climate tech

Two major indicators of climate tech stocks – the S&P Clean Energy Index and the MAC Global Solar Index – are significantly trailing the overall market. They’ve been declining for months, down from their mid-pandemic highs when they performed far better than the rest of the economy. So what happened to climate tech investments in the public markets? And what do these investments tell us about the coming year for climate tech? In this episode, Shayle talks to Shanu Mathew, portfolio manager and research analyst at Lazard. They cover topics like: The macroeconomic factors behind this underperforming sector, like higher interest rates, election uncertainty, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine Trends in specific industries, like EVs, solar, and lithium Investors moving funds into (and paying more for) climate tech stocks with consistently higher performance  Analysts’ expectations for climate tech stocks in the the near- and long-term Recommended Resources: Shanu Mathew: Cleantech FY23 Recap And FY24 Outlook Catalyst: How has US industrial policy impacted climatetech investment? Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you’re a startup, investor, enterprise or innovation ecosystem that’s creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more. Catalyst is brought to you by Atmos Financial. Atmos is revolutionizing finance by leveraging your deposits to exclusively fund decarbonization solutions, like solar and electrification. Join in under 2 minutes at joinatmos.com/catalyst.

The world is engaged in a multitrillion-dollar project to decarbonize the economy to slow or reverse climate change. But what exactly does that mean? How optimistic should we be that we can pull this off? And what new technology do we need to build to make it happen? This is a mega-pod with two guests. Ramez Naam is a writer, speaker, and one of the best technologists I know at explaining the progress we’re making toward building a clean-energy economy. And Vinod Khosla is one of the most famous venture capitalists in Silicon Valley, the founder of Khosla Ventures, and an investor in several sci-fi-sounding companies, including one that is working on fusion technology—which might be one of the most exciting and important technologies we'll ever build. Host: Derek Thompson Guests: Ramez Naam & Vinod Khosla Producer: Devon Manze Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The run on Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) earlier this month was a hair-raising experience for anyone in climatetech. The bank catered to entrepreneurs in tech, especially climate. So when news of SVB’s troubled assets hit social media, startups scrambled to withdraw millions of dollars and draft emergency plans to make payroll. But after the Federal Insurance Deposit Corporation (FDIC) took over SVB and another troubled regional institution, Signature Bank, the dust started to settle. The FDIC announced that it would insure the full deposits at SVB, above the $250,000 guarantee.  But how did this all happen? And what does it mean for climatetech today? In this episode, Shayle talks to Saloni Multani, partner at Galvanize Climate Solutions and former chief financial officer for Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign. She came on the show last May to explain what the economic downturn meant for climatetech. This time Saloni and Shayle cover topics like: What led to the problems at SVB, Signature, and others How trends in the broader banking system signal a new environment for climatetech companies  The durability of climatetech opportunities Whether others will fill the hole left by SVB, which was a critical partner to many climatetech projects, including 62% of U.S. community solar projects Recommended Resources: The Carbon Copy: A bank collapse threatens climate startups Canary: Community solar industry says it can ride out Silicon Valley Bank failure The Guardian: ‘The first Twitter-fuelled bank run’: how social media compounded SVB’s collapse Catalyst: How will the downturn affect climatetech? Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media. Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more. Catalyst is supported by EnergyHub. The company’s platform lets consumers turn their smart thermostats, EVs, batteries, water heaters, and other products into virtual power plants that keep the grid stable and enable higher penetration of solar and wind power. And they are hiring! Learn more and see open roles at energyhub.com/catalyst Catalyst is brought to you by Sealed: The experts in home weatherization and electrification upgrades. Sealed is leading the way, with over a decade of experience being accountable to homeowners because they only get paid based on actual energy reductions. Visit Sealed.com/measuredsavings to learn more.

First up on the Sunday show, Jason breaks down the different levels of diligence at different company stages for VC Sunday School (2:02). Then, Fion Technologies CEO Sudarshan Sridharan joins to talk helping firefighters fight wildfires with mapping technology. (21:31)

(0:00) Jason tees up today's Sunday edition of This Week in Startups!

(2:02) Molly recaps her first half year of investing, then asks Jason about diligence at different stages of investing in different verticals

(10:23) UserTesting - Get real human insights from customers, try for free today at https://usertesting.com/twist

(11:40) Jason on great investments coming out of "prepared minds", the importance of testing and trying

(19:57) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist 

(21:31) Molly welcomes Fion Technologies CEO Sudarshan Sridharan to discuss helping wildfire fighting with software and his founding story

(32:36) Brave - Download today at https://brave.com/twist to browse faster, search privately and so much more

(33:56) Sudarshan explains how the Fion app helps firefighters, its pricing model, and more

(41:06) The state of wildfires in the US, why Sudarshan is building Fion

Stock markets are in decline. Inflation is on the rise. Interest rates are up. Private tech companies are laying off workers.  Is this the long-awaited market correction that never quite materialized during the bull market of the last 13 years? And what does it mean for climate tech?  In this episode, Shayle talks to Saloni Multani, a partner at Galvanize Climate Solutions and former chief financial officer for Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign.  Shayle and Saloni place the current moment in historical context. They cover the recent wave of low-cost capital that poured into climate tech and the low interest rates that gave renewables an advantage over fossil-fuel investments.  And they dive into some pressing questions like: Are the broader market impacts on climate tech delayed? Or is climate tech somehow more insulated than general tech companies? The green premium question: Will a downturn in the market jeopardize investments in more expensive but lower-carbon alternatives to fossil fuels, such as airlines’ recent purchases of Sustainable Aviation Fuels, or SAFs? How should climate tech investors rethink their strategies? What should entrepreneurs expect in the coming years? Catalyst is brought to you by Arcadia. Arcadia allows innovators, businesses and communities to break the fossil fuel monopoly through its technology platform, Arc. Join Arcadia’s mission and find out how you or your business can help turn a fully decarbonized grid into a reality at arcadia.com/catalyst. Catalyst is supported by Advanced Energy Economy. AEE is on the front lines of transforming policy that accelerates the move to 100 percent clean energy and electrified transportation in America. To learn how your business can play a key role in transforming policy and expanding markets, visit aee.net/join.

Shayle Kann has been thinking about the technology and market fixes for climate change for almost two decades. On Catalyst, he brings on the smartest people in climate tech to think through those hard problems. This show is about how we overcome the climate challenge. Not just at a theoretical level, but using actual technologies, tackling actual market structures, and accounting for the biggest variable of them all -- money. Subscribe everywhere. The show is a co-production of Canary Media and Post Script Media.