Nate Loewentheil, founder of Commonweal Ventures and former advisor to President Obama, shares his insights on the intersection of government and climate tech innovation. He discusses how political factors shape climate tech investments and the importance of partnerships with government agencies. The conversation highlights the need for a non-partisan approach to attract talent and funding in a politically charged environment. Nate also emphasizes the crucial role of the Department of Defense in fostering resilience in energy systems through collaboration with startups.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Family of Entrepreneurs
Nate Loewentheil's family has a strong entrepreneurial background, with his grandmother starting a furniture business and his father owning multiple businesses.
Inspired by this, he joined his first tech startup as a freshman at Yale and began angel investing in his early twenties.
insights INSIGHT
Mission-Driven Investing
Commonweal Ventures focuses on solving significant US challenges like climate change, competition with China, and an aging population.
They seek founders driven by these problems, not just those pursuing less impactful ventures.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Government Partnerships
Distinguish between traditional GovTech and leveraging unique government attributes for value creation.
Focus on how government partnerships, like access to national labs or data, can unlock enterprise value.
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Nate Loewentheil is the founder and managing partner of Commonweal Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on solving America's biggest challenges through entrepreneurship. Nate’s career spans angel investing, politics, and public policy. Previously, he served in the Obama White House, advising President Obama on emerging technologies such as clean energy and broadband expansion. His background includes roles in the Yale Entrepreneurial Society, founding the Roosevelt Institution, and advising startups during his time running venture investments for a family office.
Commonweal Ventures invests in pre-seed and seed-stage companies tackling generational challenges such as climate change, competition with China, and an aging population. The firm focuses on startups that leverage government partnerships as a strategic advantage, tapping into resources like national labs, regulatory data, and long-term infrastructure projects.
The firm's investment philosophy distinguishes itself from traditional GovTech by emphasizing the unique ability of government to unlock enterprise value rather than solving it as a "problem to fix." With a bipartisan advisory board that includes former Trump, Bush, Obama, and Clinton administration officials, Common Weal Ventures excels at navigating regulatory landscapes and creating opportunities for impactful innovation.
📝 Show Notes:
Topics
05:54 The Role of Government in Innovation
12:07 Investing in Early-Stage Companies
14:55 Understanding Political Dynamics in Climate Tech
17:52 Preparing for Trump 2.0
27:19 Shifting Political Economy and Government's Role
31:05 Future of Government Involvement in Commercialization
32:56 Engaging with Government Agencies
35:19 Best Practices for Founders in Government Relations
38:08 Investing Dynamics in Climate Tech
42:49 Encouraging Generalist Investors in Climate Tech
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