Hardware Podcasts

Can 'deeptech' venture capital solve climate change?

Catalyst · 11 Nov 2021 · 51m

What this episode covers

Shayle Kann of Energy Impact Partners and Ramez Naam of Prime Movers Lab discuss the viability of deep tech venture capital in climate, arguing that the 'wrong model' lesson from the CleanTech 1.0 bust no longer holds. They analyze four key arguments against hard tech investment—capital intensity, commodity competition, long timelines, and exit landscapes—concluding that current market conditions, policy support, and proven winners like Tesla make deep tech investable today. The conversation highlights specific sectors like steel, cement, and battery technology, noting that while a bust may eventually occur, the current infrastructure turnover creates massive opportunities.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Energy Impact Partners, Prime Movers Lab, Tesla, QuantumScape, Sunrun, SolarCity, Better Place, First Solar, EnergyHub, Uber, Lyft, WeWork, SoftBank Vision Fund, Rivian, Too Simple, Orsted, SSAB, Climate Works Foundation, Activate
Also
RE100

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