investor list (with emails), a 5-step process for raising capital, the top 10 startup funding mistakes, and much more. Newsletter — A 3-minute weekly summary of climate tech, startups, better habits, and deep work. Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 3x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 60,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/entrepreneurs-for-impact/message
PODCAST GUEST BIO: Heirloom aims to accelerate our planet's transition to a carbon-negative society by removing 1B tons of CO2 from the air by 2035 by engineering the most cost-effective, scalable direct air capture system. Their technology enhances a naturally occurring process, called carbon mineralization, to help minerals absorb CO2 from the ambient air in days, rather than years. They are backed with $50M+ of VC funding from Lowercarbon Capital, Musk Foundation, Time Ventures, XPrize, Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, Grantham Environmental Trust, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and more. Shashank Samala is the CEO of Heirloom. Previously, he was an Entrepreneur In Residence at Carbon180 and Cofounder of Tempo ($75M+ for advanced software-driven electronics production). ------- QUESTIONS THAT WE COVERED: Business What does your company do? What makes you unique versus the competition? What is one mistake that you see many CEOs making? What are 1-2 lessons you've learned about funding your growth with outside investors? Personal If you had to start over, what are 1-2 tips you'd give yourself in order to be faster, more effective, and higher impact? What are some habits and routines that keep you focused, healthy, and sane — e.g., meditations, exercise, productivity hacks? What recommendations do you have for our audience — books, podcasts, quotes, tools? ------- PODCAST HOST: Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate innovators grow faster with new investment capital, share best practices among peers, expand their networks, and reach their full potential. Our three offerings include: Climate CEO Mastermind Peer Groups — Our invite-only cohorts of 12 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls. Today's highly curated Mastermind members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. Online course on "Funding Your Climate Tech Startup" — Two-week boot camp offering 500+ climate investor list (with emails), a 5-step process for raising capital, the top 10 startup funding mistakes, and much more. Newsletter — A 3-minute weekly summary of climate tech, startups, better habits, and deep work. Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 3x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 60,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/entrepreneurs-for-impact/message
The ZENERGY Podcast: Climate Leadership, Finance and Technology
In this episode we will be speaking with Alex Laplaza, who is a Partner at Lower Carbon Capital, which is a leading Climate Tech venture capital firm that was founded by Chris Sacca. Alex brings wide-ranging expertise on scalable climate solutions across energy, agriculture, transportation, and industry. In this conversation, we talk about how the start-up investment process works and what technologies Alex is particularly excited for in the Climate space. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Alex Laplaza!
Hi folks, tackling climate change will take entrepreneurial efforts of all shapes and sizes. There's already been unprecedented growth in the number of startups focusing on climate over the past few years, but I believe it's just the beginning. Decarbonizing the global economy, adapting to climate impacts, and introducing new products and services for a decarbonized world will require millions of people with an entrepreneurial mindset and commitment to climate. So where will all these entrepreneurs come from and how will they be supported? That's just one of the questions I discussed with Mia Diawara and Jamil Wyne. Mia is a Partner at Lowercarbon Capital, one of the most ambitious and well-respected climate tech venture funds. Jamil is an advisor and educator working with climate entrepreneurs and investors around the world. Jamil and Mia are collaborating on a new bootcamp for climate entrepreneurs, and our conversation about climate entrepreneurship was truly energizing for me. I hope you enjoy. In today's episode, we cover:[3:24] Why Mia chose to focus on climate and how she ended up at Lowercarbon Capital [7:43] Jamil's climate work journey and support for investors and entrepreneurs [11:30] The most exciting spaces in climate investing right now [18:35] Customer acquisition for adoption of built environment technologies [23:28] Opportunities for climate tech startups right now [27:43] What is the bootcamp and who does it aim to support [32:48] Mia as a bootcamp instructor and what participants can expect [35:50] The future of climate entrepreneurship and how entrepreneurial ecosystems must evolve to help founders succeed [44:08] Advice for prospective climate tech founders Resources Mentionedhttps://lowercarboncapital.com/ (Lowercarbon Capital) https://discover.coleap.com/climate-tech-bootcamp (Climate Tech Bootcamp) https://www.axios.com/2022/08/15/extreme-heat-belt-global-warming (Axios: Map of U.S. counties expected to experience heat indices above 125°F by 2053) Connect with Mia Diawara and Jamil WyneConnect with Mia on https://www.linkedin.com/in/mia-diawara/ (LinkedIn) and https://twitter.com/miadiawara (Twitter) Connect with Jamil on https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamilwyne/ (LinkedIn) Connect With Jason Rissmanhttps://investedinclimate.com (https://InvestedInClimate.com) On https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonrissman/ (LinkedIn) On https://twitter.com/jasonrissman (Twitter) Subscribe to https://pod.link/1620915138 (Invested In Climate)
