# Can 'deeptech' venture capital solve climate change?

- Show: [Catalyst](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst)
- Published: 2021-11-11
- Length: 51m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2021-11-11-can-deeptech-venture-capital-solve-climate-change
- Listen: https://www.canarymedia.com/podcasts/catalyst-with-shayle-kann

## Summary

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.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2021-11-11-can-deeptech-venture-capital-solve-climate-change#t=7) Introduction: The Deep Tech Climate VC Question
- [5:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2021-11-11-can-deeptech-venture-capital-solve-climate-change#t=305) Lessons from CleanTech 1.0 and the MIT Report
- [13:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2021-11-11-can-deeptech-venture-capital-solve-climate-change#t=815) Argument 1: Capital Intensity and Follow-on Funding
- [19:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2021-11-11-can-deeptech-venture-capital-solve-climate-change#t=1149) Argument 2: Commodity Markets and Green Premiums
- [32:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2021-11-11-can-deeptech-venture-capital-solve-climate-change#t=1921) Argument 3: Timeline to Commercialization and Exits
- [36:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2021-11-11-can-deeptech-venture-capital-solve-climate-change#t=2186) Argument 4: The Exit Landscape and Public Markets
- [42:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2021-11-11-can-deeptech-venture-capital-solve-climate-change#t=2538) New Drivers: Market Size, Talent, and Ecosystem
- [48:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2021-11-11-can-deeptech-venture-capital-solve-climate-change#t=2881) Verdict: Deep Tech VC is Working Now

## Topics

- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Energy Impact Partners (company)
- Prime Movers Lab (company)
- Tesla (company)
- QuantumScape (company)
- Sunrun (company)
- SolarCity (company)
- Better Place (company)
- First Solar (company)
- EnergyHub (company)
- Uber (company)
- Lyft (company)
- WeWork (company)
- SoftBank Vision Fund (company)
- Rivian (company)
- Too Simple (company)
- Orsted (company)
- SSAB (company)
- RE100 (other)
- Climate Works Foundation (company)
- Activate (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [The Deep Tech Revolution: Solving Climate Change with Five Industry Leaders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2025-01-16-the-deep-tech-revolution-solving-climate-change-with-five-industry-leaders) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [Deep Tech Investing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-08-02-deep-tech-investing) (Oxide and Friends)
- [Gigatons of Impact: Why Climate Hardware Needs Catalytic Capital](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2025-06-19-gigatons-of-impact-why-climate-hardware-needs-catalytic-capital) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [From Solar’s 90% Cost Crash to AI’s Energy Surge: The Economics Driving Climate Tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2025-09-16-from-solars-90-cost-crash-to-ais-energy-surge-the-economics-driving-climate-tech) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [Nurturing Deep Tech Startups to Address Climate Change: A Conversation with Andrew Gollach of HAX](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-12-21-nurturing-deep-tech-startups-to-address-climate-change-a-conversation-with-andre) (Hardware to Save a Planet)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2021-11-11-can-deeptech-venture-capital-solve-climate-change. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Catalyst.