Purnesh Seegopaul

Excited for DCVC portfolio co Alta Resource Technologies to emerge from stealth! The design space of biology is many orders of magnitude larger than inorganic chemistry, and Alta uses it to massively reduce the cost of extracting rare earth metals. https://lnkd.in/g_q5UwRF

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Last week, I had the pleasure of moderating a discussion on navigating FOAK in climate tech at the Greentown Labs Summit in Boston (which had >600 people!!). Here’s a quick rundown of what was shared by Katherine St. James of Spring Lane Capital, Paris Smalls, PhD of Eden GeoPower, and Hannah Friedman of Planeteer Capital: 🌱 What is the definition of FOAK? We discussed how the term can be controversial - it's almost too general because it doesn't identify what kind of "First" FOAK refers to - first team project? First geography? First of a technology in a sector? First time for the integration of a system? It's also too specific because it has the word "first" in it, which can be anathema to later stage / project finance investors. 💰 Partnerships for Funding FOAK Projects We discussed how important it is to build a blended capital stack & use off-balance sheet capital for a project so you're not using the most expensive equity dollars to fund an infrastructure project with low-ish IRR. We also talked through being creative about using corporate partners to provide in-kind services or ink some agreement (at least an LOI) to attract this funding. 🏛 Role of Government We talked about how government capital is seen by investors & how it can be catalytic for FOAK. Government capital can provide validation that a startup has passed a rigorous diligence process by a third party - and incentives like grants or credits can help improve returns for the first project- but it's important to be doing this in conjunction with getting customer validation and to be able to present line of sight to competitive economics without concessionary capital. 👥 Advice for FOAK startups The panelists offered some very specific pieces of advice for startups going through FOAK: how to get creative with things like revenue sharing agreements or convertible notes, getting smart with project development early on (like with DeveloperU), being careful about using FOAK too liberally with certain investor groups, getting the right commercialization / FOAK talent in and around you early Huge thanks to the panelists and the team at Greentown Labs (Jill Kirkpatrick, Julia Travaglini, Aisling Carlson, etc you rocked it!!) for hosting this discussion on bridging the FOAK gap. Also immensely enjoyed the rest of the agenda. Check out the full recap & videos here: https://lnkd.in/d9ApYe9Y #ClimateTech #FOAK #ClimateFinance #ProjectDevelopment #GreenTech #CleanEnergy

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Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) illustrates the current "readiness" of #ClimateTechs + their potential impact on carbon reduction. As shown, many techs are at an early stage of being able to have a material impact. Concerningly, some tech funds recently returned capital back to investors recently + closed their funds - citing inability to fund capital intensive techs, found in areas like ClimateTech. This in part may be contributing to the $2 trillion shortfall in ClimateTech, that Deloitte estimates. What this may mean for the future? - The migration of LPs to global, super VC funds within ClimateTech, given the large capital pools needed to fund tech development - Greater specialization from smaller funds, energizing more niche elements of the ClimateTech market - but also altering their / LP's risk profile - A greater role to be played by debt financing in funding growth entities at an earlier stage - impacting cashflow dynamics Will be an interesting space to watch moving forward. We at The Proptech Connection are constantly working with all parts of the Proptech ecosystem. From the leading LPs, funds, techs and adopters in market, providing an independent view. Reach out to us today to find out how we can help. #InvestorTrends #Strategy #Global Ivo van Breukelen Stuart Daun Kiki C. Ethan Ward

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Today I want to put the spotlight on Arelys Sosa, Thomas Tingelöf and Kent Moore who are the amazing founders of DREV.🔦 The problem they are tackling is that battery gigafactories, semi-conductor factories, and battery recycling plants face big challenges collecting hazardous metal micro-particles, slowing production, and they are squandering precious materials, and endangering staff. These are all individually big problems and combined this is huge.☣️ Drev has the solution to all to this with The Vault, an innovative technology powered by patent-pending dry brush technology and a revolutionary canister design, eliminates water and chemicals from the cleaning process, improves safety, and enables the adaptive reuse of valuable materials that would otherwise be thrown away with save manufactures millons. 🧹 The Drev team has the unique domain experience for solving a particular problem that we're always looking for when we are backing founders at the Norrsken Accelerator. Arelys is an industrial engineer who was part of the original team at Panasonic Energy at Tesla’s Gigafactory 1 so she has seen this problem first hand for years. Thomas has a PhD and he has been the CTO of PowerCell and VP at Volvo Cars and has massively scaled technologies before.🤩 The interest from the industry is huge and they are currently running projects with some of the leading battery manufacturers. You can read more and contact them here: https://lnkd.in/d7V-mKrx

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At a time of such political uncertainty, an urgent reminder that climate-tech is a matter of national security and industrial development strategy. Without any reference to carbon or climate-change, the energy transition is a race the US and the west cannot afford to lose. Technology transitions fuel the economic and military power that shape geopolitics and the rise and fall of empires. Think: Caravel ship design and new navigation tools that underpinned Portuguese conquests of Africa and the Americas. The 1st industrial revolution fueling the rail roads, manufacturing that built the British empire. Then the US-lead second industrial revolution with oil, cars, and the economic boom associated with these. Ascendent after WWI, the US eclipsed Britain and Europe as in WWII on the back of its economic might and technology leadership. But the best analogy for the critical strategic, economic and technological importance of winning the clean energy race is microprocessor chips. In the 1950s through 70s, America’s ingenuity and capital markets seeded these technologies that changed everything, not just computers, the internet communications, but smart bombs, intelligence, satellites in the midst of the cold war. Japan and Korea’s economic miracles were tied directly to economic development policies focusing on these industries. And today, China’s claims on Taiwan are more about controlling TSMC’s chip manufacturing technology than national identity. Lets be clear. Clean energy technology is the next wave of technology that will shape this century and those that win this tech will control the economic and geopolitical order of the future. China saw this 20 years ago and has invested billions to ensure it wins the race. Today, China controls ~75% of global battery manufacturing capacity, 80 % of solar panel capacity, 58% of EVs manufactured, and 60% of the critical minerals that feed these industries. Beyond economic power, climate-technologies will also decide the future of hot and cold conflict. Think: grid resilient military bases powered by distributed energy at a time of cyber attacks on the grid.  Electric tactical vehicles with no noise signature. Battlefield batteries replacing highly exposed fuel supply chains. This isn’t speculation, this is straight from the US militaries climate-change strategy. China understands that clean energy is the inevitable future, and he who captures this prize wins the 21st century. They are cheaper, easier to deploy, with exponentially falling costs, and myriad use-case superiorities that make the obsolescence of fossil fuels inevitable. Today, 90% of all new generation capacity being added globally is renewable. We reached peak ICE vehicle in 2017. At a time when climate has become a partisan political issue, lets reframe this topic as the urgent matter of global security it is. The future of clean energy is not open to debate. But who wins this prize and, with it, the next century, is up to us.

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Building new materials is one of the highest leverage activities for societal impact. Better building blocks transform the relationship between performance, cost, and externalities, and often enable entirely new product design options that were previously unthinkable. In other words, when you have optimized everything else (product design, system controls, supply chain, etc), further improvement is bottlenecked by the properties your materials can provide. The older the industry, the more likely that this is already true. This is why spaces like Climate are experiencing huge demand for new and better materials. The article below is one simple example, and we expect to see many more. Development, deployment, and scale-up tend to be more difficult than materials discovery, but that is a story for another day... #materials #sustainability #climatetransition #climate #acceleration #innovation https://lnkd.in/gD9g8Bfy

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Check out our latest research article "On the cyclic deformation behavior of wire-based directed energy deposited Fe-Ni Invar alloy", now published in Materials Science and Engineering: A 📚. 🚀After presenting the study with a poster at #MSE2024 in Darmstadt and with a talk at MS&T in Pittsburgh, I am very excited that our paper is finally published open access! Feel free to check out the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/eb-Ps5yb The paper focuses on microstructural evolution and structural integrity of the Fe-Ni36 Invar alloy manufactured by wire-based directed energy deposition (DED) employing either an electric arc (DED-Arc) or a laser beam (DED-LB) as energy source. It has to be noted, that a wire-based DED-LB Invar condition is comprehensively studied for the first time in open literature. 💡The study revealed that the DED-LB condition is characterized by a heterogeneous grain size distribution, less pronounced crystallographic texture as well as increased tensile strength and ductility compared to the DED-Arc counterparts. Despite increased strength and ductility, the DED-LB Invar consistently shows inferior fatigue properties. This behavior is discussed based on microstructural heterogeneity, cyclic deformation response, process-induced porosity and the contribution of plastic strain. Furthermore, investigations on the thermal expansion behavior show that the DED Invar retains its outstanding thermal properties, respectively. This research represents another excellent output of my collaboration with my good friend Dr.-Ing. Johannes Günther from ifw Jena | Günter-Köhler-Institut für Fügetechnik und Werkstoffprüfung GmbH. Special thanks to Johannes and his team at this point for this fantastic teamwork. Moreover, I would like to thank my co-authors Dr. Sudipta Pramanik as well my supervisor Prof. Thomas Niendorf for their invaluable contributions to this project. Looking forward to future investigations in this exciting and fruitful joint research!

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Beijing Graphene Institute (BGI) is pushing the boundaries of what's possible with graphene technology. Our latest breakthrough, "Super Graphene Skinned Materials," represents a game-changing approach. By using high-temperature growth processes and innovative designs, we can seamlessly deposit continuous graphene films onto traditional materials. This high-performance graphene "skin" transforms these materials with brand-new functionalities. 💡✨ Take our Super Graphene Skinned Glass Fibre, for example – a trailblazer in this new category. This revolutionary composite material is already making waves in aircraft de-icing and wind turbine blade de-icing applications. 🌬️❄️ But the journey doesn't stop there. As we push Super Graphene Skinned Glass Fibre into more applications, we're tackling challenges like production capacity and cost head-on. Growing graphene on non-catalytic, non-metal substrates has been a tough nut to crack, particularly with growth rates. These limitations have been major roadblocks to large-scale production and widespread use. Enter BGI's innovative strategy: we've developed a co-adsorption technique that leverages highly electronegative particles and active carbon species on the glass fiber substrate. By using industrial dichloromethane as a carbon source, we've turbocharged the graphene CVD growth process. Now, we can achieve full graphene coverage on glass fiber fabric surfaces in just 30 seconds – a whopping improvement of three orders of magnitude over traditional methods and a 960-fold increase in carbon utilization efficiency! ⚡🚀 Our groundbreaking research, "Multispecies-coadsorption-induced rapid preparation of graphene glass fiber fabric and applications in flexible pressure sensor," was published on June 12th in Nature Communications. 📝📚 Super Graphene Skinned Materials are set to revolutionise industries, and we're just getting started. Stay tuned for more innovations from BGI! 🌟 #Graphene #Innovation #BGI #AdvancedMaterials #TechRevolution #Research #NatureCommunications Original Paper Link：https://lnkd.in/grCSySqP

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Evaluating the efficacy of strategies for silicon/graphite anodes in Li-ion batteries. This paper, published on Nov 3 2024, compares two strategies for making the anodes of high energy density cells: (A) Using a Silicon-Graphite composite anode active material with a specific capacity of 650 mAh/g; OR (B) Blending a high specific capacity (1400 mAh/g) additive with graphite, to achieve the SAME anode reversible capacity of 650 mAh/g. The paper concludes that (A) yields higher performance than (B). Similarily, OneD Battery Sciences SINANODE process adds nano-silicon inside the pores of EV-grade graphite particles from qualified suppliers, to create composite anode materials. The silicon nanowires inside the graphite pores add 3250 mAh/g reversible capacity to the graphite. With SINANODE, there is no inactive silicon or inactive carbon or void added to the graphite, and there is no need to manufacture a new carbon substrate to host the graphite. By contrast, other silicon technologies include proprietary meso-porous hard carbon particles infused with nano-silicon to create high specific capacity additives. The HC-Si additives contain lots of inactive silicon, inactive carbon and voids, resulting in low density powders that must be mixed with graphite to create blended anodes. SINANODE anodes can be calendared to EV-specs (such as 1.7 g/cc) and achieve higher cell energy density with less silicon and lower cost than the cells with HC-Si blended with graphite. The key question about the use of silicon in the anodes of EV cells is NOT how much silicon can a technology add (the so-called “silicon dominant paradigm”, but how little silicon is necessary to achieve high energy density and charging speed at the lowest cost and risk possible. EV cell makers and OEMs are driven by demand for better EVs that cost less, and by the need to have a road map to large-scale adoption that is lowers execution risks. SINANODE delivers a Better, Easier, Cheaper solution for EV cells. #evbatteries #silicon #sinanode

