John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins with Ryan Panchadsaram + VC Sunday School: cap table management | E1379

Feb 6, 2022

Ryan Panchadsaram, co-author of "Speed & Scale" and expert in technology and public policy, joins John Doerr, a venture capital titan from Kleiner Perkins, to tackle the pressing climate crisis. They unpack six objectives for achieving zero emissions by 2050 and highlight the vital role of nuclear energy. The duo reveals the biggest obstacles to climate progress, shares insights from funding solar startups, and discusses what defines exceptional entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos. It's a rich conversation on innovation and responsibility in the face of climate challenges.

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ANECDOTE

John Doerr's Investments

John Doerr joined the podcast and discussed his book Speed & Scale.
Doerr invested in companies like Google, Amazon, Intuit, and more.

INSIGHT

Hope in Climate Crisis

The climate crisis is dire, but technological advancements offer hope.
Collective action and aggressive measures are crucial.

INSIGHT

Climate Action Plan

Speed & Scale provides a climate action plan with objectives and key results.
It offers a blueprint for transforming society to reach zero emissions.

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John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins joins to discuss his lessons from a career of investing and his new book "Speed & Scale: An Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis Now," alongside his co-author Ryan Panchadsaram.

But first, Jason gives a 10-minute crash course on how to navigate messy cap tables in our latest VC Sunday School segment (1:54).

Then John and Ryan join Molly and Jason for a conversation (15:11). In this episode, you will learn:

1. The six objectives and four accelerants to reach zero emissions by 2050

2. Why Nuclear power is an important part of the plan, but cannot be the only solution

3. The biggest blockers to rapid climate progress and why "the climate crisis is under-hyped"

4. Hard-won lessons from funding solar companies

5. How John assesses founders and develops conviction to invest

6. Indications John saw that Jeff Bezos was an exceptional entrepreneur

7. Where investors should focus to drive the biggest output

(0:00) Jason and Molly intro the show, John Doerr, saving the climate and cap tables
(01:54) VC Sunday School - When is a Cap table too messy?
(07:29) Why VCs want founders to maintain more than 50% equity in the seed round
(10:02) Odoo - Get your first app free and a $1000 credit at https://odoo.com/twist
(11:08) What are the metrics for a red flag?
(15:11) Interview - John Doerr and Ryan Panchadsaram, on the path to zero emissions
(20:44) Bubble. Get one month free of a no-code plan at https://bubble.io/twist
(22:17) Six objectives to reach zero emissions
(30:22) The four accelerants needed to cut emissions in half by 2030 and hit the target by 2050
(31:28) Revelo - Get 20% off the first 3 months by mentioning TWIST at https://revelo.io/twist
(32:56) Where investors can focus to drive the biggest change, why the time for "individual action has passed" and we need collective action
(35:22) Why Nuclear power is an important part of the plan, but will not be deployed in time
(42:06) Identifying the biggest blockers to rapid progress
(47:37) Lessons from funding solar companies, why they require more capital and more intellectual rigor
(51:32) How Kleiner's early climate investment portfolio performed
(54:40) How Jason came to own the Roadster that KP Partner Ray Lane had ordered
(56:29) How Kleiner invests in Beyond Meat
(58:16) How John assesses founders and develops conviction to invest
(1:03:52) John spending time with Jeff Bezos, how Jeff actually knew how to pull his own revenue numbers with a UNIX grep command
(1:07:49) Why John thinks the Climate Crisis is under-hyped
(1:16:13) Where should investors focus?

Read Speed & Scale: https://speedandscale.com

FOLLOW John: https://twitter.com/johndoerr
FOLLOW Ryan: https://twitter.com/rypan
FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis
FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood