Tag: Breakthrough Energy Ventures

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Batteries beat oil and gas as AI startup pivots to critical minerals exploration

There’s been a lot of talk about how the energy transition could cost jobs in key sectors of the economy like oil and gas. But what often goes unmentioned are the number of jobs that could be gained in the process.

Take one Canadian startup as an example. GeologicAI started life under a different name, serving oil and gas clients. Those clients would drill core samples from deep underground and send them to its facility in Calgary, where it would use sophisticated equipment to scan samples and offer its assessment on whether the client was homing in on a significant reservoir.

“It’s very easy if you’re a high-end professional who’s good at data to make a consulting business and do research for big oil companies,” GeologicAI’s co-founder and CEO Grant Sander told TechCrunch+. “That’s what we did.”

Volkswagen’s breakthrough could spark a battery manufacturing gold rush

But as many people in the startup world know, consulting businesses don’t scale well. They can make good money, but they don’t have the sort of potential that a truly scalable business does.

“Then we got involved in Creative Destruction Labs, which is an interesting accelerator that came out of Toronto,” Sander said. The company began to explore other ways to apply the technology, including scaling its sensor suite and machine learning algorithms to process a large quantity of core samples.

Oil and gas companies, though, scan relatively small amounts of rock, and they were willing to pay handsomely to have it evaluated in great detail. That’s fine for a consultancy, but not for a startup looking to scale. Very large mines, on the other hand, drill 400 kilometers of core every year. That’s just for one mine. “The world has 75 million meters of rocks that we need to go scan,” Sander said.

Problem was, miners weren’t interested in paying the same rates that oil and gas companies were. “So we reevaluated what cost works and we lowered the cost so it was a no brainer,” he said.

Batteries beat oil and gas as AI startup pivots to critical minerals exploration by Tim De Chant originally published on TechCrunch

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With $10T on the line, 6 fusion investors explain why they’re all in

Fusion power could be considered the quintessential venture capital bet: It’s expensive and risky, but the potential rewards are enormous. The world paid $10 trillion for energy last year, according to the IEA, so even a single-digit percentage of that pie would generate revenues in the tens of billions. Oh, and a commercially successful fusion power plant would change the world.

But that’s just part of the reason why investors have been diving deep into fusion power in the last few years. “There is more confidence than before fusion machines getting not only to ‘scientific breakeven,’ which is getting more energy out of the fusion reaction than the energy that it takes to get to the fuel, but also getting enough excess energy to make for viable commercial power plants,” Phil Larochelle, partner at Breakthrough Energy Ventures, told TechCrunch+.

The field achieved a milestone late last year when the Department of Energy’s National Ignition Facility announced that it had created a fusion reaction that produced more power than was required to spark the fuel pellet. There’s still a long way to go, but net-positive controlled fusion is no longer just theoretical. “The industry is slowly leaving the lab and moving into the engineering phase,” said Wal van Lierop, founding partner at Chrysalix Ventures.

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Momentum has been building over the last decade, though. “This recent renaissance in fusion has seen a blossoming of diverse technologies,” said Thai Nguyen, partner at MCJ Collective.

Breakthroughs in superconducting magnets coupled with exponential advances in computing power and machine learning have transformed the field seemingly overnight. More powerful and efficient magnets helped breathe life into the field, and the computing advances allowed researchers to simulate a potential reactor’s conditions in a fraction of the time previously required. Suddenly, small teams could feasibly design and tweak reactors.

“All of this adds up to an increased pace of innovation across a range of fusion approaches,” said Alice Brooks, principal at Khosla Ventures.

As private funding has rushed in, it has also allowed teams not only to refine existing reactor designs, but also explore alternatives that had previously been dismissed. “The transition to private science funding with a focus on commercial relevance has put experimental (and physical) heft behind a lot of concepts that had been percolating in academia for years, but largely couldn’t get funded given the gravity of tokamaks and laser inertial fusion mega-projects,” said Joshua Posamentier, managing partner at Congruent Ventures.

That doesn’t mean commercially viable fusion is a sure thing, or that investors can expect returns on the usual timelines. On the contrary, “if you have a traditional five- to seven-year time horizon venture fund, it is difficult for a fusion investment to make sense.” Katie Rae, CEO of The Engine, said.

