Jukka Lahtinen

"The company saw itself as a savior of our climate. It was supposed to be the salvation of the European automotive business facing an onslaught of cheap Chinese electric vehicles. It was supposed to be the champion of investors doing well by doing good investing in solutions to climate change."

5

🗺 Launching our 2024 green energy skills market map - the output of 100+ hours of brand new research now at your fingertips! Today, we are introducing our new intensively researched hashtag #marketmap on green energy skill gaps - open source for founders, investors and talent! 🧠 What is this market map about? As we push forward in the energy transition, the stakes have never been higher. 🔻 2.5 million jobs are expected to vanish by 2030 due to the closure of fossil fuel plants. Entire regions face the risk of mass unemployment, an alarming reality that demands immediate attention and action. 🔺 Meanwhile, the green job market is exploding, especially in solar and wind sectors. The EU alone projects 130 million+ installations of heat pumps, rooftop PV systems, and house insulations by 2030. 🛠️ However, a significant obstacle looms – the green skill gap. With demand skyrocketing, we could see a shortfall of up to 7 million skilled workers globally by 2030. So, how do we create a map like this? 1.⁠ ⁠A research team of 3 connecting the dots of one market. 2.⁠ ⁠Conversations with almost every company – gathering real intel. 3.⁠ ⁠The experts then refine their thesis’ during 2 months. 4.⁠ ⁠Putting in more than 100hrs of work. 5.⁠ ⁠⁠And then publishing it for you!. The results? 38+ companies worth-to-watch combined on one market map – ready-to-download now! Who is it for? 1.⁠ ⁠Founders, who want to discover gaps and opportunities for their next venture 2.⁠ ⁠Startups, which are expanding their services in order to grow in the energy market 3.⁠ ⁠Investors and business angels, seeing the potential of investing into one sector. Who needs to see this? Check out our market map now here and share! Robert Stoecker Esther Boon Dr. Fabian Heilemann Melina Sánchez Montañés Till Thietje (and a special shout out to Beatrix von Schröder)

42

7 kommenttia

Events and Meetups This is currently what brings the most profitable connections, and personal meetings make a much greater impact than online discussions. What is the magic in meetups? Just imagine everyone there is your potential customer—a person who provides feedback if you ask about whatever you’re doing, and true relationships start from real-life meetings. The key is that 90% of people at these meetups are your target audience. If it’s a big meetup with 500-1000 people, you’re looking at a 25-30% conversion rate if your product and reputation are solid. And if your sales funnel is effective, you can expect an additional 30% conversion. At the end of the day, 1000 visitors from online traffic may cost you thousands but wouldn’t bring nearly the same impact as meeting people in person at events, especially for established brands. That’s why, if you’re a Web3 business owner, project founder, or VC, we have an opportunity for you to be a sponsor of a side event at DEVCON with K300 Ventures, bringing massive impact to your business. This will create opportunities in fundraising, reputation building, and relationship management—adding both social and financial value and giving your brand the right visibility. We're hosting a VC Pitch Day in Devcon Bangkok along with @GSR_io Morningstar Ventures DFG Foresight Ventures AppWorks Cryptomind Labs ABCDE The form submission phase are opening until Nov 7th for all projects. The finalists will be chosen to pitch in front of VCs on Nov 14th in Bangkok. Details are below. - Sign up your project: https://bit.ly/vcpitchday - Attend offline Pitch Day: https://lnkd.in/dhxqzBgC #DEVCON #Thailand #Meetups #WEB3 #VC

40

18 kommenttia

Energy consumed by #AI can be reduced by 70-80% at a mere 1% cost to performance by using other or adjusting current models. While AI has been used to optimize energy usage in power grids and supply chains, the AI itself is also drawing on that energy to fuel itself. With adjustments made to the models, these opposing forces could be made to start working in the same direction, supplying the positive use cases of AI, while not being an excessive energy cost. #Sustainability #Energy #BusinessTech

