Investing in energy tech with Philipp Emig (Senior Vice President @ Picus Capital)

Apr 8, 2025

Philipp Emig, Senior Vice President at Picus Capital, specializes in early-stage investments in energy and climate technology. In this discussion, he unveils how startups can successfully navigate the evolving landscape of energy funding. He highlights key trends, including the decline in climate tech investment and the rise of innovative energy storage solutions. Emig also explores the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in diverse markets and the need for adaptive strategies, emphasizing the role of venture capital in the green transition.

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ADVICE

Early-Stage Investing Definition

Early-stage investing typically encompasses pre-seed to Series B funding rounds.
Pre-seed focuses on the initial ideation and business model development before incorporation.

INSIGHT

Evolving Funding Landscape

Increased funding options exist now compared to 2018, with more VCs comfortable investing at the pre-seed stage.
Pre-seed investing often prioritizes teams with market knowledge or exceptional problem-solving abilities.

INSIGHT

Climate Tech Focus

Climate tech investing spans a spectrum from deep tech hardware to pure software solutions.
Philipp Emig's firm focuses on software, data, and asset-leveraging models, avoiding pure hardware plays.

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As the energy transition accelerates, the landscape of start-up funding is evolving, particularly in the energy storage sector. The impact of the recent downturns and the growing complexity of the capital stack means energy start-ups need to be ahead of the curve to secure funding in an ever-changing environment.

From scaling energy technologies across diverse regulatory environments to the opportunities facing climate tech entrepreneurs today, the world of venture capital is changing and so must the strategies to ensure success.

In todays’s episode, Philipp Emig, Senior Vice President at Picus Capital, joins Quentin to discuss how start-up get funded in the energy transition. Throughout the conversation, you’ll hear about:

The role of venture capital and early stage investing in climate tech and Picas Capital's focus in this.
Trends in climate tech funding - from the decline in funding levels to the successes of battery and home energy control technologies.
Differences between energy markets and comparisons of energy market development stages across regions.
The importance of different types of investors at various stages of company growth.
Grid-scale energy storage solutions and the potential for software-driven asset management in the energy sector

About our guest

Picus Capital invest in early-stage technology ventures with a focus on energy & climate, fintech, enterprise infrastructure, generative ai, cybersecurity, healthcare, and enterprise application, specializing in Pre-Seed, Seed and Series A ventures.

For more information on what Picus Capital do, check out their website.

Philipp joined Picus Capital in 2021, where he focuses on energy & climate investments, as well as on pre-seed stage efforts. Prior to this, Philipp worked for McKinsey & Company in Munich and advised clients across Europe in the energy, mobility and process industry mainly on innovation, strategy and sustainability topics.

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets.

All of our podcasts are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter. Check out The Energy Academy, our bite-sized video series breaking down how power markets work.