Climate tech investor podcast
Plus, $200M for long duration energy storage, $12B of fresh powder for climate private equity, climate CEO interview with GreenSpark, tips (image) for better pitches, and Lao Tzu wisdom bombs
Climate investor podcast — David Miller, Managing Partner of Clean Energy Ventures
In our recent Climate Torch podcast episode, David and I chatted about Clean Energy Ventures’ investment thesis, preferred investment amount, startup valuations, lessons learned from 50+ investments in climate tech, and highlights from three of their current portfolio companies:
Pearl Certification — “Changing the game for high-performance home value, making it visible today and decades from now to benefit homeowners and the professionals who serve them”
ClearTrace — Enabling stakeholders to track, trace, match and manage their clean energy footprint while simplifying data-driven attestation of sustainability goals and mandates”
Nth Cycle — “Turning battery recycling waste streams into profitable commodities”
We also talked about their tool, the Simple Emissions Reduction Calculator (SERC), which allows them, and any investor or startup, to understand their GHG reduction potential.
Listen to the podcast, or read our summary transcript here.
Climate CEO podcast — Kevin Schulte, Cofounder of GreenSpark Solar
In another recent Climate Torch podcast episode, Kevin and I talked about GreenSpark Solar’s mission as a certified B Corporation to develop and install hundreds of solar projects per year.
We also covered his career path, necessary evolution from passionate environmentalist into savvy financier, experience catalyzing 1 GW of wind projects, work-life balance, and recommendations for good books and podcasts.
If his positive energy doesn’t ignite you when you listen to the podcast, then you might need to check if you still have a pulse.
Listen to the podcast, or read our summary transcript here.
In case you missed it…
TPG Rise Climate raises $5.4 billion for largest climate-focused private equity fund (Fortune)
Brookfield raises $7 billion for global energy transition fund (Reuters)
Startup (Form Energy) raises $200 million to back its ‘breakthrough’ energy storage battery (PV Magazine)
AppHarvest targets 12 indoor farms by 2025 following $91m Equilibrium Capital injection (Agfunder News)
Wireless charging firm Aira raises $12M (TechCrunch)
Top 10 utility regulation trends of 2021 — so far (Canary Media)
Meati must meet manufacturing & scale challenges head on after its $50m Series B coup (Agfunder News)
Tesla's solar and energy storage business rakes in $810M, finally exceeds cost of revenue (TechCrunch)
Pitch presentation: Try a new sequence.
If you’re an investor who’s ever felt lost in a pitch meeting, or a founder who’s ever wondered if there might be a more compelling way to communicate the awesomeness of your venture, then check this out.
Ash Maurya, the founder of LeanStack and author of Running Lean, has taken lessons from the Business Model Canvas, adapted it for startups, and suggests the following. Read more here.
That’s all, folks.
Make it a great week, because it’s usually a choice.
— Chris
P.S. Do you spend more time taking credit or giving credit?
“A leader is best when people barely know she exists. When her work is done, her aim fulfilled, the team will say: We did it ourselves.”
— Lao Tzu, ancient Chinese philosopher and author of the Tao Te Ching
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Dr. Chris Wedding
Founder and Chief Catalyst, Entrepreneurs for Impact
Climate Masterminds for CXOs, Founders, Investors, and Project Developers
(private peer groups with 11 high performers per cohort)
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Join the Waiting List for our next Climate Mastermind.
The next cohort will close by by Oct. 1. (First come, first serve.)
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Securities offered through Finalis Securities LLC Member FINRA/SIPC. IronOak Energy Capital and Finalis Securities LLC are separate, unaffiliated entities.