6

Newly Raised Impact Funds 🌷 Norrsken VC announced the closing of its second fund with €320 million, focusing on impact startups in Norrsken main markets, Nordics, Germany and the UK. They plan to invest in over 30 early-stage startups that develop innovative solutions in areas such as #climatetech,  #energy,  #biotech,  #AI and #healthtech. Ocean 14 Capital  Fund I, the largest thematic fund focused on the blue economy, closed with €201 million. The fund will invest in 24-30 entrepreneurs and businesses focused on the #blueeconomy including aquaculture, alternative proteins, plastic waste reduction, ecosystem and marine flora protection, and the abolition of overfishing. OpenseedVC, a UK-based investment firm, announced the first close of its angel-style early stage fund dedicated to investing in experienced operators as they take the leap to start their technology companies. They will offer up to $150,000 starter cheques and support through a network of 50+ seasoned technology experts. Primary focus areas are the Future of #Commerce, Future of #Health & #Work, in alignment with the UN #SDGs. ETF Partners raised €285m for its fourth fund, investing in European companies tackling #sustainability and climate-related issues. The fund has invested in a number of startups already that are solving a variety of environmental challenges. M&G Investments has committed €107m into one of the world’s largest impact vehicles to support #jobcreation and #povertyreduction in Southeastern Europe. The commitment sees the London-based asset manager invest into the €1.3bn European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), a blended finance vehicle with backing from the European Commission and the European Investment Bank. #impactinvesting #fundraising

173

14 kommenttia

Great list of climate tech conferences to attend in 2024 from Net Zero Insights. Any more to add here, especially in Asia? :) https://lnkd.in/e9vxMQ4G #climatetech #climateaction Remarkable Ventures Climate

28

2 kommenttia

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐭 - 𝐧𝐨𝐰 Interesting article by Sifted (link in comment) on Climate/Green Tech Startups funding routes and new trends that have emerged! 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞-𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬: 🌿 GreenTechies are looking beyond venture capital for funding, for example Enpal or Northvolt tapping debt or asset backed securities debt or asset-backed securities 🛠️ A different skillset is needed if companies are embarking on that journey: As Thomas Antonioli put it: "𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 “𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤”! 🎨 Creative structures can come into place, one company having "three different classes of financing with venture capital, private equity and debt.” says Alexander Winkler (e.g. a pe investor owning real estate, and a debt financier taking on more asset-heavy parts) 📊 Companies could set up a special purpose vehicle to get funding from large infrastructure investors and lenders for its hardware. With this SPV (a separate entity) the company can to secure debt or funding that wouldn't be on its balance sheet, while iprotecting the financiers from the risk of the venture-funded side of the business #greentech #climatetech embassidy | Liechtenstein Group | Terra One | ecoworks

17

7 kommenttia

Two weeks ago, the Li-ion battery startup, Northvolt, declared bankruptcy. Northvolt was the largest ClimateTech startup and the biggest unicorn in Sweden. The company burned through $15 billion in investment without ever shipping a product. Northvolt should’ve been a huge success. It could've become a champion for the entire ClimateTech sector. Instead, it failed. For wholly predictable reasons. Caused by the same mistakes that trip up early-stage startups that will lose $15M instead of $15B. Even before getting their first factory operational in Sweden, they started building five more around Europe. Even before getting their EV batteries manufactured to spec, they were developing batteries for storage and aviation. They focused on sustainability, using locally sourced materials, renewable energy, and recyclability. Worthy goals, of course, but when the price of batteries dropped from $230/kWh to $78/kWh it was impossible to compete with the giant Chinese and Korean suppliers. When EVs were hot, car manufacturers ordered $53B of batteries from Northvolt. But when the market cooled and the car makers looked for ways to cut expenses, Northvolt went on the chopping block. There's a lot of critical takeaways from the Northvolt debacle applicable to every startup: 1. Don’t start building your second factory, or your second product, before mastering the first. The hardest thing for founders to do is to say no. It’s also the most important. 2. Find a protectable niche. Sustainability wasn't sufficient. Northvolt couldn’t compete with the economies of scale of the giant Chinese and Korean battery manufacturers. 3. Beware of the hype cycle. EVs and batteries were hot, hot, hot. Until they were not. 4. Corporate investors can be your savior, but when you no longer fit their corporate strategy, they’ll write you off in a heartbeat. 5. Governments are really bad investors. They’ll throw billions at anything that promises jobs, but they have no clue how to work with high-risk startups. 6. Manufacturing is really effing tough. You may think you’re a science company, but you’re really a manufacturing and supply chain company. Be prepared for manufacturing hell. Read the full article here:

135

31 kommenttia

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙀𝙪𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙪𝙢 Are you passionate about AI? 🤖💡 Join us at Europe's top innovation event! https://lnkd.in/dFvp6QNt The future of the global energy and power market is becoming increasingly intertwined with the advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). A recent report from The Business Research Company shows that the AI in energy and power market size is expected to see exponential growth in the next few years, from $4.03 billion in 2023 to $13.62 billion in 2028. This massive growth can be attributed to advanced analytics, predictive modeling, smart grid optimization, and the global energy transition amongst others. Major companies operating in these markets are developing innovative AI advancements like gridmatic retail to meet the advanced energy needs. As we navigate towards a more sustainable future, how can we leverage AI to optimize our energy consumption and production further? Share your thoughts in the comments below. #AI #Energy #Innovation #SustainableFuture #Vienna #Austria

Just landed in Denmark and now off to my first The Drop conference in Malmo, Sweden. First up in a few hours is an event I am co-organizing on distributed power and storage on the grid with 🟣 Chris Bernkopf of Podero with fellow cohosts Marcus Jacobsson of Sunshine Fund, Fredrik Rosenqvist of Qvantum International and Victor Nilsson of E.ON Sverige We will be organizing breakout sessions to discuss the following topics - The Heat Pump revolution: Fredrik Rosenqvist - Role of manufacturers, DER optimization from utilities vs. manufacturers, levers to drive heat pump adoption, challenges in installation capacity and expertise, heat pumps in single family homes and apartment complexes - VPPs and Utilities: Viktor Nilsson - Role of utilities, DER optimization from utilities vs. manufacturers, Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), the needs of consumers, giving users control over their energy, the challenge for utilities to transform into digital energy companies - DER Financing: Marcus Jacobsson - Key prerequisites for bankable projects (grid connect, permits, insurances, PPAs), latest financial engineering strategies to accelerate DER adoption, IRA vs European Green Deal - challenges and opportunities in the EU vs U.S. - Storage as the Holy Grail: Josh Felser - Role of battery storage on the grid, decentralized and non decentralized approaches, the role of utility and non-utility scale solutions, vehicle to grid, difference between EU and US in DERs and electricity markets - Energy Optimization: Chris Bernkopf - Decentralized energy flexibility and energy trading - different types of storage, how to use storage effectively, flexibility trading, local grid optimization, pathways to 100% green electricity If you just happen to be in Malmo at 15:00 today, come join us! Free coffee!

49

9 kommenttia

I want to thank the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) for selecting Absolut Sensing for a 15M€+ blended grant and equity financing. Our AIM project will accelerate the deployment of our advanced "GEN2" spectro-imager technology on satellites dedicated to detecting and quantifying methane emissions at unprecedented accuracy. Special thanks to Jérôme Billé (Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche), Charlotte Rix Nicolajsen (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Entreprises), and Simon Brenet (Benkei) for providing valuable feedback throughout the selection process. Global warming is our generation's biggest challenge, and methane a greenhouse gas 80 times more potent than CO2 in its warming potential. You cannot reduce what you cannot measure, hence why our technology is so key in allowing regulators and companies alike to fight emissions. L-3months before the launch of our first "GEN1" satellite. Stay tuned ! https://lnkd.in/eFXx5Tb5