PODCAST GUEST BIO: Brad Feld has been an early-stage investor and entrepreneur since 1987. He is the Cofounder of Foundry, Mobius Ventures, and Intensity Ventures. He is also the author of eight books and cocreator of Techstars, a leading startup accelerator that has accepted about 3,000 companies into its accelerator programs with a combined market capitalization over $70B. Foundry manages over $3B in assets and invests in startups and venture capital funds. Their approach is characterized by long-term thinking and a "give first" philosophy. They have 70 active investments, 100 general partners, 45 partner funds, and 1,900 Foundry network companies. Their sample climate investments include VC funds (USV, Moxxie Ventures, and Lowercarbon Capital) and startups (Running Tide, Sofar). ------- QUESTIONS THAT WE COVERED: Business What is your investment focus — e.g., sector, stage, geography, check size? What makes you unique versus the competition? What is one mistake that you see many CEOs making? Personal If you had to start over, what are 1-2 tips you'd give yourself in order to be faster, more effective, and higher impact? What are some habits and routines that keep you focused, healthy, and sane — e.g., meditations, exercise, productivity hacks? What recommendations do you have for our audience — books, podcasts, quotes, tools? ------- PODCAST HOST: Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate innovators grow faster with new investment capital, share best practices among peers, expand their networks, and reach their full potential. Our three offerings include: Climate CEO Mastermind Peer Groups — Our invite-only cohorts of 12 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls. Today's highly curated Mastermind members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. Online course on "Funding Your Climate Tech Startup" — Two-week boot camp offering 500+ climate investor list (with emails), a 5-step process for raising capital, the top 10 startup funding mistakes, and much more. Newsletter — A 3-minute weekly summary of climate tech, startups, better habits, and deep work. Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 3x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 60,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/entrepreneurs-for-impact/message
In der Rubrik Investments & Exits begrüßen wir heute Tina Dreimann, Co-Founder von Better Ventures. Tina hat die Finanzierungsrunde von Personio, Epoch Biodesign und Lumi Interactive kommentiert: Das australische Startup Lumi Interactive hat 6,75 Millionen US-Dollar für die Entwicklung seines kommenden kostenloses Handyspiels "Kinder World" erhalten, bei dem sich die Spielerinnen und Spieler um virtuelle Zimmerpflanzen kümmern können, indem sie reale Achtsamkeitsaufgaben erfüllen. Die Runde wurde von Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) angeführt, mit Beteiligung von 1UP Ventures, Galileo Ventures, Eric Seufert's Heracles Capital und Double Loop Games CEO Emily Greer. Die überzeichnete Seed-Runde ist die größte Risikokapitalinvestition in ein von Frauen gegründetes Spielestudio in Australien. Epoch Biodesign, ein in London, UK, ansässiges "Total BioDesignTM"-Unternehmen, hat eine Startfinanzierung in Höhe von 11 Millionen Dollar erhalten. Die Runde wurde von Lowercarbon Capital geleitet, mit Beteiligung von BoxGroup, Amadeus Capital Partners, MCJ Collective, Zero Carbon Capital, VOYAGERS Climate-Tech Fund, The Venture Collective und anderen. Das von Jacob Nathan (CEO) geleitete Unternehmen entwickelt natürliche Lösungen für unnatürliche Probleme und hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, die Biologie für einen gesunden Planeten zu skalieren und zu industrialisieren. Mit einer Kombination aus firmeneigenen Berechnungs- und Versuchswerkzeugen treibt Epoch das Biorecycling voran: ein abstimmbarer enzymatischer Prozess zur Umwandlung von Kunststoffabfällen in herkömmliche Chemikalien. Personio gab gestern die Aufstockung der Series-E-Finanzierungsrunde von 200 auf 470 Millionen US-Dollar bekannt. Die zuletzt im Oktober 2021 ermittelte Unternehmensbewertung steigt damit im selben Zug von 6,3 Milliarden US-Dollar auf 8,5 Milliarden US-Dollar. Die erneute Finanzierungsrunde wurde von dem Bestandsinvestor Greenoaks angeführt. In unserer Mittagssendung begrüßen wir heute Christian Eggert, Head of Product von Personio und sprechen natürlich über die Runde sowie über die kürzliche Übernahme von Back!
