#117) 🌎💸 How ESG factors are shaping 20 VC investors
2-min read: Climate, Startups, Productivity, Leadership
Good morning, folks.
In today’s 2-minute read, we’ll cover these 4 nuggets below — as delightful as knowing that your home gym workout at dawn means you’ve already won the day. (Until you get to work, and all plans are out the window.)
Climate Startups & Investment:
#1 — 🌈 Here’s what 20 VC investors say about ESG in their term sheets.
#2 — 🌿 Soil carbon measurement just got $300M.
Productivity & Leadership:
#3 — ⏰ Use these tips to create 10 new hours per week.
#4 — 😂 Forget longevity. Focus on this instead.
Onward and upward,
Chris
P.S. Want more? Read 100+ prior newsletter issues here.
#1 — 🌈 Here’s what VC investors say about ESG in their term sheets.
Don’t guess what investors want when it comes to ESG policies and practices.
Instead, look at 20 example clauses from their term sheets here.
When do these ESG clauses show up?
“According to data from law firm Orrick, ESG pledges appeared most frequently in Series B term sheets — but still in only 30% of them. At seed, it was just 11%.”
Note: These VCs are in the EU and UK, but sometimes those folks predict the future for US sustainability trends. 👀
#2 — 🌿 Soil carbon measurement just got $300M.
Research shows that:
“Soil carbon represents 25% of the potential of natural climate solutions, of which 40% is protection of existing soil carbon and 60% is rebuilding depleted stocks.”
But trapping and tracking carbon in soil is not a piece of cake.
(But they’re related because, you know, flour and wheat and stuff.)
So, this happened this month:
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it will invest $300 million to improve the measurement and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration by the country’s agriculture and forestry sectors.
The fund will be from the country’s climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The Act provided about $20 billion in total investments to boost climate-smart agriculture and forestry practices.”
Did someone say inflection point?
#3 — ⏰ Use these tips to create 10 new hours per week.
I’m not a ruthless person.
Except when it comes to my calendar.
And the climate tech startup CEOs in our peer group program at Entrepreneurs for Impact are always looking for ways to “schedule their priorities instead of prioritizing their schedule.”
So, below is a resource I put together on the topic. Hopefully, it stimulates some new ideas for you and your teams.
(Beware: Results may vary. Widely. 😏)
#4 — 😂 Forget longevity. Focus on this instead.
What good is a long life if you’re not healthy? Hence, HEALTHSPAN.
Similarly, what good is a long and healthy life if you’re not joyful? Hence, JOYSPAN.
Read more about the scientific benefits behind joy here.
Life is too important to be so serious all the time.
That’s why I indulge my teenage boys and watch South Park cartoons. (There are no sacred cows on that show. 🤯😂)
📓 Two final notes
(1)
If you enjoyed this newsletter, I’d really appreciate it if you sent it to a friend or two (or 20). 🙏
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(2)
If you’d like to learn how to raise capital for your climate tech startup, I’m teaching a short course about this in September. It’s taught live, online, with a cohort of peers.
That’s all, y’all.
Make it a great week, because it’s usually a choice.
Cheers,
Chris
Entrepreneurs for Impact: The #1 climate CEO peer group in North America
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(As evidenced by these photos, I’m an actual human. Not an AI. 🤫 I promise.)
I really enjoyed today’s post. Thank you.
The news about the USDA’s new financial commitment frustrates me. What’s the benefit of spending $300 million measuring, when that money could be put towards implementing regenerative agricultural practices that would draw and capture carbon from the atmosphere?
Am I missing something? All measuring does is validate what scientists have been telling us for 50 years. Climate change is real. We’ve known for at least a decade that conventional farming practices contribute around 74% of nitrous oxide emissions to the atmosphere.
When I was a journalist covering agriculture, I wrote a lot about regenerative farming. Now I write romance novels with environmental themes.
(Linktr.ee/TaraLRoi for info)
Chapters in the Romance novel I’m serializing on my Substack channel now were inspired by what I learned from some brilliant farmers and ag researchers.
I shared your slide deck about optimizing time with family and friends. It validated some things I do already and offered new perspective and new ideas.
I also loved reading your thoughts about healthspan vs lifespan. I’ve been saying this for years to deaf ears. I
have watched several loved ones struggle with chronic debilitating illness for years, in some cases decades. Witnessing their pain inspires me to take care of myself so I can enjoy a Healthy life, no matter how long it lasts.
Thanks for the thought provoking post.