Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts
Select Quotes From This Episode:
“truly believe that this coming vintage, meaning the next couple of years, should be some of the best we’ve seen in climate venture.” –Andrew
“We see artificial intelligence pulling in that event horizon, making more of science accessible sooner to innovations.” –Andrew
“Having that perspective, believing it, maybe knowing something, and yet a lot of other people in the world not believing it. That’s where the arbitrage is in investing. That’s where you make money.” –Andrew
“A battery is like a Swiss Army knife. can do so many different things for so many different constituents.” –Andrew
The “Internet” Phase of Climate Tech
In 1999, venture capitalists proudly branded themselves as “Internet Funds” and startups slapped .com onto their names just to explain what they did. Today, that sounds ridiculous because the internet is simply a horizontal layer across every single industry.
According to Andrew Beebe—Managing Director at Obvious Ventures— “Climate Tech” is going through the exact same transition. Soon, companies won’t pitch themselves as decarbonization startups; they will just be building better, faster, and cheaper industrial products that happen to be clean.
With Obvious Ventures recently announcing their $360M Fund V, Andrew joined the podcast to explain why the “tourists have left the building” and why the next few years will represent the best vintage for climate venture capital in history.
We dive deep into the massive bottleneck of AI data centers, which are driving unprecedented 50% load growth for some utilities. Andrew also shares his thesis on “Generative Science,” explaining how AI is pulling the event horizon of innovation closer for deep tech founders.
Finally, drawing on his 15 years as a solar founder, Andrew reveals a profound lesson on hardware economics: when a technology is on a plummeting cost curve, it is always better to be a buyer of that commodity than a seller.
If you want a masterclass on the macro trends driving the next decade of deep tech, this episode is required listening.
Check Out Our Sponsors!
Securing Billions in Grant Funding for Climate Tech
Since 2020, Climate Finance Solutions (CFS) has helped climate tech companies secure over $1.6 billion in government grant funding, with a success rate of more than 90%.
Its team has also won over €500 million in European funding and managed $275 million in grant projects.
As a global consulting firm, CFS guides clients through the full funding lifecycle, from strategy and funder engagement to proposal development and post-award management. Its Grant Identification Platform enables real-time monitoring and custom matching of opportunities, with alerts as new grants are released.
CFS also supports investors, accelerators, and ecosystem builders through its partnership program, offering pro bono support for portfolio companies.
Learn more about CFS’s work and approach at ClimateFinanceSolutions.com.
ErthSearch: Fast + Accurate + Affordable CleanTech Recruiting
Delivering specialized CleanTech talent with unparalleled efficiency and results.
For the past ~6 years, I have been placing sales, engineering, and executive talent at CleanTech companies in the US (over 80 placements total).
Because of this podcast, I have a network that no other CleanTech headhunter can claim, meaning I’ll get you access to talent no one else can.
Past Work:
We helped ChargeScape (JV between Ford, Honda, BMW, and Nissan) make 8 key hires in 6 months, while saving them ~$380k in recruiter fees.
Hired Head of Sales, PM, and Marketing Manager at OptiGrid (resurrection of FreeWire Technologies) (PS: they are hiring again, reach out to Silas to learn more).
Guaranteed placement or you don’t pay!
It’s time to take your hiring seriously — get professional help today.
📝 Show Notes:
Topics
Here are some key timestamps from the episode:
00:00 – Intro: Andrew Beebe’s background in Cleantech since 2002.
03:34 – Obvious Ventures & Fund V: Deploying a new $360M fund.
04:59 – The Next Vintage: Why the tourists are gone and the real builders remain.
08:23 – The Branding Problem: Why “Climate Tech” mirrors the 1990s Internet boom.
16:30 – Global Markets vs. US Politics: The inevitability of the energy transition.
20:46 – The AI Energy Crisis: Utilities facing 50% demand growth from data centers.
25:53 – Generative Science: How AI is accelerating materials science and geothermal exploration.
28:20 – Local Politics: Why hyperscalers must win over local communities to build.
34:01 – Texas as a Mecca: Why low-regulation red states are building the most clean energy.
38:56 – Physical AI & Autonomy: From robotic shipping vessels to electric aviation.
47:01 – The Hardware Playbook: Why you want to be a buyer (not a seller) on a plummeting cost curve.
51:50 – The Ultimate Arbitrage: Making money when you know the transition is inevitable.
Links
This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.