Reserve Bank of India, the country's central bank has proposed allowing integration between India's Unified Payments Interface and credit cards, TechCrunch reports. “UPI facilitates transactions by linking savings or current accounts through users' debit cards. It is now proposed to allow linking of credit cards on the UPI platform,” Shaktikanta Das, the governor of Reserve Bank of India said at a briefing, according to TechCrunch. To begin with, the RuPay credit cards will be linked to UPI, he said. RuPay is India's homegrown card network, which is promoted by the National Payments Corporation of India, a special body of RBI that also oversees UPI payments. Infosys has won a contract from TK Elevator that expands the Indian IT services giant's engagement with the German maker of lifts, the company said in a press release yesterday. The seven-year contract involves providing AI-powered IT helpdesk services, digital workplace management, and network services, using automation solutions from Infosys Cobalt, the company's suite of cloud technologies, products and services. NASA is putting together an independent team of researchers to study sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs, the updated term now used to refer to UFOs, the American space agency said in a blog post yesterday. NASA says it plans to study these sightings from a scientific perspective but also stressed that “there is no evidence UAPs are extraterrestrial in origin,” The Verge reports. The study team is to be led by astrophysicist David Spergel under NASA's Science Mission Directorate. It will attempt to identify what data is out there on UAPs and figure out how to best capture data on UAPs in the future. NASA noted that the limitations in sightings make it hard to come to logical conclusions about where UAPs come from. The study will be open and unclassified, according to Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for science at NASA, according to The Verge. SolarSquare, a Mumbai-based startup, has raised $4 million led by Google Capital, with participation from US investor Chris Sacca's Lowercarbon Capital, Singapore based Symphony Asia and Nithin Kamath's Rainmatter Foundation. The round also saw participation from Better Capital, Climate Angels and several angel investors. This investment mark's the $1 billion Lowercarbon Capital's first Indian investment, according to SolarSquare's press release. SolarSquare was founded in 2015 by Neeraj Jain and Nikhil Nahar, and Shreya Mishra joined them as co-founder. The company, originally started as a B2B solar venture, is rapidly expanding its B2C operations, and the fresh funds will help SolarSquare to go faster in that direction. Theme music courtesy Free Music & Sounds: https://soundcloud.com/freemusicandsounds
Today on the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast we have a guest who is making alts go mainstream by streamlining the process of investing into funds.Carta and fund manager veteran Tim Flannery is the Co-Founder of Passthrough, a fund workflow automation tool that digitizes and automates the fund subscription process.We had a fascinating discussion about how Passthrough is providing critical market infrastructure to the alts space and what the future of investing into funds looks like with Passthrough.We discuss: Why there needs to be innovation around fund closings. How data matters in the fund closing process. How creating an investor passport can lead to efficiencies across the alts space. How Passthrough is the “narrow waist” of the alts space — building the connective tissue for funds and LPs to complete closings and then use that data in all sorts of places and sit on top of platforms like iCapital, CartaX, AngelList, Republic, and others. In a sense, Passthrough is a solution for the alts space in a similar manner to how WalletConnect is the connective tissue between wallets and DApps in the crypto ecosystem. Fund closing is generally a painful process for everyone involved — LPs have to manually input data into subscription documents, which means they often miss questions or err in their answers. Much of this data is unstructured, hidden within PDFs, meaning that funds can't use this when LPs re-up to following funds or to other funds. Fund managers have little visibility into the raise and timing for closings.Tim is building a product with Passthrough that gives fund managers one of their most valuable assets — time — back and provides for a great user experience with fund closings. Passthrough automates the fund closing process by digitizing subscription agreements, turning them into a custom, TurboTax style workflow.We were lucky enough to use Passthrough for our investment into Lowercarbon Capital and we never knew how easy a fund closing could be after using Passthrough. Passthrough's fastest sub doc completion on record is said to be 6 minutes and mine wasn't that far off.The process is simple, automated, and efficient since Passthrough collects relevant data on LPs so that it's easier and quicker to subscribe for the next fund.Tim has a great background to be building Passthrough. He was previously the Head of Go-To-Market for Investor Services at Carta and also worked on a number of large strategic accounts. He also spent time as a Partner at Pilot Mountain Ventures and started his career at JP Morgan in PE fund services, so he's seen the lifecycle of a fund investment from all angles.He's a sharp, thoughtful, and focused founder who is building a product that many GPs and LPs already love.This was a fascinating conversation about bringing technology to automate the alts space that I'm excited to see play out over the coming years in the space.
Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) is having a moment. The most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that the world cannot meet the targets of the Paris Agreement without removing hundreds of gigatons of carbon from the atmosphere. Big companies like Alphabet, Stripe and others have formed the Frontier Fund, a nearly $1 billion joint-effort to jump-start the market to purchase CDR offsets. Elon Musk is even sponsoring a $100 million X-Prize focused on it. We're not talking about point-source carbon capture and storage, often called CCS. And we're not just talking about Direct Air Capture or planting trees, the most well-known forms of CDR. Carbon Dioxide Removal also includes technologies involving kelp, bamboo, cement, mangroves, biochar, and others. In this episode, Shayle explores CDR with Ryan Orbuch, a partner at Lowercarbon Capital who leads the firm's carbon-removal work. Ryan helped to start Stripe's carbon removal procurement program and has been involved in Stripe's nearly $1 billion Frontier Fund. Shayle and Ryan cover key questions around CDR, like: What are the important characteristics of a carbon-removal technology? What roles do permanence and additionality play? Will investments in removal come at the expense of reducing emissions? Will CDR become a commodity market? Shayle also shares his experience with the first wave of carbon offsets, and the challenges that undermined those efforts. Ryan talks about separating out the cost of measurement and verification from the costs of removal, as well as why we should be thinking about radiative forcing more holistically, and not just carbon removal alone. Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more. Catalyst is supported by Nextracker. Nextracker's technology platform has delivered more than 50 gigawatts of zero-emission solar power plants across the globe. Nextracker is developing a data-driven framework to become the most sustainable solar tracker company in the world – with a focus on a truly transparent supply chain. Visit nextracker.com/sustainability to learn more.
It's been a big month in carbon removal funding news. Climeworks announced $650 million in new fundraising from an extensive group of private equity and investment management firms. Then, Stripe made public a nearly $1 billion plan to take their CDR purchasing program to a new level by partnering with Alphabet, Meta, McKinsey, Shopify, and more to pool their carbon credit dollars and buy removals from companies and facilities that don't even exist yet. This plan was inspired by programs that have developed vaccines with Advanced Market Commitments. Rounding out the month's big funding news was an announcement from climate-focused VC firm Lowercarbon Capital that they've raised $350 million to invest in carbon removal companies. Add that to the 15 $1 million milestone grants given in the first round of the carbon Xprize and the extensive public conversation around carbon removal that's taken place since early April's IPCC mitigation report. There's a lot of news to talk about in the world of carbon removal. Joining Susan and Radhika to talk about all this is Josh Santos, CEO, and Co-Founder of Noya. Josh also gives some updates about Noya's recent progress. Resources: A Revamped Cost Curve for Reaching Net Zero Emissions- EDF https://www.edf.org/revamped-cost-curve-reaching-net-zero-emissions --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/carbonremovalnewsroom/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/carbonremovalnewsroom/support
Dr. Clea Kolster is a partner and Head of Science at Lowercarbon capital. Lowercarbon backs companies that make money slashing CO2 emissions and removing carbon out of the atmosphere. Clea leads the firm's technical research, development, diligence, and scientific strategy efforts. She's also a founding fellow of On Deck's Climate Tech programs.Last July, On Deck's climate director Candice Ammori gave us a sense of how climate tech has moved from a 1.0 era to its 2.0 moment on the heels of evolving policy, innovation, and cultural ambition. Today, Dr. Kolster elaborates on the science informing that quickening pace. She underscores the significance of cheaper renewables, lower battery storage costs, and other trends informing our ability to combat climate change.For more on how On Deck is enabling talented builders to address climate problems, visit beondeck.com/climateFor more on On Deck's programs, visit www.beondeck.comHosted by Marshall Kosloff and produced by Jackson Steger
Alongside his wife Crystal, Chris Sacca built Lowercase Capital into an extraordinarily successful VC firm, leveraging very early-stage investments in transformational technology companies like Twitter, Uber, Instagram, and Stripe. He retired in 2017, but came out of retirement to head up the science and investing team at Lowercarbon Capital, which is pursuing ambitious solutions to the climate crisis through innovation in energy, building materials, transportation, food, industrial chemicals, reforestation, and more. In this conversation with Stanford adjunct lecturer Ravi Belani, Sacca discusses how he found such success in early-stage investing, and explains why he thinks we're entering a golden age of tech-driven climate solutions.
