CleanTechies

In this episode Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) and Eileen Waris (@eileen_waris) have a conversation about her experience, what they are doing at Energize Capital (FKA Energize Ventures), the state of climate tech VC, advice to founders, and a lot more. We had the pleasure to speak with them on the day they changed their name and announced the close of their second growth fund ($300m)Reach out to Eileen: ewaris@energizecap.comEnjoy the Episode! 🌎📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter. Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5----- Links: **Electrifying Everything 2023: https://www.energizecap.com/news-insights/electrifying-everything-2023-edition-2 **Connect with Eileen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileen-waris-98632564/**Energize Capital Website: https://www.energizecap.com/**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/**HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner----- Other episodes you might enjoy:**Most Recent Episode: Consultative VC, Understanding Customers (as a VC), Developing Industry Networks for Your PortCos, & More w/ Rick Zullo (Equal Ventures)**Similar Topic: The Future of the EU Climate VC Landscape, Transparency, & Challenges: Exploring Climate Tech Investing w/ Heidi Lindvall (Pale Blue Dot)**Something Totally Different: Sawdust to Chemicals; Building a Support the showIf you're gonna change the world, you're gonna need a world-class team. Partner with ErthTech Talent to help you do that, for less. 70+ Placements 5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech) The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary) 90-day placement guarantee It's really hard to say no to that. Wait?! -- The best service is also the cheapest? Seems too good to be true, but it's the entire reason we started this company. We believe that Climate entrepreneurs are doing important work, and there should be a firm to help them find the best talent, without it breaking the bank. Reach out today for a free assessment of your hiring process. hello@erthtechtalent.com

In this episode Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) and Rick Zullo (@Rick_Zullo) discuss, Rick's career trajectory to VC, the thesis behind Equal Ventures, his thoughts on the CTVC's H1 Funding report, and his advice to founders and VCs. This episode is densely packed with value as Rick has clearly thought a lot about these problems. Perhaps my favorite takeaways are 1) that he views VC as more Consulting with Equity than banking and 2) was how they develop industry connections and understanding so that they can actually help their PortCos succeed. Enjoy the Episode! 🌎📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter. Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5----- Links: **Connect w/ Rick on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickzullo/**Follow Rick on Twitter (X.com): https://twitter.com/Rick_Zullo **Equal VC Website: https://www.equal.vc/**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/**HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner----- Other episodes you might enjoy:**Most Recent Episode: How Logical Buildings Built the First Residential & C&I Energy Management Service w/ CEO, Jeff Hendler**Similar Topic: How to Raise Money for your ClimateTech Startup w/ Tommy Leep, founder of Jetstream VC**Something Totally Different: How to build an MVP with a complex ClimateTech Startup - Andy Frank, Founder of SealedSupport the showIf you're gonna change the world, you're gonna need a world-class team. Partner with ErthTech Talent to help you do that, for less. 70+ Placements 5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech) The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary) 90-day placement guarantee It's really hard to say no to that. Wait?! -- The best service is also the cheapest? Seems too good to be true, but it's the entire reason we started this company. We believe that Climate entrepreneurs are doing important work, and there should be a firm to help them find the best talent, without it breaking the bank. Reach out today for a free assessment of your hiring process. hello@erthtechtalent.com

In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) speaks w/ Jeff Hendler Co-Founder and CEO of Logical Buildings (@logicalbldgs) about his journey from Wall Street, to the Utility, to founding a Smart Building company. We also cover how their Grid Rewards program works, how a company like this can be competitive, and what he sees as the next big challenge to solve. Enjoy the Episode! 🌎📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter. Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5----- Topics: **5:26 How he Founded Logical Buildings**16:39 What Grid Services Are**29:26 How to Win in the Market**36:43 Partner Relationships**43:24 Advice on Talent**48:51 Biggest Upcoming Challenges----- Links: **Jeff on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-hendler-568b4210**Logical Buildings: https://logicalbuildings.com/**Grid Rewards: https://www.gridrewards.com/**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/**HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner----- Other episodes you might enjoy:**Most Recent Episode: Reflecting on H1 2023 CT Funding & Discussing Transferable Tax Credits Along with the Opportunities they Present (Somil & Silas)**Similar Topic: CleanTechies, the Podcast #15 - Brian Turner (Buildings IoT)**Something Totally Different: Helping Utilities Utilize Wasted Data with Sean Murphy of PingThingsSupport the showIf you're gonna change the world, you're gonna need a world-class team. Partner with ErthTech Talent to help you do that, for less. 70+ Placements 5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech) The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary) 90-day placement guarantee It's really hard to say no to that. Wait?! -- The best service is also the cheapest? Seems too good to be true, but it's the entire reason we started this company. We believe that Climate entrepreneurs are doing important work, and there should be a firm to help them find the best talent, without it breaking the bank. Reach out today for a free assessment of your hiring process. hello@erthtechtalent.com

In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) and Somil Aggarwal (@Somil_Agg) have a discussion about two things. First, their thoughts and reaction to the H1, 2023 Funding Report by CTVC Second, a conversation around the transferable tax credits created by the IRA and what areas we think are the biggest areas for growth or opportunity because of those. Hope you enjoy this episode! 🌎📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter. Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5Links: **Connect with Silas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/silasmahner/ **Connect with Somil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/somil-aggarwal/**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/**HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner----- Other episodes you might enjoy:**Most Recent Episode: Incubating Climate Risk / Insurance Solutions as Traditional Insurers Pull Back w/ Stephen Brittain (Insurtech Gateway)**Similar Topic: Hard Truths About VC, Raising Advice, & Small Fund Limitations w/ Susan Su (Toba Capital)**Something Totally Different: How Microfinance Helps Unbanked & The Climate Vulnerable w/ Celyn & Kristen (ShareChange)Support the showIf you're gonna change the world, you're gonna need a world-class team. Partner with ErthTech Talent to help you do that, for less. 70+ Placements 5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech) The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary) 90-day placement guarantee It's really hard to say no to that. Wait?! -- The best service is also the cheapest? Seems too good to be true, but it's the entire reason we started this company. We believe that Climate entrepreneurs are doing important work, and there should be a firm to help them find the best talent, without it breaking the bank. Reach out today for a free assessment of your hiring process. hello@erthtechtalent.com

In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) speaks w/ Stephen Brittain from Insurtech Gateway (@Ideas_Gateway). They are incubating Impact Risk Mitigation and Insurance Companies / Products. On the back end, they invest and connect these companies with partners in the insurance space and other VCs. Today's conversation is a bit high-level but has many great insights. Enjoy the Episode! 🌎📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter. Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5Topics: **2:29 Intro**7:05 What Insurtech Gateway is (this is the section that will be swapped with the second recording)**12:26 How insurance works and what they are doing differently**19:13 How they identify the right CO's**27:21 How to determine which areas to work on**32:20 The process of finding founders and taking them through the incubation process**43:46 FloodFlash**53:13 Preventing ahead of issues**54:42 Smoothing out the price issues**1:01:04 What milestones need to be hit to really go onto Series A**1:06:49 How insurance factories are partnering with these startups**1:10:55 Who he wants to meet Links: **Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenbrittain/**Insurtech Gateway: https://www.insurtechgateway.com/**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: **HMU on Twitter: @silasmahnerOther episodes you might enjoy:**Most Recent Episode: How to not be Another Failed Green Plastics Chemistry Company, Refugee shelters, & Selling to Producers, not Brands w/ Alex Blum (Applied Bioplastics)**Similar Topic: The Future of Clean Energy, Materials/Mfg, & the CircularSupport the showIf you're gonna change the world, you're gonna need a world-class team. Partner with ErthTech Talent to help you do that, for less. 70+ Placements 5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech) The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary) 90-day placement guarantee It's really hard to say no to that. Wait?! -- The best service is also the cheapest? Seems too good to be true, but it's the entire reason we started this company. We believe that Climate entrepreneurs are doing important work, and there should be a firm to help them find the best talent, without it breaking the bank. Reach out today for a free assessment of your hiring process. hello@erthtechtalent.com

