#166 Hybrids & EVs, Alternative Fuels, Technology Maturity, Diverse Teams & More w/ Logan Grizzel (MUUS Climate Partners)

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🌎 Welcome back to the CleanTechies PodLetter, VC edition.

Today, we are talking to Logan Grizzel of MUUS Climate Partners.

Logan likely broke the quotable clip counter in this ep…so much good stuff. We discuss…

• Logan’s time at Toyota with alternative fuels and how the Prius transformed the EV industry

• Logan’s (semi) contrarian views on new tech like nuclear fusion

• The growth and relevance of the Denver and Colorado climate communities

And a lot more.

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The Guest: Logan Grizzel

• Logan is a partner at MUUS Climate Partners, investing in the convergence of decarbonization and technological innovation, often in new markets and opportunity spaces

• Logan started off his career spending a decade at Toyota where he worked on, amongst other things, alternative fuels

• He then transitioned to management consulting on the grid/OEM side at Navigant

• Before MUUS Climate Partners, he was CTO and Partner at Blackhorn Ventures, investing in entrepreneurs who are improving resource efficiency with science and engineering-based solutions

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The VC: MUUS Climate Partners

One Liner: Investing in the convergence of decarbonization and technological innovation, often in new markets and opportunity spaces

MUUS Climate Partners is the venture capital arm of MUUS & Co, and invests at the convergence of climate solutions and high-tech applications.

They invest at the cusp of commercialization (pre-seed to Series A) with check sizes of $500k-$1.5M, reserving half for follow-on.

They have a strong investment track record and decades of combined industry leadership. MUUS & Co, the parent company of MUUS Climate Partners, is a values-driven, privately held, entrepreneurial investment company founded by serial entrepreneur Michael Sonnenfeldt. 

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📝 Show Notes:

Topics

• 03:11 Herd Mentality in Climate VC

• 09:26 Logan's Experience at Toyota

• 13:34 The Significance of the Prius

• 17:06 Nearshoring and Onshoring

• 21:34 The Mismatch in Hydrogen Supply and Demand

• 24:39 Decentralized vs Centralized Approaches to the Grid

• 28:04 Timing and Assessing Technology Maturity

• 29:25 Assessing Founder Adaptability

• 30:29 Dreaming Too Big or Small in Entrepreneurship

• 42:16 Denver Climate Scene

• 48:12 Lessons from Blackhorn Ventures

• 49:34 Diversity in Team Building

• 58:58 Advice to VCs

• 01:01:53 Takeaways

Links

• Logan Grizzel | MUUS Climate Partners

• Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas

• This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.

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Asks 👋

• We recently launched a listener survey, and we would love to hear how we can improve the show and what you like most.

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Here’s the thing: Somil and I both have day jobs, so if you’re in the helping mood, we both have an ask for you today.

Somil: I’m currently seeking to connect with founders in the built environment space for a project I’m working on. If you’re in that space, schedule a chat here!

Silas: If you’re a ClimateTech founder looking to hire top talent but don’t like the cost of headhunters… reach out. For a fraction of the cost of traditional headhunters, I’ll help you find top talent for your ClimateTech startup. (booking here)

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🙏🏽 Thanks for tuning in, and see you all next episode!