Climate CEOs: Scaling Startups "You're Not a Real Climate Tech Investor": How gener8tor Deploys $1.4B Across 1,000 Startups
Ryan Jeffery explains why real climate tech investors act now, how gener8tor picks 5 startups from 500, and lessons from scaling impact-focused ventures globally.
⭐ My guest today is Ryan Jeffery, the Senior Managing Director for gener8tor Sustainability, a leading accelerator investing and supporting startups at the forefront of our climate crisis.
They invest $100k in startups in their 12-week programs.
Over the last ten years, they’ve made investments in 1,000 startups, which have gone on to raise $1.4B.
In addition, Ryan is the:
Founder of Ignite, a diverse and dynamic leadership community in Chicago
Founding Partner at Survival Ventures, which is investing, advising and growing ventures that preserve and protect our planet
Mentor at Impact Engine
And advisor to many more impact startups
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🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:
His delightfully provocative LinkedIn post that starts with this zinger: “If you're a climate tech investor sitting on your hands waiting for better market conditions before deploying more capital, then you're not a real climate tech investor. The climate doesn't care about market conditions.”
How he views fiduciary duty in light of the urgency for tackling climate change
Why they’re one of the world’s biggest startup accelerators that no one has ever heard of
How they pick 5 out of 500 startups to join each accelerator cohort
Lessons learned from his 3 prior ventures and investing in dozens of startups
Why 93% of their investments take place outside of California, Massachusetts, and New York
What the top founders do well – e.g., laser-focused on customer needs, sending out monthly update lists to “friends of the company”
Why Brandi Carlil’s song “The Eye” is relevant to startups and parenting
And lots more
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