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Excellent blog post on the realities of Climate & VC. While these are "tough times for the transition," there are also many opportunities. Significant capital will continue to flow, with Corporate VCs playing a larger role in financing this transition. Through this process, they will strengthen their LP positions in funds tackling climate challenges. I receive weekly calls from large Holding & Corporate VCs seeking introductions to Climate / Energy / Infra VC Funds. When I ask about their target sub-verticals within Climate / Energy, they often mention that they default to focusing on specific regions due to limited resources and coverage. In other words, rather than evaluating whether a DACH VC is better positioned for solar or grid-tech compared to a Nordic or US VC, they simply pursue whichever regions they can access—a haphazard approach at best. I always advise LPs to evaluate VCs within their operating market context. Since sourcing is crucial in venture capital, Holding Cos. and Family Offices should carefully assess a VC's location, regulatory context, and market environment before investing and building a portfolio of Funds. I've heard "I wish I had discovered this VC / region sooner" far too many times... * At ComposeVC's Built World Fund, we do not invest in Climatetech or Energytech directly, only as it relates to our Built World thesis.

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That feeling when you watch the macro forces that undergird your Industrial Transformation & Supply Chain Technology investment thesis at ⁦‪REFASHIOND Ventures: The Industrial Transformation Fund unfolding every single day: Escalating Geopolitical Tensions; The Climate Crisis & Severe Weather; Consumer Behavior & Demographics. At most venture capital firms, Industrial Transformation & Supply Chain Technology is a tiny, emerging “area of interest” . . . At REFASHIOND Ventures, it’s our entire world. Join us. #IndustrialTransformation #SupplyChain #Innovation #Technology #Startups #VentureCapital

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It’s been an exciting two weeks representing Modern Synthesis at SynBioBeta in San Jose and the Rethinking Materials summit in London. So grateful to have shared the stage with such a great group of people exploring the future of our material world from all angles - from innovation and investment to synthetic biology and recycling infrastructure. Driving scale and impact were top of mind, and there are many factors at play: Aesthetic matters: New materials need to resonate with consumers not just functionally, but also emotionally. The look and feel of these materials are crucial in gaining acceptance. Performance standards: It’s not enough for these materials to be sustainable; they must also meet or exceed the performance benchmarks set by traditional synthetics. Investment: To bring these materials to market at scale, significant investment is required, with a longer-term perspective that doesn’t measure material innovation against the same yardstick as software. Despite the challenges, I’ve returned feeling optimistic, energised by the tangible progress of innovation in the last year, enthusiastic brand collaborators, and a new wave of purpose-aligned investors eager to usher in a rising tide of better materials. Thank you to the event hosts and to Jennifer Marston and Louisa Burwood-Taylor for capturing the collaborative nature of our discussions so well in this AgFunder article: https://lnkd.in/ewvw5Z78 #SynBioBeta2024 #SyntheticBiology #Biotechnology #MaterialInnovation #Investment

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Congrats to our portfolio companies — Heirloom, Charm Industrial, Vycarb, and Vaulted Deep who all made the DOE's short list of Phase 1 semifinalists! Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Carbon Dioxide Removal Purchase Pilot Prize allows companies to compete for the opportunity to deliver carbon dioxide removal credits directly to DOE. This is such an important initiative to ensure carbon credits are of a high quality, and will ultimately help restore trust in carbon markets. https://lnkd.in/drEkPd4p

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Renewable energy is expensive … ok Compared to what? Compared to responsible fossil fuel where emissions are fully compensated or mitigated? We have paid simply for the fossil fuel for decades but not for all the rest … History should not be a benchmark in this debate, corrected history or future oriented might be. Changing that perspective might well give a different outcome to most of the sustainability debates but should also have political and policy consequences. Who dares?

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'Drill, baby, drill' isn't just for oil and gas - it could unlock geothermal energy and geologic hydrogen too. That's the fascinating paradox of climate tech I discussed in a recent TechCrunch feature examining how VCs are viewing the sector's future. The reality is that policy impacts are rarely straightforward - deregulation of drilling and permitting, such as for overhauls in transmission and distribution, could actually accelerate clean energy solutions. Furthermore, the sector has shown remarkable resilience through multiple administrations and market cycles. The core message I shared with Tim De Chant and Rebecca Szkutak rings true: technological advancement and declining cost curves will keep driving solutions forward, regardless of the political situation. The energy landscape continually presents new opportunities at every turn. Worth a read for anyone interested in the exciting future of climatetech investing. https://lnkd.in/gjNdm4DW #ClimateInnovation #VentureCapital #Geothermal #GeologicHydrogen

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At Beijing Graphene Institute (BGI), we're excited to introduce our latest innovation: Graphene Skinned Alumina Fiber – a next-gen composite material that's breaking new ground in the world of advanced materials. 🧪✨ Our "Super Graphene Skinned Materials" strategy allows us to deposit continuous graphene films on traditional materials, giving them atomic-level graphene "skins" with incredible new properties. This opens up new pathways for the real-world application of graphene through CVD growth. One standout material? Alumina Fiber, a commercial engineering marvel known for its lightweight, high strength, flexibility, and exceptional heat resistance (over 1200 °C). 🔥💪 Thanks to these properties, alumina fiber emerges as an ideal substrate for high-temperature graphene growth. Even after enduring intense heat, it retains its mechanical integrity, making it a perfect fit for graphene CVD growth. Our team, led by Professor Liu Zhongfan and Dr. Qi Yue, has developed a new composite material – Graphene Skinned Alumina Fiber – by combining graphene with alumina fiber through a CVD method. For the first time, we’ve proposed a novel "vapor-surface-solid" model for graphene growth on non-metallic substrates, leading to metal-like catalytic behavior on alumina fiber. This innovative approach reduces growth temperatures by 200°C and increases growth rates by over threefold compared to quartz fibers. The resulting Graphene Skinned Alumina Fiber fabric boasts impressive conductivity (1-15000 Ω sq⁻¹), high tensile strength (>1.5 GPa), and remains lightweight and flexible. These qualities unlock vast potential applications in fields like electric heating and electromagnetic shielding. 💡⚡ What's more, we’ve developed a dynamic roll-to-roll system for scalable production of these fabrics, bringing us closer to industrial applications and commercial success. Our research, titled "Graphene-skinned alumina fiber fabricated through metalloid-catalytic graphene CVD growth on nonmetallic substrate and its mass production," was published in Nature Communications on August 9th. 📝📚 Exciting times lie ahead as we continue to advance graphene technologies and explore new possibilities for real-world impact. 🌍🚀 #Graphene #AdvancedMaterials #Innovation #BGI #CVDTechnology #NatureCommunications #Technology #Breakthroughs Original Link: https://lnkd.in/g2RUf-CH

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📢 Some big news this week that marks another pivotal step in the evolution of carbon markets… The Biden administration, led by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, will be unveiling the first broad US government guidelines on the use of carbon credits as part of decarbonization strategies. It’s a much needed step that will promote high-integrity carbon markets, and boost corporate confidence in using carbon credits. The Bloomberg article's sources suggest the upcoming framework will align with the government’s stance that: “voluntary carbon markets have a role in reaching net zero, as long as they promote high-integrity emissions reductions and channel meaningful amounts of capital into nature-based projects today as well as carbon-removal technologies in the future.” And that is the key. There is no silver bullet for the climate crisis. Whatever the critics may say about carbon credits, more transparency, clarity and official endorsement on their use will serve to unlock billions of much needed corporate dollars for carbon projects. Couple this news with recent initiatives by major tech companies like the Symbiosis Coalition of Google, Meta, Microsoft and Salesforce and we’re starting to stride in the right direction. Read more and sign up for the live stream: https://lnkd.in/ddDRA8yd #carbonmarkets #carboncredits #naturalcapital #climateaction #breakingnews

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