Rather, firms are investing on much longer timelines, in part because it’s what the sector requires and in part because the potential market is enormous. “The economic opportunity justifies the timeline,” Rae said, adding that investment figures are likely to increase in the coming years. “I expect we’ll see bigger amounts going into startups as they accomplish their next set of milestones.”

Read on to learn more about what these investors expect from fusion, when they expect the technology to become commercially viable, and balance that academia needs to strike with venture to truly push the envelope.

We spoke with:

Katie Rae, CEO and managing partner, The Engine

Fusion has broken a lot of promises in the past. What’s different this time? 

It’s easy to look from the outside and believe the adage of “fusion is always 30 years away.” But if you dig into the research, there has been a steady beat of scientific progress and accomplishments in fusion since research really began in the 1950s. In fact, the progress has actually progressed faster than Moore’s law. What’s different now versus earlier is the confluence of a few key workstreams.

There have been a few significant milestones achieved in the industry in the last few years. In September 2021, Commonwealth Fusion Systems demonstrated, at scale, an entirely new type of superconducting magnet technology that enables a new commercial pathway for fusion energy.

In December 2022, the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Lab demonstrated a fusion experiment that got more energy from the plasma than it took to heat it, or Q>1, for the first time in history. This is an example of the robustness and advancement of the simulation tools that exist; this was a long predicted result and confirms much about plasma and fusion physics. Additionally, there has been significant innovations and progress in ancillary technologies, such as materials, advanced simulation and computational capabilities, and electronic components, that enable new capabilities and technical development on more accelerated timelines.

Which approach to fusion do you think holds the most promise and why (e.g. tokamak, shear-flow stabilized Z-pinch)?

With $10T on the line, 6 fusion investors explain why they’re all in by Tim De Chant originally published on TechCrunch

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Pivoting from tobacco waste to textiles, Circ puts a fresh spin on clothing recycling

The fashion industry has come under fire of late for its outsize impact on the environment. From cradle to grave, it accounts for between 4% and 10% of the world’s carbon emissions and around 20% of the world’s wastewater. Only about 15% of the clothes in the U.S. are recycled, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates.

Some clothing and shoe companies have begun to wake up to the problem, pledging that their lines will be made of increasing amounts of recycled materials. That’s created an opening for materials companies like Circ, which uses a proprietary process to extract raw materials from discarded cotton and polyester.

Today, the startup announced a $30 million Series B round led by Bill Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures. It was joined by Inditex, the parent company of fast-fashion retailer Zara; Milliken and Company; and Landsdowne Partners.

“With this investment round, we’ve secured suppliers, purchasers, and major financial stakeholders to establish a much cleaner fashion future,” Circ CEO Peter Majeranowski said in a statement. “We already have all the clothing we need to make all the clothing we’ll ever need. Now, alongside our partners, we can make recycled garments accessible to every shopper.”

The company had previously raised $8 million in a round led by Tin Shed Ventures, the VC arm of privately owned outdoor apparel company Patagonia, which has long used recycled materials in its gear.

Circ began life as a biofuels company using its process to break down tobacco waste to turn it into feedstocks for renewable fuels. But, according to a Bloomberg report last year, when one Swedish commodities trading company asked if their machine could process T-shirts, Circ’s business model changed entirely.

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Forethought AI’s CEO explains the pitch deck that won Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt 2018

TechCrunch Live records weekly, live, each Wednesday at 3:00pm EDT / 12:00pm PDT.

Forethought AI won Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt 2018. Since then, the company raised two rounds of funding and is now a leader in human-centric artificial intelligence. During this live event, Dean Nicholas, CEO and co-founder of Forethought, and Vanessa Larco, NEA partner and Forethought board observer, talked through the company’s early days. The two talked in depth about how Forethought launched its AI-based service amid stiff competition and a booming tech industry.

Nicholas shared the pitch deck that helped the company win Startup Battlefield. He admits: the deck’s design isn’t pretty, but it worked in part because of several key slides around traction and partners.

Past TechCrunch Live events

Mobility marketplaces and brake repair with Mike Ghaffary (Canvas Ventures) + Walker Drewett (NuBrakes)

Walker Drewett founded NuBrakes in May 2019. According to Mike Ghaffary, GP at Canvas Ventures, Drewett is building a high-growth business powered by a marketplace model, which is why Ghaffary led the company’s Series A. The product is simple: On-demand vehicle brake repair services. Join this episode to hear how Drewett raised capital and built NuBrakes on the learnings from his previous startup, NuWash (it’s on-demand car washes, of course).

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Funding radical startups addressing climate change with Natel Energy and Breakthrough Energy Ventures

Gia Schneider raised $65 million on the road to unlock distributed hydro resources. In July 2021 Libby Wayman from Breakthrough Energy Ventures led Natel Energy’s $20 million Series B, and on June 8, 2022, the two industry leaders are speaking on TechCrunch Live. We’ll take a look at Natel Energy’s early pitch deck, and hear how Scneider won over Wayman’s firm. This episode comes ahead of TechCrunch’s inaugural in-person event: TechCrunch Sessions: Climate.

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Register for today’s TechCrunch Live featuring a talk on founder/investor relationships and product launch timing

Today’s TechCrunch Live event should be fantastic. We have Vanessa Larco, a partner at NEA, and Deon Nicholas, co-founder and CEO of Forethought AI, and they promised not to get rowdy. That basically means they’re going to get rowdy, and I’m here for it. The two have a great working relationship, and we’re going to pull out some advice and lessons on building a founder/investor relationship, but also talk about product launching timing and winning a startup competition — Forethought AI won Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt 2018.

The event streams live on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, but if you register for Hopin, you’ll be able to ask questions, network with the guests, and apply for Pitch Practice.

Register here!

And this is TechCrunch Live’s last week on Hopin. Starting next week, TechCrunch Live is moving to Grip, which should make it easier to register and attend future TechCrunch Live events. We’re also changing how startups apply for Pitch Practice using a single application. Look for the application next week.

TechCrunch Live records weekly at 3:00pm EDT/ 12:00pm PDT.

Past TechCrunch Live events

Mobility marketplaces and brake repair with Mike Ghaffary (Canvas Ventures) + Walker Drewett (NuBrakes)

Walker Drewett founded NuBrakes in May 2019. According to Mike Ghaffary, GP at Canvas Ventures, Drewett is building a high-growth business powered by a marketplace model, which is why Ghaffary led the company’s Series A. The product is simple: On-demand vehicle brake repair services. Join this episode to hear how Drewett raised capital and built NuBrakes on the learnings from his previous startup, NuWash (it’s on-demand car washes, of course).

Subscribe

Funding radical startups addressing climate change with Natel Energy and Breakthrough Energy Ventures

Gia Schneider raised $65 million on the road to unlock distributed hydro resources. In July 2021 Libby Wayman from Breakthrough Energy Ventures led Natel Energy’s $20 million Series B, and on June 8, 2022, the two industry leaders are speaking on TechCrunch Live. We’ll take a look at Natel Energy’s early pitch deck, and hear how Scneider won over Wayman’s firm. This episode comes ahead of TechCrunch’s inaugural in-person event: TechCrunch Sessions: Climate.

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Zap Energy nets $160M Series C to advance its lightning-in-a-bottle fusion tech

Fusion startup Zap Energy has reached two milestones that could nudge it ahead in the race to offer low-cost, carbon-free energy — a $160 million Series C round and a successful test of a prototype fusion reactor that could pave the way to a commercial version.

Fusion power has become an unlikely investor favorite as carbon emissions continue to rise and the effects of climate change become more apparent. We have been trying to harness the power of the sun to produce energy for many years, but after tens of billions of dollars and decades of research, fusion remains just out of reach.

Still, clever new approaches to contain scorching hot plasma — which burns at more than 100 million degrees Celsius — have brought fusion power tantalizingly close to reality. Investors are flocking to the field, hopeful that advances wrought by continued research and increasingly sophisticated computer simulations will finally help fusion pull away from its long string of failures.

Zap Energy’s oversubscribed Series C was led by Lowercarbon Capital. New investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Shell Ventures, DCVC and Valor Equity Partners. Existing investors Addition, Energy Impact Partners and Chevron Technology Ventures also contributed to the round. The startup’s core technology was spun out of research performed at the University of Washington and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Generally speaking, fusion power generates electricity by fusing hydrogen isotopes (either deuterium or tritium) into helium. The process releases neutrons, which are then captured to generate heat and spin a turbine. Atomic nuclei don’t like to fuse, so to coax them close enough for fusion to happen, nuclear scientists use extreme pressure and heat, creating a fourth state of matter known as plasma.

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3 climate tech VCs share how they find, vet and support carbon-slashing startups

Few sectors have boomed in the past few years like climate tech has. But despite the burgeoning urgency driving interest and investments, the ongoing market downturn is threatening to dim the prospects of many bright startups.

But are climate tech VCs as gloomy as the rest?

Three investors active in the space joined me on stage at TC Sessions: Climate 2022 this week in Berkeley to share why they’re in it for the long haul, the problems they’re looking to tackle, and how they find the startups poised to make an impact.

After the clean tech bust a decade ago, and given the current downturn, there are concerns that climate tech may be doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. Christian Garcia, a partner at Breakthrough Energy Ventures, said there might be some casualties, but overall, that won’t be the case. Climate tech, unlike clean tech, he feels, is here to stay.

“Everybody is walking into this with eyes wide open, that this is the change that has to happen in our economy, and therefore, our investments into this space have to exist in order to be a big part of that future economy.” Pae Wu, a general partner at SOSV and CTO of IndieBio

“There’s a little bit of a difference, which I agree with —  the opportunity is bigger, right? We rebranded it because it’s decarbonizing everything. I think that exists, and that opportunity exists regardless of what the Nasdaq is doing.” Garcia said.

Pae Wu, a general partner at SOSV and CTO of IndieBio, agreed: “This is probably one of the greatest opportunities that we have in front of us right now, and I think our LPs largely understand this, too.”

Garcia and Wu were joined by Kiersten Stead, managing partner at DCVC Bio. While all these firms have a broad portfolio of investments, they share a similar approach to the vetting process. That’s partly because many of their investments are focused on deep tech, the challenging and time-consuming technologies that have the potential to make the biggest impact on the climate.

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A decade after the bubble burst, 5 climate tech investors explain why they’re all in

Climate tech has been one of the biggest successes of the last few years. By 2025, investors are expected to sink $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion annually into a wide range of startups that promise to upend everything from travel and commuting to agriculture, construction, and more. Oh, and they’ll either trim carbon emissions or remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in the process, all while turning a profit.

Many investors — and companies — have been here before. A decade ago, the cleantech boom went bust. The recession lingered longer than many expected, natural gas prices plummeted as fracking boosted supplies, and demand for many cleantech startups’ products didn’t materialize. Some companies folded; others were sold at a loss. Investors generally didn’t fare well.

But that didn’t dissuade everyone. The Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 showed that governments, which had driven much of the cleantech boom and then sped its decline by withdrawing support, hadn’t entirely turned their backs on the problem. Some investors stuck with it, too, knowing that some of the bets would pay off even in the absence of public incentives.

And some of those bets have paid off, indeed. Battery technology startups, many of which were founded from the ashes of previous failures, have become investor darlings, feeding an industry that’s worth $40 billion today and growing 18% per year. They’ve solved some of the big scientific and engineering challenges, and their path toward commercialization is clearer than ever before.

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Not every company is going to succeed at hitting its targets, though. The recent downturn will only make it harder for those on the brink to hold on. “There’s a belief that countries and companies only care about climate when things are good,” said Christian Garcia, partner at Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

Still, climate change isn’t slowing down, which might make things different this time around. “Like all things, climate is cyclical — but it’s on a geologic cycle. The climate doesn’t stop changing just because of a recession. That means the need for solutions will only grow,” said Andrew Beebe, managing director at Obvious Ventures.

“No sector in the startup world can be recession-proof,” said Rajesh Swaminathan, venture partner at Khosla Ventures. “That said, there is now a strong sense of urgency around climate risks.”

Pae Wu, general partner at SOSV and CTO at IndieBio, agrees: “With a downturn comes a more choosy market, so new entrants will have to meet a very high bar, but this will come precisely at a time when we need every solution we can get our hands on to address the scale of this problem.”

So do they lean more bullish or bearish regarding the next few years? What’s a climate tech founder to do when faced with narrowing climate timelines and potentially tight funding rounds? We asked some of the leading investors in the space to share their perspectives on the sector and what founders can do to make it through the lean times.

We spoke with:

Given the scope of the climate challenge and governments’ efforts to tackle the problem, is climate tech recession-proof, or is it as vulnerable to market forces as something like SaaS?

Pae Wu: U.S. political will on this front is limited, so it will be incumbent upon the private sector to keep momentum and development aloft as U.S. politics swings again. Corporate pressure to act may help exert influence on the government to continue its efforts as well, especially in R&D. It might just be called something different, like food security, energy independence, or supply-chain resilience.

I suspect the EU’s commitments are more resilient and, coupled with their willingness to bring regulation to drive innovations, I expect to see continued developments in climate tech.

With a downturn comes a more choosy market, so new entrants will have to meet a very high bar, but this will come precisely at a time when we need every solution we can get our hands on to address the scale of this problem.

Everyone needs to get out of the lab. It’s time to prove. It’s time to show your tech works. Andrew Beebe, MD, Obvious Ventures

Amy Burr: The pandemic has been a really challenging time for all sectors, but climate tech investments did not slow down due to its importance both at the individual level and at the corporate responsibility level. Because of this, I would expect that the sector continues to stay immune during a more severe economic downturn.

Christian Garcia: I would say it’s just as vulnerable, if not more vulnerable to recession. There’s a belief that countries and companies only care about climate when things are good. Financial market headwinds certainly affect climate investing overall, and as tech is the bellwether for risk capital, headwinds definitely flow down to other sectors.

Rajesh Swaminathan: No sector in the startup world can be recession-proof, as the source of capital from LPs slows down if the public equity markets take a hit over a long time. We do need to be more mindful about how we deploy the right capital into climate tech in this environment. We should also use what we learned from cleantech 1.0.

That said, there is now a strong sense of urgency around climate risks. Climate tech is getting commitments from LPs, governments, family offices, asset management firms, and corporates, with many new VC funds coming to the market over the last year.

The sector, except for solar and maybe lithium-ion batteries, is still early and is in a different league compared to SaaS, which had tremendous runs in valuations in both public and private markets over the past decade.

The solutions we need to deploy, the pace at which we need to move, the wide range of technologies we need to de-risk, and the “instigators” we need to support all provide compelling tailwinds for climate investments despite the broader market challenges.

Andrew Beebe: Like all things, climate is cyclical — but it’s on a geologic cycle. The climate doesn’t stop changing just because of a recession. That means the need for solutions will only grow.

That said, we expect valuations to come down from 2021 highs, and we expect some of the more fantastical reaches of tech won’t make it through the trough. So while the demand will continue, there will of course be casualties.

Many investors are advising their companies to conserve cash, slow hiring, and so on. What are you telling your climate tech portfolio companies at this time?

Pae Wu: Focus on being a sustainable business — get to fundamentals. you can’t buy your way to scale right now. Capex efficiency is increasingly on our minds and green premiums simply aren’t on the table.

Amy Burr: Most of our sustainable portfolio companies have recently raised significant rounds, and are in great shape or are raising now. That said, everybody is conscious of the potential for an economic downturn and what that might mean for their individual businesses. All startups are smart to make sure they are making wise choices with their money.

Christian Garcia: It’s important for companies to be able to survive this downturn, and so preserving cash will be important. As such, we have guided companies to extend runway as much as possible without sacrificing major milestones. That said, in “hard tech,” you can’t easily make cuts without sacrificing technical progress and milestones. It is important to prove commercial viability and be able to finance your road map.

Rajesh Swaminathan: One size doesn’t fit all — climate tech companies are different from most other VC investments in some ways. We focus on multiple key areas with our founders.

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Here’s the complete agenda for next week’s TC Sessions: Climate 2022

TC Sessions: Climate, in partnership with the Extreme Tech Challenge 2022 Global Finals, is our first event dedicated to the climate crisis. And our agenda is complete! 

Leading scientists, entrepreneurs, VCs and more will gather in person on June 14 at UC Berkeley (and online on June 16) to examine the role of tech and startups in mitigating and adapting to the existential threat you know and dread. I know this reporter will be there! How about you? Join me at the show — but hurry. Buy your pass today and save $100. Prices go up at the door.

On stage, you’ll hear from influential leaders, including former EPA administrator Carol Browner, Impossible Foods founder Pat Brown, Berkeley Lab’s director of Climate & Ecosystem Sciences, William Collins, Lime CEO Wayne Ting and — Bill Gates. Off stage, you’ll have the chance to meet many of the founders, scientists and engineers that are building the next generation of climate startups.

Here’s the full agenda outlined below. Study it, plan your day and get ready to explore the latest in climate tech.

June 14

Opening Remarks

with Carol T. Christ (UC Berkeley)

The Climate Crisis Is Real — The Solutions Should Be, Too

with William Collins (UC Berkeley) and Kari C. Nadeau (Stanford University)

Let’s talk hot air. This level-setting panel will explore climate tech hype, hope and reality, as the sector scours the Earth for solutions and the powers that be (politicians) stubbornly cling to the outdated, fossil-fueled tech that got us in this mess in the first place.

Scaling Deep Tech Startups in Climate with SOSV’s HAX Program [Roundtable, Table 1]

with Essam Elsahwi (Pulsenics), Beth Esponnette (Unspun) and Susan Schofer (SOSV / HAX)

Discussion of some of the challenges / hurdles and approaches to overcome scaling and early commercialization of diverse climate tech companies.

Climate Investing Insights with Alumni Ventures [Roundtable, Table 2]

with Matt Caspari (Strawberry Creek Ventures / Alumni Ventures)

Intimate discussion on investing in climate. Topics: Lessons from Climate 1.0; Current trends; Macro financial impact; Zones of opportunity.

Ground Floor Green: Early-Stage Climate VC

with Christian Garcia (Breakthrough Energy Ventures), Kiersten Stead (DCVC) and Pae Wu (SOSV)

Climate tech is a hot area for investment once again, but the money going in this time around is a lot smarter on the subject than it has been in the past. Balancing hope and hype is still a major challenge, however, especially at the earliest stages, and we’ll dive into how the best and the brightest on the investment side are picking their winners.

Extreme Tech Challenge Global Finals Opening Remarks

with Young Sohn (Extreme Tech Challenge)

Sponsored by Extreme Tech Challenge

Extreme Tech Challenge co-founder Young Sohn introduces the Extreme Tech Challenge 2022 Global Finals. Sohn will share the mission of the organization and how the fifth wave of technology evolution we are in now represents a massive opportunity for founders and investors. 

Extreme Tech Challenge 2022 Global Finals: Pitch Session No. 1

with Victoria Slivkoff, Young Sohn and Bill Tai (Extreme Tech Challenge)

Sponsored by Extreme Tech Challenge

Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) Category and Special Award Winners will pitch their innovative startups with the potential to radically improve the world.

How to Solve the No. 1 Contributor to Climate Change — Food Waste with Full Harvest [Roundtable, Table 1]

with Christine Moseley (Full Harvest)

Every year, one-third of all edible produce is wasted on farms in the U.S. simply because of cosmetic or surplus reasons, contributing to food waste as the No. 1 contributor to climate change globally. Join Christine Moseley as she discusses how to solve the massive food waste problem at the farm level with technology and innovation.

Planting the Pre-Seeds: Investing Early In Climate Tech with Obvious Ventures [Roundtable, Table 2]

with Andrew Beebe (Obvious Ventures)

We have seen a surge in investors and entrepreneurs building companies that address the climate crisis. The solutions, however, are far-reaching: cold fusion, electrified transportation, carbon-free cement and emissions accounting software. How are top investors in the space defining climate tech? What are they looking for in entrepreneurs and ideas at the earliest stages? What is their decision-making process? What trends are they seeing in this space?

Bill Gates on How to Deploy Billions in Clean Tech

with Bill Gates (Breakthrough Energy)

Earlier this year, Breakthrough Energy revealed an intention to deploy as much as $15 billion in search of innovation solutions to minimize and reverse our combined carbon output across the global economy. Breakthrough Energy was founded by Bill Gates in 2015 to work through public-private partnerships with the goal of achieving net-zero global emissions. We’ll hear from Gates about what he thinks are the top priorities in climate technology investment.

Powering the Future Through Transformative Tech

with Jamey Butcher (Chemonics International), Philipp Gruener (Decisive Capital Management SA), Victoria Slivkoff (Extreme Tech Challenge) and Bill Tai (Extreme Tech Challenge)

Sponsored by Extreme Tech Challenge

This panel jumps into the breakthrough tech innovations that are transforming industries to build a radically better world. How can business, government, philanthropy and the startup community come together to create a better tomorrow? Hear from these seasoned investors and industry veterans about how technology can not only shape the future, but also where the biggest opportunities lie.

Accelerating Climate Solutions from Discovery to Deployment with UC Berkeley [Roundtable, Table 3]

with Kathy Yelick (UC Berkeley)

What role should universities play in developing and transferring innovative and equitable solutions to the climate crisis?

Building Trust with Forward-looking Reforestation Carbon Offsets with DroneSeed [Roundtable, Table 2]

with Cassie Meigs (DroneSeed)

With overall demand for carbon offsets increasing and buyers getting more sophisticated, high-quality removal offsets with tangible, verifiable benefits for the climate and local ecosystems are in short supply. At the same time, wildfires are getting bigger, hotter and more frequent, leaving many forested lands struggling to recover naturally. A new approach to forestry-based offsets that focuses on planting trees and the CO2 they will capture as they grow offers a solution to both challenges. Learn about ex-ante (forward-looking) forestry-based carbon offsets, why they represent new, promising approaches to post-fire forest recovery, and how they provide a better supply of high-quality carbon removal offsets in the marketplace.

CAPEX CAPEX CAPEX with SOSV’s IndieBio [Roundtable, Table 1]

with Alex Kopelyan (IndieBio & SOSV), Jared Moore (Solid Ox Motors), Parikshit Sharma (SOSV’s IndieBio) and Michelle Zhu (Huue)

Will burdensome balance sheets and long pay-back cycles of infrastructure keep the cleantech industry behind?

Networking Break

Grab a bite at a nearby eatery on campus or on Telegraph Ave. Lunch is not served at the conference.

Kitchen Consequential

with Pat Brown (Impossible Foods)

Patrick Brown founded Impossible Foods in 2011 with the goal of offering customers an ethical and environmentally responsible alternative to meat. An innovative approach to developing its product has propelled the company into restaurants and homes across the world. Brown, who recently transitioned from CEO to chief innovation officer, will discuss the present — and future — of fake meat.

Why the Next Big Entrepreneur Must Come from Climate Tech with Fifth Wall [Roundtable, Table 2]

with Peter Gajdos (Fifth Wall)

We have arrived at a time where climate change is finally being acknowledged as a true climate crisis. From historic fires in Europe and Australia to record-breaking hurricanes to the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef, nearly every region in the world has been heavily affected. As a result, it is now a financial and moral imperative to make climate technology a main priority of humanity, and for this reason, we need to encourage and support young entrepreneurs developing these technologies. We need the brightest scientists, entrepreneurs and lawyers and financiers involved to make a significant difference to the future.

The Future of Green Buildings — Flexible, Smart, Carbon-Free with ProspectSV [Roundtable, Table 1]

with Doug Davenport (ProspectSV)

Commercial real estate is evolving quickly, from the rise of vehicle charging and renewable energy, to a new focus on indoor environments. Let’s have a talk about the opportunities coming to build and manage buildings that are adaptive to new demands, responsive to needs, cost-effective and sustainable. We’ll also discuss the big frontier — building portfolios ripe for new solutions and services.

The Road to Zero-Emissions

with Carol Browner (former EPA Administrator) and Wayne Ting (Lime)

In spite of increasingly strict regulations in some states and the rise of electric bikes, scooters, mopeds, buses and cars, the vast majority of vehicles on roads today have tailpipe emissions. Lime CEO Wayne Ting and Carol Browner, former director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy and administrator of the EPA, will talk about where the U.S. is on the road to zero-emissions. The pair will dig into the challenges that remain and the role that innovation, policy and investment can play in greening up transportation.

Climatech — How to Make it Different this Time with Khosla Ventures [Roundtable, Table 1]

with Rajesh Swaminathan (Khosla Ventures)

What can startups learn from the successes and failures of Cleantech 1.0? How do we ensure a much more successful outcome this time?

Building a Food System for the Next 1,000 Years with Iron Ox [Roundtable, Table 2]

with Brandon Alexander (Iron Ox)

Join Brandon Alexander, CEO and co-founder of Iron Ox, to discuss how his team is revolutionizing the future of farming using AI and robotics to make the next generation of our global food system more sustainable, scalable and delicious.

Our Reliance on Docile Fuels

with Carlos Araque (Quaise), Caroline Cochran (Oklo) and Suleman Khan (Swell)

The world is going electric, but the energy has to come from somewhere. As we are reducing our reliance on oil, coal and natural gas, this panel takes a look at what else we’ve got going for us to keep our cars rolling, our laundry spinning and our factories doing whatever factories do.

Extreme Tech Challenge 2022 Global Finals: Pitch Session No. 2 & Winner Announcement

with Victoria Slivkoff, Young Sohn and Bill Tai (Extreme Tech Challenge)

Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) Category and Special Award Winners to pitch their innovative startups with the potential to radically improve the world.

Sponsored by Extreme Tech Challenge

How Corporations Can Be Better Citizens

with Amy Burr (JetBlue Ventures), Kentaro Kawamori (Persefoni) and Mark Kroese (Microsoft)

As corporations become more and more powerful, corporate social responsibility (CSR) encompasses a breadth of programs on how they can take a leadership role in society. On this panel, we discuss how corporations can flex their muscles for good across financial, economic, societal and environmental issues.

AI in Farming: The Key to Sustainable Agriculture with Farmwise [Roundtable, Table 1]

with Sebastien Boyer (FarmWise)

There is a lot AI can do to help farmers reduce their environmental impact. We’ll dive into climate-smart farming strategies and applications of AI in farming today and tomorrow.

Reducing your Cloud Computing Climate Impact

with Fred Plais (Platform.sh)

Sponsored by Platform.sh

Making the choice to deploy to the cloud is clearly the better choice for the climate, but you can further reduce your emissions by taking a couple of key steps. You are invited to attend this session to learn more about how the tech community is helping to mitigate climate change and a simple strategy to reduce your carbon footprint in the cloud.

Wasting Away

with Matanya Horowitz (AmpRobotics), Megan O’Connor (Nth Cycle) and Miranda Wang (Novoloop)

Recycling has been an environmental buzzword for decades, but the reality of reusing waste products hasn’t always lived up to its potential. A trio of startups on the cutting edge of the industry will discuss recent breakthroughs and what the future looks like for recycling, from sorting robots to ocean plastics and batteries.

Extreme Tech Challenge 2022 Highlight Video

Sponsored by Extreme Tech Challenge

June 16 (online only)

Fireside Chat with Secretary Jennifer Granholm (U.S. Department of Energy)

TechCrunch Climate Desk Analysis

Hang with us at the TC Climate Desk to catch up on what you may have missed from across the show, including fresh analysis and clips from the in-person talks.

TechCrunch Climate Pitch-off

Join us to see three companies pitching at TC Sessions: Climate. Hailing from around the United States and the globe, founders will pitch for four minutes, followed by an intense Q&A with our expert panel of judges. Founders will learn some key tips to incorporate into your own pitches.

Speed Networking

Startup Pitch Feedback Session 1

All exhibiting startups at TC Sessions: Climate are invited to present a fast pitch and hear feedback from a TC staff member.

Startup Pitch Feedback Session 2

All exhibiting startups at TC Sessions: Climate are invited to present a fast pitch and hear feedback from a TC staff member.

TC Sessions: Climate 2022 takes place in person on June 14 in Berkeley, California (with an online day June 16). Buy your pass today and avoid the price hike at the door. We’ll be there to greet you!

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TechCrunch Live recap: Building founder/investor relationships and using grants to fund startups

Did you miss this week’s TechCrunch Live event? That’s okay. You can watch the event here. The show is on break next week due to TechCrunch’s climate event in Berkeley, but we’ll return on June 22 with Mike Ghaffary of Canvas Ventures and Walker Drewett of NuBrakes.

Libby Wayman, partner at Breakthrough Energy Ventures (Bill Gate’s climate investment firm), and Gia Schneider co-founder and CEO of Natel Energy join me on this episode of TechCrunch Live.

Gia Schneider brought along a pitch deck that won over investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures. As she explains during the episode, the company was far from an overnight success. The project started in 2005 and the company was founded in 2009. Natel Energy looked to government grants in the early days as way to fund the development without dilated the company’s cap table.

Libby Wayman explained in detail how startups can apply for and use grants. This is a process she recommends for company’s like Natel Energy.

Eventually, as Natel Energy developed its technology and business, the company sought venture capital and won over Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Hear how Natel Energy fits within Breakthrough’s investment thesis and what the firm looks for when investing in companies.

TechCrunch Live records weekly on Wednesdays at 12:00pm PST.

Listen to the podcast right here!