VC unicorn births up 491%
Plus, global startup funding rises 157%, battery sector market map, the 7 rungs of leadership (where are you?), being a coach vs. a critic
More money than God? *
If you peruse the State Of Venture Q2’21 Report from research firm CB Insights, you might be both excited and scared. Perhaps the same way you’d feel if meeting God herself.
The amount of capital raised by startups and their corresponding celestial valuations are historic. See the two graphs below.
So, the question is this:
Do you get in — or get out — while the gettin's good?
The answer?
Yes.
* Not that God would care about any of it. To this end, if you have kids, nephews, or nieces, try eavesdropping (lovingly) on their next conversation about Minecraft or Roblox. The emotional roller coaster my kiddos express when talking about getting more or fewer coins, etc. in these video games sometimes remind me of the silliness we adults exhibit when chasing our “grown up” version of coins (present company included). :)
Reminder: Batteries are much more than just lithium-ion.
But shhhh…
Please don’t tell Tesla, LG Chem, Samsung, BYD, or the other multi-billion companies that are leading this energy storage revolution. (#ThankYou)
Despite having 90%+ market share in batteries today, lithium batteries face a lot of competition.
And for good reasons. Non-lithium varieties can provide greater safety and longer discharge duration, among other benefits.
Here is a small sampling of well-funded alternatives:
Thermal (e.g., Malta, Echogen, BrightEnergy, Highview Power)
Kinetic (e.g., Energy Vault)
Flow batteries (e.g., ESS, Invinity Energy Systems)
Others (e.g., Form Energy, Eos)
To get a sense of the broader market place, check out this helpful graphic from Contrarian Ventures.
And to see how chemical batteries fit into the broader energy storage mix, check out this visual from the World Energy Council.
So, if you missed out on Tesla’s rise, no worries. There are other opportunities in the projected $620 billion to be invested in energy storage by 2050 (Bloomberg).
Surprise: Our growth does not end at age 18.
It’s obvious that kids change a lot — emotionally, intellectually, and physically — from birth through college.
But it’s less common to assume that adults should continue to evolve on these dimensions across multiple decades.
This was the basis for the seminal article on leadership — Seven Transformations of Leadership by David Rooke and William R. Torbert — in Harvard Business Review.
As you read it, consider asking yourself these questions:
What kind of leader do I think am I now?
What answer might my team give? (#BeingDifferentIsOK)
What steps can I take in the next 3 and 12 months to ascend the ladder of leadership that the authors describe?
Seven types of leaders (i.e., from relative caveman to guru):
Opportunist — Wins any way possible (bottom 5%)
Diplomat — Avoids overt conflict
Expert — Rules by logic and expertise (#1 most common style)
Achiever — Meets strategic goals (#2 most common style)
Individualist — Interweaves personal and company objectives
Strategist — Generates personal and organizational transformations (top 4%)
Alchemist — Generates social transformations (top 1%)
The authors conclude with this sobering yet inspirational bit:
“The leader’s voyage of development is not an easy one. Some people change little in their lifetimes; some change substantially. Despite the undeniably crucial role of genetics, human nature is not fixed. Those who are willing to work at developing themselves and becoming more self-aware can almost certainly evolve over time into truly transformational leaders.”
If nothing else, I hope you’ll consider these words — “Some people change little in their lifetimes” — to be personal challenge aimed right at you. Prove them wrong.
That’s all, folks.
Make it a great week, because it’s usually a choice.
— Chris
P.S. Are you a coach or a critic?
“Treat a man as he is, and he will remain as he is.
Treat a man as he can and should be, and he will become as he can and should be.”
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
P.S.S. Thanks to Dr. Beth Gullette, Chief People Person at Well Dot Inc.
Beth is one of our awesome Advisory Board members at Entrepreneurs for Impact. She joined our recent Climate Mastermind meeting to lead a discussion about experiences and tools that we can use to ascend the seven rungs of leadership, as described above. The quote above also came from her. With a PhD in clinical psychology from Duke and training in executive leadership, she is helping to grow Well, a VC-backed health and wellness app that provides personalized recommendations, access to experts, and rewards.
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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 just 11 high achievers per cohort)
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Join the Waiting List for our next Climate Mastermind: Apply here
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