Strategies to boost climate tech during uncertainty

Here are three ways that corporates can help speed up the availability of new climate solutions:   🚦 Collaborate with industry to send demand signals to de-risk new climate solutions. Developing new solutions involves a lot of R&D and risk - mostly, what's the market for this? Large companies can help de-risk that initial investment for startups and companies by creating a readied market of purchasers through Advanced Market Commitments and purchasing coalitions that say "we're committed to buying X when it's available." There are already nearly a dozen AMCs organized around different climate solution areas, including aluminum, concrete, steel, and more, organized by groups like First Movers Coalition and Climate Group.   🚀 Catalyze new and existing climate innovators by bringing them into value chain challenges. Instead of developing new solutions in-house, it can sometimes be better to bring in existing startups to work closely with business units. Support can include pilot funding, physical resources, networks, and access to expertise in addressing value chain challenges at scale. This could be done in collaboration, like 100+ Accelerator, through sponsored accelerators with groups like MIT Solve (e.g. Amazon's Devices Climate Tech Accelerator), or as an open innovation challenge with partners like IDEO. Not only does this bring early ideas to market quicker, it also sends a demand signal to VCs and other innovators that the need for solutions is real.   💸 Align venture capital investments and advocacy efforts with existing climate objectives. Many large companies have some kind of corporate venture capital arm that invests corporate funds into early-stage startups. That existing mechanism can be incredibly powerful when aligned with climate objectives. Often times the investment can help address the company's own climate-related solution gap, but also presents larger financial return opportunities for other companies in need of that solution now and in the future. That investment can also speed up the scale of early-stage ideas and get them to market quicker, in-part because of the growth capital invested.   The reality is that companies cannot achieve success in climate innovation alone. Climate innovation requires a robust ecosystem that shares risks and fosters collaboration, involving investors, governments, universities, startups, and more. Companies must actively engage in that ecosystem in order for us to bring new climate solutions to market at speed and scale.   Pages below are from the latest Unlocking Corporate Climate Innovation report, found here: https://lnkd.in/esVc8Ykr

Why do energy terms sound like scary German monsters? 😱 First, it was Energiewende—the dramatic “energy transition.” Now, it’s Dunkelflaute—dark doldrums when, for a few consecutive days, the wind dies, the sun hides, and energy grids struggle to cope with demand. In 2024, #Dunkelflaute hit Germany hard: wholesale electricity prices soared to €1,000/MWh, coal plants sprang back to life, and energy imports became a lifeline. For #climatetech startups, this daunting term presents a significant business opportunity. Every founder should consider whether their solution could help tackle this challenge and change the narrative to capture this opportunity. Here are a few opportunity fields for startups: 1. Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES): This is naturally the obvious one, and many companies are already working on solutions (e.g., hydrogen, flow batteries, and thermal storage). What's interesting here is that a solution like Reverion (biogas to electricity and back to hydrogen/methane) can fit this challenge, even though it wasn't on the company's radar when it was founded or part of our investment thesis. 2. Grid Flexibility Solutions: Balancing supply and demand is critical during Dunkelflaute periods. Startups can develop AI-powered demand response systems or virtual power plants that aggregate distributed energy resources, especially cross-border solutions as the topic becomes highly political. 3. Predictive Analytics for Weather and Energy Markets: Dunkelflaute events can be forecasted with greater precision. Startups offering real-time grid analytics and weather forecasting tools can help utilities and industries plan ahead. 4. Hybrid Renewable Systems: If you can't solve the macro, offer a solution to the end user. Pairing wind, solar, and other sources with storage creates local resilience for commercial and residential customers. Solving Dunkelflaute isn't just about energy and geopolitical stability; it's about unlocking a significant business opportunity for climate tech startups. Let's break the doldrums together! What’s your take on tackling Dunkelflaute? Share your thoughts! #venturecapital #energytransition #renewables  

Last week I caught up with some of our climatetech founders and the Wavemaker Impact team in Singapore. It reminded me how much Europe could learn from the pace, creativity, hunger and grit of emerging markets when it comes to building climate solutions. In South Asia, you don’t have the luxury of slow progress or “pilot purgatory.” Climate impacts hit hard and fast, so the innovation mindset is lean, practical and deeply connected to livelihoods. 1. The Green Discount Forget moonshots and massive R&D budgets. Across South Asia, founders are building cleaner and cheaper solutions that work now: modular, low-capex climatetech with real unit economics from day one, like turning waste into biofuel (Octayne) or agricultural residues into biochar (WasteX) while improving customer margins. ✅ Lesson for Europe: Move beyond the “green premium.” We don’t always need new tech; we need to deploy what already works, faster and at scale. 2. Decentralised Energy and Leapfrogging Like Africa skipped landlines to go mobile, South Asia is leapfrogging traditional grids with off-grid solar, microgrids and batteries replacing diesel, from Agros to Helios Solar Company Limited and SOLshare. ✅ Lesson for Europe: Distributed renewable energy isn’t just cleaner; it’s more resilient. Energy security in wartime or flood season may depend on it. 3. Nature-Based and Community-Led Solutions After decades of deforestation and degraded land, pioneering models are fighting back through community reforestation, mangrove restoration and regenerative agriculture. Ventures like Bumi Baru and Fair Ventures Social Forestry make nature profitable by working with local populations. ✅ Lesson for Europe: Climate action sticks when people have skin in the game. Build with communities, not just for them. 4. The Just Green Transition In emerging markets, climate isn’t a distant moral issue; it’s a development and equity issue. Policy conversations link emissions to jobs, food and public health. When clean tech creates livelihoods, people back the transition. ✅ Lesson for Europe: Embed justice, inclusion and affordability at the heart of the transition, not as an afterthought. 5. Adaptation and Resilience South Asia is among the most vulnerable regions to climate change and has no choice but to adapt: flood defences, early-warning systems, better weather data and climate-resilient crops. Ventures like Rize and Intensel Limited prove that resilience and profitability can coexist. ✅ Lesson for Europe: Don’t just decarbonise, adapt. Resilience is also an investment class. After more than two decades building start-ups across Asia, I’ve seen how constraint breeds creativity and urgency drives focus. Europe has the capital, talent and technology. Maybe it also needs a bit more of that emerging-market scrappiness and hunger. Because the truth is, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We just need to roll it faster. 🌍💚