Alongside his wife Crystal, Chris Sacca built Lowercase Capital into an extraordinarily successful VC firm, leveraging very early-stage investments in transformational technology companies like Twitter, Uber, Instagram, and Stripe. He retired in 2017, but came out of retirement to head up the science and investing team at Lowercarbon Capital, which is pursuing ambitious solutions to the climate crisis through innovation in energy, building materials, transportation, food, industrial chemicals, reforestation, and more. In this conversation with Stanford adjunct lecturer Ravi Belani, Sacca discusses how he found such success in early-stage investing, and explains why he thinks we're entering a golden age of tech-driven climate solutions.
In this week's episode of Carbon Removal Newsroom, hosts Radhika Moolgavkar and Dr. Jane Zelikova are joined by Heirloom's Head of Research and Process Engineering, Noah Mcqueen. Heirloom is a Direct Air Capture company that launched in April 2021. Noah and our hosts discuss the science of Heirloom's approach, the techno-economic challenges to scaling DAC, and the kind of continuous research and materials development necessary to grow the industry. In 2021, Noah and several co-authors published a review of existing DAC technologies in the journal Process in Energy. The paper provided a techno-economic assessment of the two most researched and developed DAC methods- liquid solvent and solid sorbent. The researchers used their findings to examine what will be needed to scale up these technologies quickly. They also made recommendations for how research can be directed to support the widespread deployment of DAC. Heirloom received investment from Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Lowercarbon Capital and sold carbon removal credits to Shopify and Stripe. The technique they are pursuing has not been commercialized before and was co-invented by some of the leading experts in the industry, including Dr. Peter Keleman, Dr. Jennifer Wilcox, Dr. Greg Dipple, and Noah. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/carbonremovalnewsroom/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/carbonremovalnewsroom/support
Continuing his series on the journey to net-zero, Contrarian Ventures Founder & Managing Partner, Rokas Peciulaitis, sat down with Lowercarbon Capital Partner, Clay Dumas, to discuss how he is bringing his government policy understanding into climate investing and helping to solve the climate crisis at large.
In this discussion from the 2021 SOSV Climate Tech Summit (Oct. 20-21, 2021), two startup founders join a climate investor to discuss the importance of carbon capture and utilization in climate mitigation. They cover:The need to remove trillions of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere and the potential for large-scale carbon removal.The role of different technologies and markets in carbon utilization, such as the production of alternative proteins and other valuable products.The importance of partnerships with corporate players and the challenges of scaling up their technologies.Their hope for a climate-positive future, citing advancements in gene sequencing, cheaper gene sequencing, and the increasing interest and involvement of people in the climate career movement.This conversation is moderated by Jonathan Shieber, Founder, Investor and Journalist. The video of this episode and more can be found online at sosvclimatetech.com.SpeakersJosh Santos, CEO, NoyaDavid Tze, CEO, NovoNutrientsDr. Clea Kolster, Director of Science, Lowercarbon CapitalModeratorJonathan Shieber, Founder, Investor and JournalistCreditsProducer: Ben Joffe Podcast Summary: Written by gpt-3.5-turbo, edited by Ben JoffeIntro Voice: Cloned voice of Ben Joffe by ElevenLabs Intro Music: EL WailiKeywords: #deeptech #venturecapital #climatetech #vc #robotics #lifesciences #biology #hardware #startups #innovation #technology #frontiertech #hardtechHosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Twenty Minute VC Podcast Notes Key Takeaways “It may be lucky but it's not an accident” – Chris SaccaDon't dismiss your success, it will always be an unexpected combo of luck and hard work“Training by way of tragedy. When things are going up you tend to correlate it with talent, when things are going down you tend to correlate it with luck.”– Chris SaccaWith more experience, you eventually invert this curve. You learn how to properly self-reflect on your own failures and successesLet the large amount of good in the world outweigh the small amount of badWhen investing or decision making in general, don't let the small potential for bad results overpower your ability to say yes“There's a surplus of assholes coming down the pipeline”– Chris SaccaMany young adults growing up in computer science have never had a job that required human interaction, shaping their interpersonal capabilities often for the worseThe sheer ease of access to information is contributing to this as well as kids are not used to hearing noChris is leading the climate change firmLowercarbon Capitol where every deal has the potential for more than 1 gigaton of carbon