Karen Sheffield, MBA’s Post

Imagine sailing through fundraising rounds, proving your breakthrough technology's potential, only to hit a roadblock when you get to scaling up and building a commercial plant. Some call it the "commercial valley of death." The assumption is that once climate tech solutions are proven, then industry/corporates will scale them. The reality is they're pressured to invest where there's immediate shareholder value. #mindthegap Prime Coalition’s Trellis Climate Program wants to bridge that gap. Here's how: 🌍Tapping Philanthropy: They take a unique approach by tapping into philanthropic funds to fuel high-impact projects during the middle stages, where traditional capital falls short. 🌍 Investing in Innovation: For climate tech founders, this funding model offers a ray of hope. While there are plenty of early-stage funding options, Trellis Climate fills a crucial gap by propelling proven technologies toward commercialization. 🌏Philanthropy as a Catalyst: By using philanthropic dollars as catalysts, they attract infrastructure investors willing to take calculated risks. Together, they pave the way for scalable climate solutions. Trellis Climate is getting started with investments in startups Ample Carbon and Ebb Carbon. Lara Pierpoint #ClimateTech #Startup #Innovation #Philanthropy

🌏 Leaders who helped shape the State of Climate Tech Q1 2024 report In our latest report, the State of Climate Tech for Q1 2024, we tightened the lens on non-dilutive funding, and specifically, non-dilutive funding as an accelerant for startups within climate tech. To enrich our analysis, we featured Frederico Bilelo Gonçalves, Partner at Innovation@edp, where he commented on EDP Ventures’ investment ethos as a CVC as well as their thoughts on non-dilutive funding. He mentioned, “EDP Ventures is highly receptive to exploring non-dilutive funding structures in our portfolio companies and we encourage it. Many of our investees have experienced significant benefits from leveraging non-dilutive funding to expedite their technological advancements without prematurely diluting the founding team's ownership stake.” Explore more of Frederico Bilelo Gonçalves’ responses by accessing the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eVR7Anky

We need to re-think climate investing. Part two of Jim Kapsis and Michael Sachse's series is live on Latitude Media. https://lnkd.in/ggud3ARm For climate tech to scale, the collaboration between climate tech founders and capital providers will need to change. The article takes a look back at the early days of Silicon Valley to understand what that might look like. #climatetech #startups #venturecapital

Part II of our thoughts on the climate tech ecosystem!

🌎 G’(earth)day 👋 Welcome to the The Raaise Rundown—your weekly climate funding fix—designed to digest in less than a minute. Let’s dive in. Here are the 3 climate startups, 2 climate investors and 1 essential insight for this week. 💚 3 x CLIMATE STARTUPS Goodbye Gas: Peter and the GG team are making it effortless for every Aussie home to say goodbye to gas and transition to a 100% electric, powered by clean energy. Seed 🇦🇺 Agreka Build: Incubated at Imperial, Joseph is converting ag waste into highly efficient building and insulation materials, offering a new source of income to farmers. Pre-seed. 🇬🇧 Everclime: James and Sebastian are supporting orgs end-to-end, making sustainability commercially viable, by converting consumer engagement into impact action. Seed 🇦🇺 For details on these (and more) climate startups go to Raaise, and hit them up. 💸 2 x CLIMATE INVESTORS Electrifi Ventures 🇦🇺: Committed to backing climate tech startups that are transforming industries and driving progress with bold ambitious plans. Backed: Goterra, Harvest B, Amber Electric, Threadlet, NRN and DAI. Narwhale Ventures / 10power9 Pte Ltd  🇸🇬: Recognising the ocean’s indispensable role in supporting life, regulating climate, and nurturing biodiversity, Narwhale—a new fund—are actively seeking opportunities to back blue economy startups tackling; Energy, Mobility and Sustainable Ecosystems. To connect and put your startup in front of these (and other) climate investors, head to Raaise and sign up.  💡 1 ESSENTIAL INSIGHT Strike While the Iron's Hot: How to Follow Up with Investors after your Pitch. Just like a great first date, a successful investor meeting hinges on a timely and thoughtful follow-up. Don't wait days to rekindle the connection, send a quick email summarising key points that piqued the investor's interest, include any promised materials, and set clear expectations for next steps. This prompt follow-up shows professionalism and keeps your startup top-of-mind for busy investors. Give me the weekly Raaise Rundown > https://lnkd.in/e2c5J_s8 #earthday #climatestartups #climateinvesting #climatefunding

Who’s going to New York Climate Week? 🌍 I’m there through the week with Hub71 & some team members and we're looking to connect with investors, startups, innovators, and ecosystem builders. Please reach out in the comments or DM me if you’re around- let’s meet up! #ClimateWeekNYC Climate Group Hayat AlHassan Aya Hamoodi

Our friends at Mercy Corps Ventures just released their 2023 Annual Impact Report highlighting their progress propelling climate innovation and adaptation in emerging markets. Key results from the last year include: 🚀 7 investments and 3 pilots launched 💰 $59M raised in co-investments and follow-on funding 🤝 5M customers served by portfolio companies 🏦 $212.6M in financing provided to small businesses and individuals 🌍 Their portfolio now spans 90 countries, including 30 of the most climate vulnerable countries. We're most intrigued by their findings about the impacts of entrepreneurial ecosystems: ”The most successful companies are those that build strong communities of support around them,” says the MCV team. 🤝 Strong communities matter: Surrounding founders with a supportive network is critical for overcoming challenges and navigating the complexities of the climate space. 🆘 Early assistance is key: Founders who more clearly and frequently ask for help are best equipped to leverage opportunities and weather difficult economic circumstances. ⤴️Reduced learning curves: Strong communities equip founders with shared knowledge and resources, allowing them to execute faster, streamline processes, and focus on core competencies. Congrats to the Mercy Corps Ventures team Scott Onder Tim Rann Kenneth Kou Lillian Alexander on all you've achieved so far! Climate Collective is proud to support your work developing high-impact technologies and solutions for climate resilience.

We’ve seen how #ClimateChange can affect the most vulnerable communities in developing countries like the Philippines. These communities need access to readily available information to mitigate the risks associated with weather disturbances. Our portfolio company, Komunidad, has developed innovative SaaS solutions to help local governments, businesses, and communities in the Philippines leverage climate data and analytics to respond more effectively to the urgent challenges of climate change. Komunidad has secured a venture debt partnership with the Global Innovation Fund, a London-based non-profit dedicated to empowering the world's most vulnerable communities. This partnership will enable Komunidad to advance its early warning systems and weather data analytics platforms, enhancing the company’s ability to support #ClimateResilience.

It was a blast dropping by LaunchVT yesterday to unpack the role of ESG for high-potential start-ups! LaunchVT, a division of the Lake Champlain Chamber, is the OG accelerator in our great little state of Vermont - with the first cohort being launched all the way back in 2013. Notable alumni include high-impact brands like THINKMD, Benchmark Space Systems, Packetized Energy, Burlington Code Academy, Trust & Will's EZ Probate, Resonant Link, Wasted* PBC, LOGIC Building Systems, and many more Vermont-born innovators. Big ups to all the 2024 cohort companies - Hootie Hoo, H2GO Energy Water, Shrubbly, Offshore Greens, EnrichedHQ, Biobe, Flipt, and Brightwater Tools - who are doing big things for our planet, our people, and the purpose-driven, VT economy. And lastly - mad respect for and a big thank you to the one-and-only Lauren B., for leading the sustainable innovation charge in our great, little state! (And shout-out to Vermont treasurer Mike Pieciak for letting me listen in on a few of his insights before my session!) Rho Impact. You bring your WHY. We'll bring everything else (including ESG training for the realities of start-up life!) #esg #impactmeasurement #sustainablestartups #esgtraining #esgeducation #sustainableinnovation #impacteconomy #vermontstartups #impactthatmatters #newnormal

🚀 Here’s what our co-founder, Emma Stålmarck, has to say about #Startup4Climate 2024! "Do YOU want to help us scale up what we’re doing? ClimateHero is one of the nominees in #Startup4Climate 2024 (organized by GodEl i Sverige AB and Ellevio). Voting has been open for a week, and in this first phase, we’re aiming for a spot in the finals with a chance to win 2 million SEK! 🌍 We’ve already helped 1.3 million individuals understand their carbon footprint and inspired many to take climate action (cutting over 2M tons of emissions per year!). Imagine how much more we could do with your help!" 🌱 Why vote for us? We've built this impact without external funding so far, and we’ve got big plans to keep growing! With ClimateHero’s calculator, individuals and companies can take the first step towards understanding their emissions—and we’re pushing for companies to lead the charge in creating a ripple effect in sustainability. 🌿 We believe true change happens through 3 key levels: 1️⃣ Influencing demand from the bottom up (Individuals). 2️⃣ Impacting the supply side (Companies). 3️⃣ Engaging at the policy level (Politics e.g. the campaign Fund Your Mother & #movethemoney). Want to support ClimateHero? Please vote for us and help us scale our impact! Every vote brings us closer to a greener future & support Doctors Without Borders' work in Sierra Leone 🌍💚 👉 Vote now at https://lnkd.in/dj_Et2kP and scroll to find us! Thank you for your support! 💚 #ClimateAction #Sustainability #Startup4Climate2024 #VoteNow #ClimateHero