Show Notes
JOIN US FOR THE HACK SUMMIT! The HackSummit returns to Newlab on December 10-11, bringing together 500 founders, funders, and industry leaders in Climate Deep Tech. Together we’ll explore abundance, alongside Founders and Investors at Andreessen Horowitz, Brimstone, Crux, DCVC, Durin, Earth AI, Endolith, Navier, Radical AI, Rainmaker, Voyager Ventures and SOSV. Sign up for 10% off here. Silas here! 👋 Before we jump into today’s episode, quick shoutout to Goodwin Law, CSC Leasing, and ErthTech Talent, the backbone behind our CleanTechies Live Podcast at Climate Week. (If you haven’t listened to that yet, check it out first — I’ll be referencing it a lot in this recap.) Quick plug: We also caught a bunch of raw takes from founders and investors between panels and events through candid man on the street interviews you’ll definitely want to see. I’ve finally had some time to process New York Climate Week. This solo episode is part recap, part reflection, but more importantly, it’s my honest take on where we are as a space and why I’m more bullish than ever on clean tech, and here are some of the things that stood out: I’ve never seen founders and investors this locked in. Everyone there was focused, sharp, and hungry. It honestly felt different this year, like the movement finally grew up. Let me walk you through it. Over the past year-ish, people have been asking: “Is the hype gone?” “Will funding drying up?” “Is the climate space cooling off?” What I saw at Climate Week says the exact opposite. Now is the best time to build if you’re a founder. In this episode, I break it down into a few key reasons, but before you dive in, chew on this: “When things get harder, only the best founders stay at the party.” The hype-cycle might be over, but that’s because we’re entering a much more mature version of the movement. So stick around for the mission.P.S. CleanTechies, we have some exciting news for you in the coming weeks/months, so be sure to stick around for that. Check Out Our Sponsor! ErthTech Talent: Affordable CleanTech Search Firm To build a successful CleanTech startup, you need the right people. Affordable: Our search fee is 12-15% of first-year base salary (most charge 25-30%).Specialized: We ONLY work with CleanTech startups. Proven: 70+ placements since 2020 (Aypa Power, ChargeScape, QCells, & more). Save time and money when you work with ErthTech Talent. Plus, Silas runs it, so you already know him. — Reach out today and tell him you saw this ad. Get Started Today Support the show! Upgrade to paid today! It’s $10/month or $100/year. You probably spent that much on random amazon stuff last week. What’s stopping you from upgrading to paid? Upgrade to Paid 📺 Watch on YouTube | 🍎 Apple Podcasts | 🎧 Spotify | 🗣️ Join the Slack Channel 📝 Show Notes: Topics 00:00 – Intro and Sponsor Shoutouts 02:35 – Energy Recap of Climate Week 2024 Why this year felt “different” — investors and founders were laser-focused, no fluff, no tourists. 04:55 – From Insecurity to Certainty How the climate space matured — no longer driven by hype, but grounded in conviction and real results. 06:10 – Oil, Defense, and Climate Tech? A fascinating shift, former “outcasts” from oil and defense now welcome in clean tech spaces, blending worlds for impact. 07:13 – Inside the Climate Capital Summit One of my personal favorites event this year— a reunion of world-class founders and investors 09:40 – Founders More Bullish Than Ever The main-character energy is real — the best founders are staying in the game and hungrier than ever. 10:30 – Why Now Is the Best Time to Be a Climate Tech Founder Where I break down the five powerful reasons driving opportunity right now. 11:00 – Reason #1: A Mature Capital Stack Investors have learned, the ecosystem is organized, and strong capital flows continue despite a cooling market. 11:50 – Reason #2: Energy Prices Fuel Adoption High costs are pushing consumers and corporations toward electrification and renewables fa
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Is the "green premium" trade officially dead? In this episode, Silas Mähner sits down with Mike D’Aurizio, Partner at Bridges Fund Management, to break down the shifting landscape of climate technology. Together, they explore what "climate tech" actually means in a post-CleanTech 1.0 world, why software and AI are taking center stage to solve second-order energy transition bottlenecks, and how founders should navigate positioning and pitching depending on who is in the room. 🚨 Enjoying the show? Upgrade to a paid subscription to support the podcast, unlock exclusive insights, and get full access to our deep dives: https://www.climatecowboys.co/ Key Takeaways & Select Quotes The Death of the Green Premium: "The green premium trade is kind of dead, at least in the United States... but the short answer is yes, actually the longer answer is no, because there’s so many different things within climate tech." — Mike D’Aurizio The End of Puritanism: "Puritanism is never going to get us anywhere... being a big, financially successful company is the path to impact." — Mike D’Aurizio Targeting Problems over Categories: "Ultimately you should be obsessed with a problem and a specific customer type that you want to serve... there is no market called climate tech." — Mike D’Aurizio Solving Second-Order Bottlenecks: "What we’re really talking about are all these second-order effects that come from adopting new infrastructure and new technologies." — Mike D’Aurizio In This Episode, We Cover: 00:00 – Intro & The Jersey City pizza review origin story. 03:41 – Is Climate Tech dead? The death of the "green premium" in North America. 07:09 – Blurring the boundaries: Why a wildfire insurance company is actually a climate tech startup. 12:40 – Techno-optimism: Why profit-driven entrepreneurs, not politicians, will save the planet. 15:53 – The Chameleon Founder: Tailoring your pitch to the specific economic pain points of your buyer. 19:26 – Dropping puritanism: Why massive financial success is the only true path to global impact. 25:05 – The Climate Intelligence Era: Managing the second-order effects of clean infrastructure. 29:28 – Portfolio deep dive: Electric Era (bypassing grid transformer bottlenecks) and Euclid Power (AI for renewable project permitting). Connect & Follow Subscribe to the Newsletter & Podcast: https://www.climatecowboys.co/ Watch on YouTube: Climate Cowboys YouTube Episode Sponsors Lehmann’s Terms: High-stakes media training for clean tech founders and executives. Prepare your message so it actually lands with investors and media. Learn more at ltmediatraining.com. Roosevelt Talent: The secret weapon for top CleanTech and frontier startups. Headhunting, candidate screening, and top-tier hires at half the price of traditional recruiters. Save time and build your all-star team.
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