s04e04 - After the Tumble: Climate VC In 2024 With Breakthrough Energy, Lowercarbon and SOSV

In this panel discussion from SOSV's 2024 EarthDay+ sessions (Apr 22-26, 2024) moderated by Tim De Chant, Senior Climate Reporter at TechCrunch, panelists Christina Karapataki from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Shuo Yang from Lowercarbon Capital, and Duncan Turner from HAX and SOSV discussed the current state and future of climate tech venture capital.

• The challenges and opportunities in the sector, noting a decrease in deal counts but robust fundraising, with venture capital and private equity firms holding significant "dry powder."

• The scrutiny in Series B and C funding rounds, the faster pace of seed and pre-seed investments, and the impact of recent economic uncertainties on investor behavior.

• The importance of building large, profitable companies to combat climate change.

• The role of technology in bridging the commercialization gap.

• The need for new investment structures to support CapEx-heavy projects.

• The global scope of climate tech, emphasizing the need for local partnerships in emerging markets and the potential influence of U.S. elections on the investment climate.

The video of this episode and more can be found online at sosvclimatetech.com.

Speakers

• Christina Karapataki, General Partner, Breakthrough Energy

• Duncan Turner, Managing Director, HAX; General Partner, SOSV

• Shuo Yang, General Partner, Lowercarbon Capital

Moderator

• Tim de Chant, Senior Climate Reporter, TechCrunch

Credits

• Producer: Ben Joffe 

• Podcast Summary: Written by gpt-4-turbo, edited by Ben Joffe

• Intro Voice: Cloned voice of Ben Joffe by ElevenLabs 

• Intro Music: EL Waili

• Keywords: #deeptech #venturecapital #climatetech #vc #robotics #lifesciences #biology #hardware #startups #innovation #technology #frontiertech #hardtech #energy #decarbonization

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