🌎 Welcome back to the CleanTechies PodLetter, VC edition.
Today, we are talking to Jessica Burley from Planet A.
If you have not already heard about Planet A, you are in the right place because you’re about to be in the know (do people still say that? 🤔)
Some of the core items we discuss are…
How their fund’s carry (the ‘success fee’ they make) is tied to the environmental impacts of the investments they make
How they use LCAs (you’ll hear more about it below) in their Due Diligence process
And perhaps most importantly to this audience, some stories of successful DeepTech founders
We get into a lot more but those are the key topics covered - enjoy! (or if you’re actually really busy, skip to the relevant time stamps)
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The Guest: Jessica Burley
Jessica Burley is an Investor at Planet A who got her start at the UN. Then she parlayed that into supporting a family office with impact investing.
From there she ended up at Planet A given her passion for the climate space and her focus on continuing to build network.
It’s worth pointing out that she doesn’t have an environmental studies education. Which, I hope will give confidence to all the folks worried they won’t be able to land a DeepTech VC role. It’s very possible and Jessica is proof.
The VC: Planet A
One Liner: Investing in DeepTech ClimateTech startups and tying their carry to the environmental outcomes.
Yes, you jsut read that right. They don’t make money unless they can actually invest in companies that remove carbon from the earth and help solve the climate problem.
To achieve this, they perform life cycle analyais on how much carbon will be removed by the products their tentative portfolio companies. This is even more dificult when you consider that a lot of their investmetns are at the earliest stages where there is not a product to fully test.
It’s a fascinating problem and one that needs solving since there are not enough early stage deeptech VCs investing in solving climate change.
📝 Show Notes:
Topics
1:29 Introduction and Background
2:22 The Role of Life Cycle Assessments in Investing
8:44 Article 9 and the European Regulatory Landscape
10:27 Interest in Climate Tech Investing Outside of Europe
12:54 The Increasing Pace of Climate Tech Innovation
13:33 Jess's Journey to Climate Tech Investing
17:35 Transitioning from a Small Fund to a Larger Fund
21:43 The Role of Brand and Value in Climate Tech Investing
24:44 Sector Expertise and Operational Support in Investing
26:23 Geothermal Drilling for Renewable Heating
28:46 Investment Opportunities in Climate Tech
30:45 The Hardware Playbook: Investing in Hardware Startups
42:53 The German Climate Tech Ecosystem
49:18 Building Genuine Relationships in the Climate Tech Ecosystem
51:34 Takeaways
Evaluating Life Cycle Assessment in Investment Decisions
The Importance of the Hardware Playbook in the Investment Ecosystem
De-risking Talent in Startups
Links
This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.
Asks 👋
We recently launched a listener survey, and we would love to hear how we can improve the show and what you like most.
Have a specific guest or topic you’d like us to discuss? Leave a comment and let us know.
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: As many of you know, my day job is solving people’s hiring headaches in climate - do you have a hiring headache? Well, let me be your Advil. (booking here)
🚨🚨🚨 Early-stage founder looking for top-tier talent - reach out to Silas, and he’ll save you hundreds of hours (and tens of thousands of dollars) with your critical searches.
🙏🏽 Thanks for tuning in, and see you all next episode!
#174 Hardware Playbook, Science in VC, DeepTech Success Stories, Environmental-Based Returns, & More w/ Jessica Burley (Planet A Ventures)