In this episode Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) speaks w/ Alex Blum (@AlexBlum4Austin) Co-Founder and CEO of Applied Bioplastics (@abioplastics) about his journey into founding the company, their experience commercializing the tech, their business model, and his advice to other founders doing something similar. In addition to having some great stories and things to say, Alex is also quite funny so it's a triple whammy episode. If you're a founder creating alternative plastic chemistry, you should be sure to listen to the part about where to sell into the supply chain (~48 min).Enjoy the Episode! 🌎📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter. Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5----- Topics: **2:33 Intro**4:59 Alex's Story**13:10 Discovering the Tech**21:08 Why Housing**31:36 Tech Development Process**39:11 The Biz Model**49:45 How Others selling into the space should be done**57:43 How their biz is split**1:10:26 Don't be afraid to walk into the fire ----- Links: **Blossoms from Ash Documentary: https://youtu.be/M96s2I907gw **Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexappliedbio/**Applied Bioplastics Website: https://appliedbioplastics.com/**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/**HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner----- Other episodes you might enjoy:**Most Recent Episode: The Future of the EU Climate VC Landscape, Transparency, & Challenges: Exploring Climate Tech Investing w/ Heidi Lindvall (Pale Blue Dot)**Similar Topic: Utilizing Carbon in Everyday Products w/ Aaron Fitzgerald of Support the showIf you're gonna change the world, you're gonna need a world-class team. Partner with ErthTech Talent to help you do that, for less. 70+ Placements 5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech) The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary) 90-day placement guarantee It's really hard to say no to that. Wait?! -- The best service is also the cheapest? Seems too good to be true, but it's the entire reason we started this company. We believe that Climate entrepreneurs are doing important work, and there should be a firm to help them find the best talent, without it breaking the bank. Reach out today for a free assessment of your hiring process. hello@erthtechtalent.com

In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) speaks w/ Heidi Lindvall (@HeidiLindvall) a founding partner of Pale Blue Dot (@PaleBlueDotVC). This is Heidi's second time on the show and in today's episode, we focus on what they are doing to level up. They are a 3-year-old fund now, and we cover what they are doing to continue maturing their network and processes. A lot of value in those parts of the conversation for new-ish CT VCs. Another really interesting thing is their perspective on ensuring they only invest in startups that can get funding from generalist funds in the future. A lot of really great insight was packed into a slightly shorter episode. Enjoy the Episode! 🌎📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter. Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5----- Topics: **4:25 State of CTVC in EU**8:13 Ukraine War & CTVC **10:46 Public Term Sheet**18:25 Supporting Founders**21:10 Fund Size**25:05  Future Goggles**29:45 Measure Themselves**32:37 Market Challenges**39:00 R&D & Commercial **40:47  Common Mistakes**43:03 What's Next ----- Links: **Heidi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidilindvall/**Pale Blue Dot: https://paleblue.vc/**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn**HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner----- Other episodes you might enjoy: Most Recent Episode: Redefining Waste through 3D Printed Clay Containers | Earth to Earth w/ Sanjeev Mankotia (GaeaStar)Similar Topic: ClimateTech Investing w/ Valerie Shen (G2 Venture Partners)Something Totally Different: Endings, Endineering, Circular ESupport the showIf you're gonna change the world, you're gonna need a world-class team. Partner with ErthTech Talent to help you do that, for less. 70+ Placements 5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech) The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary) 90-day placement guarantee It's really hard to say no to that. Wait?! -- The best service is also the cheapest? Seems too good to be true, but it's the entire reason we started this company. We believe that Climate entrepreneurs are doing important work, and there should be a firm to help them find the best talent, without it breaking the bank. Reach out today for a free assessment of your hiring process. hello@erthtechtalent.com

In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) speaks w/ Sanjeev Mankotia, the Founder and CEO of GaeaStar. They are on their way to solving the issue of single-use plastic pollution with their 3D printed, clay-cup solution. You might think it sounds crazy, but once you hear the episode, you can understand how this is very much within reach. It's a fascinating episode with a lot of value for companies building hardware ClimateTech startups. Enjoy the Episode! 🌎📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter. Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5----- Topics: **2:02 Introduction**6:26 What they do**13:01 Financial feasibility of their product**20:48 How to develop a 3D printed product co**26:21 Refining their mfg process for a specific use case**32:22 Where this tech can be used**34:58 The evolution of the biz model**39:47 The funding process**53:52 Price in the future**58:48 Closeout----- Links: **Sanjeev on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjeev-mankotia/**GaeaStar: https://gaeastar.com/**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: **HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner----- Other episodes you might enjoy:**Most Recent Episode: From Coal to Climate, VC Channel Sales Partners, LP Sentiment & More w/ Albert Bielinko (Telstra Ventures)**Similar Topic: From Dust to Dust Masonry Products - Fusing Modern Science + Traditional Methods w/ Adital Ela (Criaterra)**Something Totally Different: The Future of Clean Energy, Materials/Mfg, & the Circular Economy with Author, Peter LeydenSupport the showIf you're gonna change the world, you're gonna need a world-class team. Partner with ErthTech Talent to help you do that, for less. 70+ Placements 5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech) The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary) 90-day placement guarantee It's really hard to say no to that. Wait?! -- The best service is also the cheapest? Seems too good to be true, but it's the entire reason we started this company. We believe that Climate entrepreneurs are doing important work, and there should be a firm to help them find the best talent, without it breaking the bank. Reach out today for a free assessment of your hiring process. hello@erthtechtalent.com

