While software may not eat the world, sometimes it seems like it has eaten the venture industry. However, hardware has its merits too. Climatetech investor OnePlanetCapital invests in both, so CEO Matt Jellicoe is well placed to compare them.

Amongst other topics, we talk about:

finding skilled teams for hardware companies
building and scaling hardware companies
sources of IP and protecting it
whether to work with partners or not
where the real challenges in supply chains are
dealing with cash requirements at different stages
the support available in the UK for hardware
how climatetech products need to be no-brainers
getting good gross margins
scaling climatetech companies

Matt brings great insights with deep use of several real life examples to make his points clearer. Enjoy!

00:45 Matt introduces himself and OnePlanetCapital

03:15 Framing hardware vs software

07:00 Finding skilled teams

12:00 Sources of IP and protecting it

15:30 How partners affect options for exit

18:10 Supply chains - where the real challenges are

21:15 Timescales for hardware vs software

24:00 How technology is affecting development times

26:15 Cash requirements at different stages

27:30 InnovateUK, grants and support within the UK

30:30 Funding at later stages

33:00 The need for climatic products to be no-brainers

36:15 Getting good gross margins

38:00 Challenges of bringing climatetech solutions to market at scale

40:30 Are the trends still going in the right direction? Effect of venture bubble

44:00 favourite questions

Links

OnePlanetCapital website: https://www.oneplanet.capital/

Subscribe to the EIS Navigator podcast on most services here: https://the-eis-navigator.captivate.fm/listen

Suggested books and media

Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

Bio

Matt Jellicoe

CEO, OnePlanetCapital

After a corporate career in public companies, Matthew founded and successfully exited two technology businesses in 2012 and 2018 respectively. He has been an active technology investor since 2012 and serves as a Non-Executive Director for two technology businesses. In more recent years he has specialised in sustainable investments.

Matt Jellicoe is one of the founding directors of OnePlanet.Capital - a climate change focused EIS Investment Fund. The fund aims to combine strong investment returns with climate and environmental impact.

Disclaimer

Please note this podcast/interview does not constitute a financial promotion and is provided for informational purposes and should not be construed as an invitation or offer to buy or sell any investments. Please be aware that investments into unquoted companies are high risk, long term and illiquid investments. Your capital is at risk. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Target returns are not guaranteed and forward looking statements are illustrative only and must not be relied upon. Investors should only invest on the basis of reading the full offer documentation.

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