removalClimate change efforts are not just charitable, they are profitableRead the full notes @ podcastnotes.org Chris Sacca is the Founder and Chairman @ Lowercase Capital, one of the best performing funds in the history of venture capital with a portfolio including Uber, Stripe, Twitter, Instagram, Twilio, Docker and many more. Despite this incredible success, in 2017, Chris and his wife, Crystal announced they would be stepping back from day to day investing to focus on ongoing efforts to rescue our democracy, heal the planet, promote diversity within venture capital. Earlier this year, they announced Lowercarbon Capital, with $800M AUM, with the mission to back companies that make real money slashing CO2 emissions, and buying us time to unf**k the planet. Fun fact: As a result of his incredible investing success Chris has also been a Shark on Shark Tank and even starred in an episode of Billions. In Today's Episode with Chris Sacca You Will Learn: 1.) How Chris made his way into the world of investing having started life as a lawyer? What was his first investment? How did the first Twitter $25K angel check come about? 2.) How does Chris evaluate his own relationship to money and wealth? Why did Chris and Crystal interview some of the wealthiest people? What did they learn from those discussions? How does Chris view the role of luck? Why was it when Chris lacked optimism he lost the most money? How did being $4M in the hole from public markets impact his mindset? 3.) What does it mean for Chris to bring up healthy and happy children? Why does Chris believe today's parenting has bred a generation of asshole kids? In what way is great parenting aligned to great team management? How does Chris give feedback to his teams vs his children? What tone should be used? Should it always be "radical candor"? Should it be immediate? 4.) Does Chris believe that VCs really add any value? What does Chris believe is his secret sauce? Why does Chris believe that as a VC you have to be outspoken and loud about the value you provide? What have been some of the biggest lessons for Chris from sitting on boards and working with Bill Gurley? Why does Chris believe that most VCs are shitty managers? 5.) Why did Chris decide to come back from retirement and found Lowercarbon with Crystal? Why did he not decide to do it all with his own money? Why is now different for climate tech than prior generations of climate tech innovation? How big does Chris want to scale Lowercarbon? Will Chris make more money from climate investing than from tech? Item's Mentioned In Today's Episode with Chris Sacca Chris' Favourite Book: Not Fade Away: A Short Life Well Lived, How To Raise an Adult
Twenty Minute VC Podcast Notes Key Takeaways “It may be lucky but it's not an accident” – Chris SaccaDon't dismiss your success, it will always be an unexpected combo of luck and hard work“Training by way of tragedy. When things are going up you tend to correlate it with talent, when things are going down you tend to correlate it with luck.”– Chris SaccaWith more experience, you eventually invert this curve. You learn how to properly self-reflect on your own failures and successesLet the large amount of good in the world outweigh the small amount of badWhen investing or decision making in general, don't let the small potential for bad results overpower your ability to say yes“There's a surplus of assholes coming down the pipeline”– Chris SaccaMany young adults growing up in computer science have never had a job that required human interaction, shaping their interpersonal capabilities often for the worseThe sheer ease of access to information is contributing to this as well as kids are not used to hearing noChris is leading the climate change firmLowercarbon Capitol where every deal has the potential for more than 1 gigaton of carbon removalClimate change efforts are not just charitable, they are profitableRead the full notes @ podcastnotes.org Chris Sacca is the Founder and Chairman @ Lowercase Capital, one of the best performing funds in the history of venture capital with a portfolio including Uber, Stripe, Twitter, Instagram, Twilio, Docker and many more. Despite this incredible success, in 2017, Chris and his wife, Crystal announced they would be stepping back from day to day investing to focus on ongoing efforts to rescue our democracy, heal the planet, promote diversity within venture capital. Earlier this year, they announced Lowercarbon Capital, with $800M AUM, with the mission to back companies that make real money slashing CO2 emissions, and buying us time to unf**k the planet. Fun fact: As a result of his incredible investing success Chris has also been a Shark on Shark Tank and even starred in an episode of Billions. In Today's Episode with Chris Sacca You Will Learn: 1.) How Chris made his way into the world of investing having started life as a lawyer? What was his first investment? How did the first Twitter $25K angel check come about? 2.) How does Chris evaluate his own relationship to money and wealth? Why did Chris and Crystal interview some of the wealthiest people? What did they learn from those discussions? How does Chris view the role of luck? Why was it when Chris lacked optimism he lost the most money? How did being $4M in the hole from public markets impact his mindset? 