79

11 kommenttia

Such an essential and valuable Manual for scaling Climate Tech by Contrarian Ventures and EQT Ventures in collaboration of more than 60 companies in the climate space 🚀. I see many new early stage startups that are founded in the climate space but the gap that was identified by The Climate Brick initiative is real and creating an amazing valley of death ☠️ especially for the hardware startups. The Manual is intended to bridge that gap with 7 frameworks and scaling journeys. I personally don’t think there is a magic formula for building climate startups, but this accelerated sharing learnings and insights from the journeys ans help founders avoid mistakes that others did in the past ans for policy and investors to adapt their services to help those ventures . The manual includes 7 bricks 🧱 that represent 7 climate venture journeys : 1️⃣ Gigascaling, Building Large scale plants - Northvolt , Verkor 2️⃣ Deploying green assets - zolar , Energy Vault , Aira 3️⃣ Providing Green assets as a service - Einride , Spark. 4️⃣ Creating or assembling green products - Volocopter , Innovafeed , Ÿnsect 5️⃣ Developing disrupting green technologies - Climeworks , Aphea.Bio , Formo 6️⃣ Establishing highly novel, game-changing science - IQM Quantum Computers , Pasqal 7️⃣ Enabling hardware through software - tado° , Tibber , TWAICE , Monta. #climatetech #scaleup #sustainability #venturecapital #startups #learning #knowledgesharing #investments #innovation #technology #founders #climatepolicy Tomas Kemtys Deimante Chailenko Thomas Potgieter Rokas P. Kaushik Subramanian Lars Jörnow

61

8 kommenttia

𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐀𝐂𝐄3 𝐀𝐈 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭    Are you ready to be at the forefront of AI innovation? The University of Leeds is seeking strategic partners for ACE3, our groundbreaking AI project aimed at transforming Large Model (LM) based development.    𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞: LM-based development is often hindered by:  - Limited access to specialized technical expertise.  - Incomplete full-stack solutions.  - High costs associated with compute power.    𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: ACE3 is set to break these barriers by creating an AI platform that simplifies and accelerates LM-based development, training (including fine-tuning), and deployment. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥? Minimal human effort, reduced hardware expenses, and maximizing users' domain expertise.    𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐔𝐬?  Collaborating on this proof-of-concept project means your company will:  - 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥: Leverage cutting-edge AI research to enhance your existing AI capabilities and product offerings.  - 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬:  Benefit from insights that lower the expenses of in-house R&D.  - 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: Gain support from leading AI experts and researchers, enhancing your technical expertise.  - 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭: Use advanced LM solutions to speed up development cycles and launch products faster.  - 𝐄𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐝𝐠𝐞: Gain exclusive insights and early access to new AI tools that set your company apart in the industry.    𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐖𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫:  We’re looking for partners who:  - Have a clear plan for using AI and LMs in their products, supported by a skilled AI engineers.  - Regularly handle large datasets for training and improving LMs.  - Face challenges in developing LM-based applications, such as high effort and cost.  - Aim to improve performance, efficiency, and reduce costs to launch products quickly.  - Are flexible and prepared to work with us in the near future. 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐬? Connect with me or email 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩@𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐜.𝐜𝐨.𝐮𝐤 for more details and an introduction to the ACE3 team. #AI #UniversityofLeeds #collaboration #AIinbusiness

16

🚨 Applications are Open! 🚨 Applications for the next cohort of Breakthrough Energy Fellows are open! I couldn't be more grateful for having had the chance to be part of the Fellows program. Are you or someone in your network working on early-stage climatetech innovation? If so, see below for more info. The program is designed to accelerate groundbreaking ideas, offering world-class support to innovators tackling the toughest barriers in climate technology. Who should apply? Early-stage (~TRL 1-4) climatetech companies with: 🔹 Potential to reduce GHG emissions by 500M tons/year at scale 🔹 Less than ~$2M in dilutive funding raised 🔹 High impact potential with a need for technical derisking What the program offers: 🌱 Significant R&D funding 🌱 A 1-year program accelerating key milestones 🌱 Technical and commercialization support 🌱 Access to Breakthrough Energy’s global network 📅 Deadline: Submit your application or nominate a founder by Monday, December 2! 👉 Learn more about Breakthrough Energy 's cutting-edge work and apply at the link below. Don’t miss this chance to be part of the next generation of climate innovators! befellows.smapply.org

