Bioplastics + 28 SPAC stock prices
Plus, a regenerative agriculture investment primer, smart sensors to address food waste, and new ways to breathe.
Chart: 28 Cleantech SPAC stock prices
In the table below, we see trends similar to our last gut check on climate- or ESG-related SPACs — share prices from early June are about 50-60% lower than their peak prices, with a range of 20% to 98%.
While these are interesting data points, they are not the full story.
As we know, stock prices are often emotional, irrational, or based on timing that has more influence than it should.
Moreover, this is a only subset of all SPACs in our sectors. For a deep diver, check out the Cleantech Group’s article from last month:
First, you gotta love that title!
Second, this stat is telling:
“70% of the 2019-2021 listed SPACs [across all sectors] are still in the search phase. There are 428 of them in total today, carrying an average of $330m in cash proceeds. That sounds like $140bn of capital, of which say $30-40bn might be expected to find a sustainable home in the cleantech innovation theme.”
Third, they argue that SPAC activity is slowing due to two factors:
The investor and advisor community is overwhelmed. There’s only so much marketing and diligence that can happen in any given month.
The SEC is taking a closer look at SPAC accounting and marketing, which could change investor appetite.
However, as with any market trend, the average does not define the exceptional.
The most SPAC-worthy companies can still likely find their way to public liquidity, despite the “python’s food coma.”
Climate CEO interview — Nuha Siddiqui of erthos
erthos is a VC-backed Canadian innovator creating drop in, plant-based replacements for petroleum-derived, single-use plastics.
Whew! That’s a mouthful!
Learn more about Nuha’s entrepreneurial path, how they’re getting to scale and cost competitiveness, their growing team of 20+, her recommended books and podcasts, and favorite quotes like this one:
“Leadership is not necessarily being the loudest voice in the room.”
Here’s the summary transcript and podcast.
Climate CEO interview — Manik Suri of Therma
Therma is a high-tech and simple solution to a big problem that you didn’t know we had.
They provide IoT, smart sensors, and big data offerings to reduce food waste, the mitigation of refrigerants loss with high global warming potential, predictive equipment maintenance, and cost savings — all from better management of the cold chain, which moves $1 trillion worth of inventory from source to consumer each year.
Learn more about Manik’s path from law school through govtech, why cold chain management is more important than you think, their zero-upfront cost subscription service, Therma’s big brand clients, his favorite books and podcasts, and great quotes like this one:
“Tell him to be alone often and get at himself and above all tell himself no lies about himself whatever the white lies and protective fronts he may use amongst other people. Tell him solitude is creative if he is strong and the final decisions are made in silent rooms. He will be lonely enough to have time for the work he knows as his own.”
Here’s the summary transcript and podcast.
Regenerative agriculture — 48 funds + $4B raised
You know it. You might want it. But what the heck is it?
Regenerative ag is gaining investor attention with almost $4B raised across 48 funds with this as part of their thesis.
This new report from CREO — Unlocking Investments in Regenerative Agriculture — is a great primer for figuring out how you might invest in this space.
Background on CREO:
The CREO Syndicate (“CREO”) is a 501c3 public charity founded by wealth owners and family offices — representing over $800 billion of investable capital — with a mission to address the most pressing environmental challenges of our time: Climate change and resource scarcity.
How to breathe: Two simple changes
My wife laughed out loud when she saw this book arrive at our house. “Isn’t breathing very simple? Why read a book on the topic?”
I read it over vacation, and it’s one of the best I’ve ever read.
Awards include the following:
A New York Times Bestseller
A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2020
An Amazon Best Science Book of 2020
2020 ASJA Award-Winner in the General Nonfiction Category
A Goodreads Award Finalist for Best Science & Technology Book of the Year
Named a Best Book of 2020 by NPR
So, what are the two recommended breathing techniques?
Breathe through your nose, not your mouth. Wait, isn’t it all the same oxygen? Nope. Here’s why it’s important.
Whenever you can, slow inhales to six seconds and exhales to six seconds. Go ahead. Try it.
That’s all, folks.
Make it a great week, because it’s usually a choice.
— Chris
P.S. If you’re looking for curated content on a wider array of topics — e.g., cryptocurrency, AI, new product development — check out Faves. It’s a new app for sharing handpicked articles from “Silicon Valley's Greatest Minds.” As if “Twitter and Tik Tok had a baby.” And somehow when they launched with their first 100 influencers, I made this list. (Wait, was my mother somehow involved?)
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Dr. Chris Wedding
Founder and Chief Catalyst, Entrepreneurs for Impact
Peer-to-Peer Advisory Groups + Executive Coaching + Investor Intel for Climate CEOs
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Applications due June 23 for our next Climate Mastermind: Apply here
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Securities offered through Finalis Securities LLC Member FINRA/SIPC. IronOak Energy Capital and Finalis Securities LLC are separate, unaffiliated entities.