3.) What does it mean for Chris to bring up healthy and happy children? Why does Chris believe today's parenting has bred a generation of asshole kids? In what way is great parenting aligned to great team management? How does Chris give feedback to his teams vs his children? What tone should be used? Should it always be "radical candor"? Should it be immediate? 4.) Does Chris believe that VCs really add any value? What does Chris believe is his secret sauce? Why does Chris believe that as a VC you have to be outspoken and loud about the value you provide? What have been some of the biggest lessons for Chris from sitting on boards and working with Bill Gurley? Why does Chris believe that most VCs are shitty managers? 5.) Why did Chris decide to come back from retirement and found Lowercarbon with Crystal? Why did he not decide to do it all with his own money? Why is now different for climate tech than prior generations of climate tech innovation? How big does Chris want to scale Lowercarbon? Will Chris make more money from climate investing than from tech? Item's Mentioned In Today's Episode with Chris Sacca Chris' Favourite Book: Not Fade Away: A Short Life Well Lived, How To Raise an Adult
The Twenty Minute VC: Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
Chris Sacca is the Founder and Chairman @ Lowercase Capital, one of the best performing funds in the history of venture capital with a portfolio including Uber, Stripe, Twitter, Instagram, Twilio, Docker and many more. Despite this incredible success, in 2017, Chris and his wife, Crystal announced they would be stepping back from day to day investing to focus on ongoing efforts to rescue our democracy, heal the planet, promote diversity within venture capital. Earlier this year, they announced Lowercarbon Capital, with $800M AUM, with the mission to back companies that make real money slashing CO2 emissions, and buying us time to unf**k the planet. Fun fact: As a result of his incredible investing success Chris has also been a Shark on Shark Tank and even starred in an episode of Billions. In Today's Episode with Chris Sacca You Will Learn: 1.) How Chris made his way into the world of investing having started life as a lawyer? What was his first investment? How did the first Twitter $25K angel check come about? 2.) How does Chris evaluate his own relationship to money and wealth? Why did Chris and Crystal interview some of the wealthiest people? What did they learn from those discussions? How does Chris view the role of luck? Why was it when Chris lacked optimism he lost the most money? How did being $4M in the hole from public markets impact his mindset? 3.) What does it mean for Chris to bring up healthy and happy children? Why does Chris believe today's parenting has bred a generation of asshole kids? In what way is great parenting aligned to great team management? How does Chris give feedback to his teams vs his children? What tone should be used? Should it always be "radical candor"? Should it be immediate? 4.) Does Chris believe that VCs really add any value? What does Chris believe is his secret sauce? Why does Chris believe that as a VC you have to be outspoken and loud about the value you provide? What have been some of the biggest lessons for Chris from sitting on boards and working with Bill Gurley? Why does Chris believe that most VCs are shitty managers? 5.) Why did Chris decide to come back from retirement and found Lowercarbon with Crystal? Why did he not decide to do it all with his own money? Why is now different for climate tech than prior generations of climate tech innovation? How big does Chris want to scale Lowercarbon? Will Chris make more money from climate investing than from tech? Item's Mentioned In Today's Episode with Chris Sacca Chris' Favourite Book: Not Fade Away: A Short Life Well Lived, How To Raise an Adult
A look at our discussions for season two of In Conversation with Shopify Plus, featuring:Philip Krim, co-founder and CEO, CasperWeb Smith, founder, 2PMPayal Kadakia, founder and executive chairman, ClassPassAriel Kaye, founder and CEO, ParachuteHeather Hasson and Trina Spear, co-founders and co-CEOs, FIGSChris Sacca, co-founder, Lowercarbon Capital
This week, Alexis resumes getting non-technical with Chris Sacca, Co-Founder of Lowercarbon Capital. They talk about prop bets in Vegas gone wrong (or right?), the mid-Atlantic accent, a caffeinated affair to remember, and the *subtle* art of national TV name-drops.You can find Chris on Twitter at twitter.com/sacca and Alexis at twitter.com/yayalexisgay and twitter.com/NonTechnicalPod or instagram.com/yayalexisgay. This episode is sponsored by Privacy.com! Privacy.com lets you buy things online using virtual cards instead of using your real ones, so you can protect your identity and bank information on the internet. Right now, new customers will automatically get $5 to spend on their first purchase. You can go to http://privacy.com/nontechnical to sign up now.
