# The better mousetrap fallacy

- Show: [Catalyst](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst)
- Published: 2024-09-12
- Length: 44m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-09-12-the-better-mousetrap-fallacy

## Summary

Andy Lubershane, head of research and partner at Energy Impact Partners, joins host Shayle Kann to discuss the 'better mousetrap fallacy' in climate tech, arguing that in sectors like solar, batteries, and nuclear, scaling existing technologies is more effective than pursuing incremental innovations. They analyze how the proliferation of options in stationary energy storage and direct air capture (DAC) creates analysis paralysis for buyers, while noting that breakthrough innovations are still required in areas like iron-air batteries and thermal storage. The conversation highlights the importance of distinguishing between markets that need deployment (like Gen 3+ nuclear) and those that require fundamental R&D (like long-duration storage), emphasizing that capital efficiency demands focusing on a few scalable solutions rather than dozens of marginal improvements.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-09-12-the-better-mousetrap-fallacy#t=7) Introduction: The Better Mousetrap Fallacy
- [4:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-09-12-the-better-mousetrap-fallacy#t=265) Defining the Fallacy: Innovation vs. Deployment
- [10:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-09-12-the-better-mousetrap-fallacy#t=608) Solar and Batteries: The Power of Scaling
- [14:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-09-12-the-better-mousetrap-fallacy#t=873) Energy Storage: LFP, Sodium-Ion, and Form Energy
- [25:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-09-12-the-better-mousetrap-fallacy#t=1541) Nuclear: Gen 3+ vs. Next-Gen Reactors
- [33:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-09-12-the-better-mousetrap-fallacy#t=2028) Direct Air Capture: Too Many Startups, Not Enough Buyers
- [41:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-09-12-the-better-mousetrap-fallacy#t=2468) The End of ZIRP and Capital Filtering

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Batteries & low-power design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/batteries-and-low-power)
- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Energy Impact Partners (company)
- Form Energy (company)
- Rondo (company)
- Microsoft (company)
- Frontier (company)
- Lithium-ion (product)
- LFP (product)
- Sodium-ion (product)
- Iron-air (product)
- Thermal storage (product)
- Direct air capture (product)
- Gen 3+ nuclear (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [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)
- [Road trip to the deep space network](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-04-17-road-trip-to-the-deep-space-network) (The Amp Hour)
- [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)
- [The Role of Energy Storage Systems in Combating Climate Change with Mike Wietecki of Powin and John Thomas of ESS](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2024-05-09-the-role-of-energy-storage-systems-in-combating-climate-change-with-mike-wieteck) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [Episode 75: The AI Big $$$ Question](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2024-07-16-episode-75-the-ai-big-question) (The Circuit)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-09-12-the-better-mousetrap-fallacy. 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.