24

Interested in developing a plan for implementing AI projects at your organization? 🚀 I'm thrilled to announce our upcoming two-part workshop: "Develop Your Own AI Project!" 🌟 Join us for a two-part interactive workshop, where you will have the unique opportunity to explore the world of GenAI and learn strategies to develop your own ideas. This workshop is designed to help you explore and create AI-driven solutions tailored to your organization’s specific needs and challenges. Whether you're new to AI or looking to expand your expertise, this session will provide you with practical insights and hands-on experience to develop a customized AI project. Don't miss out on this chance to enhance your skills and bring innovative AI solutions to your team! 📅 Date: June 18, 2024 🕒 Time: 11 AM PDT/2 PM EDT 🔗 Registration Link: https://lnkd.in/dYkffE9C Stay tuned for more details, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Let’s innovate together! 💡 #AI #ChatGPT #Innovation #Workshop #Productivity #TechInnovation #AIProjects #Consulting #WaterResources #Environment

8

[The Founder Mode idea gets some data. Of course, if you're familiar with the Basadur Innovation Profile, you already know exactly what most founders are: 1/4 split.] The Strengths and Weaknesses that Set Founders Apart https://lnkd.in/eu46FgUq

2

Uplifting news for funding the energy transition! 🌍 The more capital available for the energy transition, the better, since a total of almost EUR 185 trillion is required to deliver Net Zero by 2050. This isn't about competition; it's about collaboration and collective progress. The substantial capital being poured into climate tech signifies a strong and unified push towards a sustainable future. 💶 In that light it's a strong sign that mega funds like just announced by Balderton Capital (> $1BN) are now also seeing traction in the climate space with Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures having successfully raised $839 million for its third fund. 🚀 On our end, we will soon have more exciting news to share on our own fundraising, so stay tuned ⚡️⚡️  #ClimateTech #Sustainability #BillGates

20

3 kommenttia

The Future of Strategic Decision-Making: Digital Twins Meet Generative AI If you are a business executive faced with making strategic decisions, you know that today stakes are high. The wrong strategic decision can lead to disaster, while the right strategy can positively transform your organisation. What if you could test your strategies before implementing them, mitigating risk, and increasing the chances of a positive outcome? ...Enter the #metaverse, #digitaltwins, and #generativeAI . A digital twin is a virtual representation of a real-world system, process, or object. Using historical and real-time sensor-generated data, as well as advanced analytics and machine learning, digital twins emulate these entities under different scenarios to provide insights for better decisions. When generative AI combines with digital twins, it unlocks a new realm of strategic power for businesses of all sizes. What makes this technology particularly valuable is its risk reduction potential. If a company needs to learn how something will perform before committing valuable resources, the digital twin is a low-cost way to do it. The virtual experimentation can take place before the real one, avoiding costly mistakes. In addition, this form of trial-and-error is extremely inexpensive. No need to build a physical prototype or trial in real life; the twin can be the basis for an approach and, at the same time, a visualisation of its workings. The digital twin can also be a source of data-driven insights. The more data the twin can harvest from its interactions with the real world, the more information it has to help a business understand complex systems and how they interact. As real-world data feeds into the twin, more accurate predictions can be made about how the data will feed back into processes, in a virtuous cycle of improvement. This Harvard Business Review article showcases a couple of real-world examples that show the promise of this technology: 👉 A leading British TV company used a digital twin to model audience behaviour, creating a digital twin of its audience segments to simulate different content personalisation strategies. 👉 A U.S. retail food company that also used digital twins for marketing optimisation. The company built a twin simulating customer reactions across online ads, social media, and in-store promotions, testing campaign scenarios before deployment. These tools are no longer the monopoly of deep-pocketed corporations; advancements in AI and decreasing costs have made them available for SMEs. By democratising technology, businesses of all sizes can now make strategic decisions based on data and low-risk data. Read more here 👉 : https://lnkd.in/ePawTmUu #DigitalTwins #GenerativeAI #StrategicDecisionMaking #BusinessInnovation #DataDrivenStrategy

2