This week, Alexis gets non-technical with Chris Sacca, Co-Founder of Lowercarbon Capital. They talk about Oxford Cowboys, icing Travis Kalanick (yes, that kind of icing), spending a decade in the friendzone, subverting the princess-industrial complex, and what vintage Ts have to do with succeeding as a lawyer.You can find Chris on Twitter at twitter.com/sacca and Alexis at twitter.com/yayalexisgay and instagram.com/yayalexisgay or twitter.com/NonTechnicalPod.This episode is brought to you by Privacy.com: Privacy.com lets you buy things online using virtual cards instead of using your real ones, so you can protect your identity and bank information on the internet. Right now, new customers will automatically get $5 to spend on their first purchase. You can go to http://privacy.com/nontechnical to sign up now!
Alex Laplaza, Principal at Lowercarbon Capital, joins Sheiny to discuss his passion and dedication to accelerate global decarbonization and scaling climate change solutions across power, agriculture, transportation, industry, and beyond. We go into depth behind his love for travel and service which ultimately unleashed his curiosity on understanding how to analyze climate solutions. We discuss the work he's done to accelerate clean energy access and deployment in emerging markets, including South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Africa. We go deeper into his Fulbright Scholarship in rural Indonesia researching the nexus of climate resilience, energy access, and food and water security at the frontlines of climate change while also getting an understanding as to why he wanted to get involved with a VC firm, in Lowercarbon Capital, instead of doing more policy work around climate solutions. Beyond the Profile is a podcast where we discuss hard-hitting career stories with professionals of all ages. We're looking to get into the nitty gritty when it comes to breaking down our guests' career paths, why did they choose the industry/company they work for, where did their passions come from, and what are they looking to do to make a difference in the future for the work they're involved in. This is a chance for all of us to learn and potentially implement how these guests go about their business, decision-making, and ultimately how they found a love for their craft. Please subscribe, rate, and review! Alex's Info: TWTR: @a_laplaza LinkedIn: @Alex Laplaza IG: @laplaza_ Follow us on: IG: @beyondtheprofile TWTR: @beyndtheprofile LinkedIn: @beyond-the-profile YouTube: @Beyond the Profile Music: www.bensound.com
From carbon capture to hydrogen to climate intervention/geo-engineering to synthetic biology and more, exciting new tech, and new uses of established tech, are transforming how we work to slow and reverse climate change. Clay Dumas, Partner at Lowercarbon Capital, is watching the growth in climate tech companies carefully, and investing in them: his investment thesis, described on the Lowercarbon Capital website, is to “support the firm's preposterously ambitious companies working to undo global warming while making real money in the process.”To him, this is why they founded the Lowercarbon Capital, as well as the best way to encourage progress: “Investing in some of these early stage technologies might be the fastest this way to achieve what it was that we had set out to do, which is to bring down concentrations of atmospheric CO2 and over the course of the next three years, as what began as an opportunistic investing deal by deal and turn into a full fledged venture fund.”Listen for an assessment of the breakthrough technologies in climate tech right now, from someone who is putting his money where his mouth is. Follow Clay on TwitterFollow Lowercarbon Capital on TwitterTechstars personnel and/or guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, and not the opinion of either Techstars or any company discussed in this podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities are for illustrative and/or informational purposes only and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investor or prospective investor, and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any fund managed by Techstars. Certain of Techstars funds own (or may own in the future) securities in some of the companies discussed in this podcast. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.