Trillion-Dollar Industries: Early-Stage Clean Tech + World-Positive Startups

Discover how Obvious Ventures reimagines industrial & consumer sectors through sustainable systems, venture capital, & impact-driven investing.

PODCAST GUEST BIO:

Co-led by Managing Director, Andrew Beebe, Obvious invests in world positive early-stage startups like Beyond Meat, Proterra, and Diamond Foundry, and brings perspectives as prior product designers and company operators.

Andrew brings to Obvious Ventures a lifelong passion for building companies around sustainable systems and people power.

For nearly two decades, Andrew has focused on clean technology and clean energy solutions. He started down the clean tech path with Energy Innovations in 2003, which he grew from a business plan to a major solar developer serving customers like Google, Disney, Sony Pictures, and British Telecom. After selling the company to Suntech in 2008, Andrew served as Chief Commercial Officer at Suntech as well as Vice President of Global Product Strategy. During his tenure, Suntech became the largest solar company in the world. After leaving Suntech, Andrew spent two years as Vice President of Distributed Generation for Nextera Energy, the largest clean energy developer in the U.S.

Before his cleantech career, Andrew spent a decade building companies in the early days of “Web 1.0.” In 1998, Andrew co-founded Bigstep.com, an e-commerce platform designed to serve the needs of small businesses entering the Internet age.

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Here's the transcript of the podcast.

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QUESTIONS THAT WE COVERED:

Business

• What is your investment focus — e.g., sector, stage, geography, check size? What makes you unique versus the competition?
• Give us some examples of recent investments that you’re excited about.
• Outside of your current business, what other 1-2 climate or sustainability sectors seem like promising areas in which to start a business? What might those solutions look like?

Personal

• Tell us about 1-2 tips you’d give your “younger” self in order to be faster, more effective, and higher impact.
• What are some habits and routines that keep you focused, healthy, and sane — e.g., meditations, exercise, productivity hacks?
• What recommendations do you have for our audience — books, podcasts, quotes, tools?
• What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you — outside of your own family?

Closing

• Do you have any requests, announcements, or final advice for our listeners?

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PODCAST HOST:

Entrepreneurs for Impact is the only private mastermind community for growth-stage CEOs and investors fighting climate change. We’re on a mission to help climate leaders supercharge their impacts, share best practices, expand their networks, and reach their full potential.

Our invite-only cohorts of 12 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, a member-only Climate Investor Database, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls.

Today’s highly curated Mastermind members represent over $4B in market value and are influencing corporate priorities and infrastructure much larger than that. 

Peer groups are led by Dr. Chris Wedding who brings $1B+ of investment experience, 60,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

• Website: www.entrepreneursforimpact.com
• Membership benefits: https://bit.ly/3l12Gyg
• Sample Mastermind members: https://bit.ly/3ipSehS
• Request more information on membership: https://bit.ly/3mj48eM