Water Tech with Burnt Island Ventures

Jan 9, 2024

Tom Ferguson, founder and managing partner of Burnt Island Ventures, discusses the importance of water in the context of climate change and the need for infrastructure upgrades. He explores the different water tech categories and the role of software and hardware in water tech solutions. Tom also highlights the need for improved storytelling and lobbying efforts in the water industry, as well as the challenges and opportunities faced by entrepreneurs in the water tech industry.

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Introduction

00:00 • 5min

Water's Role in Climate Change and Global Stability

04:46 • 12min

Exploring the Importance of Wastewater and Climate Resiliency in Water Tech

16:23 • 3min

Water Systems Design Challenges and the Impact of Data Centers

18:57 • 9min

Leadership Style Change, Entrepreneurial Culture, and Challenges in the Water Industry

27:35 • 3min

Challenges and Opportunities in the Water Tech Industry

30:09 • 9min

The Need for Effective Financing in the Water Sector

39:21 • 14min

The Origin of Burnt Island Ventures and its Analogy to Startups

53:07 • 3min

Tom Ferguson is founder and managing partner at Burnt Island Ventures, which is an early-stage venture capital fund focused on technologies related to water. Burnt Island's website notes that climate change is water change. And that water is the medium through which we will feel the effects of a warming earth.

Tom has been working in water for over a decade, first at the sustainability consultancy, ERM, then at Imagine H2O, a non-profit startup accelerator for water startups. He’s been at Burnt Island Ventures since 2020.

Tom and Cody have an in-depth conversation about the categories in the water tech space, the types of startups that are emerging, how incumbents are navigating the rapidly changing environment in which they find themselves, and the types of investments he targets with this firm. There are whole episodes to be recorded in each of Burnt Island Ventures' focus areas, but for now we appreciate learning about water from Tom’s perspective.

In this episode, we cover:

Importance of water in the context of climate change
Changing global water systems and the need for infrastructure upgrades
Burnt Island's approach to different water categories
The role of software and hardware in water tech solutions
Corporate water pledges
The importance of embracing entrepreneurial innovation while balancing production success
Burnt Island's portfolio breakdown
The need for improved storytelling and lobbying efforts in the water industry
First-of-a-kind projects in the water space
Tom's climate journey and how he ended up at Burnt Island
The investment focus and criteria of Burnt Island Ventures
The launch of the podcast "The Fundamental Molecule" by Burnt Island Ventures

Episode recorded on Dec 7, 2023 (Published on Jan 9, 2024)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant