🌎 Welcome back to the first CleanTechies PodLetter, VC edition of 2024! 🎊
Today, we are talking to Jay Kapoor of VSC Ventures
In this episode, some of the biggest ideas we discuss are:
How labor shortages and legacy industries are driving the need for industrial automation
How storytelling plays a vital role in helping founders succeed
Why augmentation, rather than replacement, is the key to successfully integrating climate into automation
How you should think about your cap table as a climate entrepreneur
In short, a must-listen for every climate founder ‼️
🚨Also, Jay just posted a fantastic LinkedIn article on a similar topic to kick off the new year — check it out here 🚀
📺 Watch on YouTube
🍎 Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify
🗣️ Join the Slack Channel
The Guest: Jay Kapoor
Jay has over a decade of experience supporting and investing in founders. He started his early career in finance at UBS, the NFL, and Houlihan Lokey for ~5 years. After, he transitioned to venture as a Senior Associate at Techstars and later helped launch MSG Ventures. He then spent time at Launch Capital before going out on his own and partnering with Vijay Chattha to start VSC Ventures in January 2021.
At VSC Ventures, he invests in startups across Industrial Automation and Climate Adaptation at the Seed stage, which they define as 'post-product but pre-product market fit.'
He is also the host of the climate tech show “CLIMB by VSC” where he tells the stories of different climate companies and founders — a worthwhile listen! 🎙️
🚨🚨🚨 Shoutout to our sponsor Net Zero Insights — Net Zero Insights is the leading market intelligence platform on climate information with all the latest you need on funding rounds, VCs, and the climate tech ecosystem. Use this link to schedule your demo and get a 10% discount!! 🚨🚨🚨
The VC: VSC Ventures
VSC Ventures’ core thesis is that it has become easier than ever before to start a startup, but harder than ever before for that company to break out or get noticed. For that reason, they believe “storytelling in their superpower” and work with each of their portfolio companies to fill the PR support that most companies do not receive early on.
VSC Ventures invests mainly in climate adaptation and industrial automation, focusing on when startups are 'post-product but pre-product market fit.' They invest at the Seed stage and do not lead rounds.
They came out of the award-winning comms firm VSC and raised outside capital to further their mission in early 2021.
📝 Show Notes:
Topics
2:23 Intro & Background
5:50 Focus on Industrial Automation
9:39 The Intersection of Industrial Automation and Climate
15:26 Augmentation vs Replacement in Automation
17:23 The Importance of Good Storytelling in Automation
20:03 Jay’s Accidental Transition to Climate Investing
25:40 Engaging with Government and Incumbents
34:28 Founder/Market Fit; Founders from The Industry
40:24 Impact on Fundraising and Time Horizons; Fund Size
47:50 The Importance of Choosing the Right Investor
50:47 Changing Cap Table Construction
58:28 The Evolution of VCs' Value Prop
1:02:20 The Role of PR in Climate Investing
1:06:43 Founder vs Company Journey; Paint Jet's Story
1:11:53 The Power of Storytelling in Pitch Decks
1:17:06 Hiring and Building a Team
1:20:53 Identifying Founders Willing to Adapt
🔗 Links
Check out our sponsor, NextWave Partners, for all your Climate, Renewables, and Sustainability recruitment needs.
This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.
🗓️ Upcoming Events
Reminder 🔔 that we have another CleanTechies in-person networking event on January 11th
Contact Somil or Silas on LinkedIn to be included and receive details on the location.
🚨🚨🚨 Attention Hiring Managers!!! Are you struggling to find qualified candidates? Maybe getting candidates but can’t bring them across the line consistently? Or not getting sufficient applicants? — Reach out to our sponsors, NextWave Partners today to help solve that for you.
NextWave Partners is a leading Global Renewables, Climate, & Sustainability recruitment consultancy solely focused on these impact areas. They are also B-Corp Certified.
Reach out to them today to help you solve your hiring challenges and get you one step closer to making an impact.
🙏🏽 Thanks for tuning in, and see you all next episode!
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