In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) speaks w/ Albert Bielinko (@bielinko) a Partner at Telstra Ventures. Albert leads their CT investments and speaks to us today about many things,  from how he started in coal to end up in climate. How they have helped their portfolio companies generate over $450m USD in sales through their channel partnerships. What the LP sentiment on CTVC is and his thoughts on the talent landscape? This is full of quite a lot of value. Enjoy the Episode! 🌎📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter. Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5----- Topics: **2:07 Intro to Albert & Telstra Ventures**4:49 TV's Remit**7:59  How CT VC landscape has changed since 2014**12:31 Raising funds**18:29 Investment Thesis**27:53  VCs w/ Sales Channels**33:18 Investment Criteria**35:45 How to determine TAM in new spaces**39:51 LPs expectations for hardware vs software returns**42:03 LP sentiment on CTVC**45:29  Talent Landscape**50:00 What's Next in CT**53:07 Closing ----- Links: **Albert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/albert-bielinko-4070a729/**Telstra Ventures: https://telstraventures.com/**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/**HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner----- Other episodes you might enjoy:**Most Recent Episode: Sawdust to Chemicals; Building a BioChemical Startup w/ Julie Kring (Khepra)**Similar Topic: How Keyframe is Bridging the Gap from Pure VC to Pure PE Financing for Hard Tech COs w/ Ethan Goldsmith**Something Totally Different: ReducingSupport the showIf you're gonna change the world, you're gonna need a world-class team. Partner with ErthTech Talent to help you do that, for less. 70+ Placements 5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech) The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary) 90-day placement guarantee It's really hard to say no to that. Wait?! -- The best service is also the cheapest? Seems too good to be true, but it's the entire reason we started this company. We believe that Climate entrepreneurs are doing important work, and there should be a firm to help them find the best talent, without it breaking the bank. Reach out today for a free assessment of your hiring process. hello@erthtechtalent.com

In this episode Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) speaks w/ Julie Kring, (@KringJu) the founder of Khepra to discuss her journey into ClimateTech, how they are making biochemicals for AgriTech use cases out of sawdust, and her advice to founders doing similar things. Enjoy the Episode! 🌎📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter. Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5-----Topics: **2:56 Biochemicals & her background**8:47 How to make chemicals/biofuels**10:27 What they do at Khepra**13:57 Supply Chain**19:03 From R&D to Commercialization**25:14 How to pair R&D teams with commercial applications**30:20 Funding experience**35:20 Process to build a chemical company**41:18 Expectations to achieve profitability - reach a financial event**43:30 Biggest challenge in the process of building the co**47:08 How to rally your team**50:21 What she's looking forward to in the future -----Links: **Julie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-k-70425689/**Khepra Website: https://www.khepra.io/**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/**HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner-----Other episodes you might enjoy:**Most Recent Episode: Planeteer News Reaction, Thought Leadership in CT, & Leveraging Reputation w/ Somil Aggarwal**Similar Topic: Utilizing Carbon in Everyday Products w/ Aaron Fitzgerald of Mars Materials**Something Totally Different: Re-Engineering the World because Support the showIf you're gonna change the world, you're gonna need a world-class team. Partner with ErthTech Talent to help you do that, for less. 70+ Placements 5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech) The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary) 90-day placement guarantee It's really hard to say no to that. Wait?! -- The best service is also the cheapest? Seems too good to be true, but it's the entire reason we started this company. We believe that Climate entrepreneurs are doing important work, and there should be a firm to help them find the best talent, without it breaking the bank. Reach out today for a free assessment of your hiring process. hello@erthtechtalent.com