Impact startups in MENA are growing fast but funding strategies must evolve just as quickly. One of the questions I’m asked most often by founders is: “Where do we start when it comes to raising funds for climate or sustainability-focused ventures in this region?” Here’s how I usually break it down in 4 key pathways I’ve worked with or closely observed, each requiring a clear narrative, regional awareness, and the right positioning: 1. Government-backed innovation platforms These are not just about incubation, they are increasingly designed to de-risk startups and connect them to capital. 🔹 Example: Hub71 (Abu Dhabi) offers access to corporates, sovereign investors, and a growing base of VC partners through its Incentive Program. It's a launchpad for startups aligned with national priorities. 2. Climate-aligned positioning Framing your solution around climate resilience or adaptation is no longer optional—it’s a strategic funding move. 🔹 Example: ALTÉRRA, the $30B climate investment fund launched by the UAE at COP28, is designed to mobilize capital into areas like clean energy, food security, and nature-based solutions. Startups that clearly align with these priorities stand a stronger chance of attracting institutional and private funding. 3. Corporate sustainability partnerships Corporates in MENA are increasingly partnering with startups to accelerate their ESG goals—often offering pilot funding, technical support, or access to infrastructure. 🔹 Example: PepsiCo Middle East has launched several open innovation challenges in the region, focusing on sustainable packaging, water reuse, and food system transformation. These partnerships are a valuable entry point for startups ready to co-create scalable solutions. 4. Strategic VC alignment Venture capital in MENA is increasingly aligning with long-term sustainability themes—especially in climate tech and resource efficiency. 🔹 Example: VentureSouq, a MENA-based VC, launched its Climate Tech Fund I to invest in technologies tackling the climate crisis—from energy and mobility to the circular economy. They’re actively backing companies that blend strong commercial potential with measurable impact. The takeaway? It’s not just about raising funds, it’s about raising strategically. That’s how you align with where capital is moving in the region. If you found this useful, share it with a founder or ecosystem builder working on climate and impact in MENA. Let’s make these conversations more visible ;-) #ClimateFinance #MENA #ImpactStartups #StrategicFunding #GreenTransition #BusinessWithPurpose

I asked 3 well-respected and insightful climate tech investors their advice about navigating this uncertain moment in the market. Here's what they said: Amy Duffuor, Co-Founder and General Partner at Azolla Ventures: "In this moment, we're supporting our companies with two things: 1) In 2020-2021, there was so much capital flowing into climate and a lot of investors were managing their portfolios so that management teams would be strong fundraisers only. That's not the right way to build a strong, self-sustaining business. You need to be an operator first and focus on business fundamentals. 2) We should be building diverse investment syndicates that aren't dependent on climate tech investors--bringing in sector specialists, geographic specialists, and generalists. That way when capital is restricted downstream, you've diversified the ecosystem of investors you can go to, which helps mitigate risk." Terry Kellogg, Managing Director at Helios Climate Ventures: "The investment has to be able to stand on its own regardless of policy changes. From our perspective, in this moment we're looking at the end of climate tech 2.0 and the beginning of climate tech 3.0. The broad themes of climate tech 2.0 were free money with extraordinary growth stories (eg. Tesla and the cost of solar). Out of the wreckage of climate tech 1.0, we brought to scale all these technologies we had been hoping for for a long time. The next iteration is capital efficiency and integration." Rakesh Shankar, Partner of NextGen Infrastructure at Antin Infrastructure Partners: "When we set the fund up three years ago, we set it up as a next-gen infrastructure fund which has a broader mandate than the pure energy transition. We already have renewable energy assets in our portfolio and we want a diverse portfolio so we're spending more time now on waste-to-value carbon, water, transportation, digital infrastructure etc because that's where the opportunities are right now." I also asked them for their career advice. Listen to the whole Yale University Clean Energy Conference conversation on the Future in Bloom YouTube or wherever you get your audio podcasts. Links below in comments. Yale Center for Business and the Environment (CBEY) Yale School of Management Yale School of the Environment

Your marketing is the bridge between breakthrough technology and market adoption. But most climate founders are bleeding potential customers before the first conversation even happens. Old climate website marketing: → Lead with "save the planet" messaging → List your technology specs and certifications → Build a website with green colors and and add leaf icons → Use sustainability buzzwords that only insiders understand New climate website marketing: → Map your stakeholders and understand their real pain points → Lead with tangible value, add climate as "one more thing" → Get your fundamentals right: clean website, clear LinkedIn, simple deck → Test your messaging with real prospects immediately → Build WITH your audience through early feedback, not FOR them → Keep upfront messaging dead simple, layer complexity for technical buyers → Create stakeholder-specific landing pages with clear wayfinding → Focus on 1-2 marketing activities you can do really well right now → Turn customer conversations into proof points that show real impact → Translate your story across the channels where your stakeholders actually are → Speak different languages to different audiences without contradicting yourself → Try new things, then double down on what actually drives adoption → Iterate on your core messaging as you learn what resonates → Evolve your entire approach as you scale toward commercialization Climate tech's biggest problem is adoption, and marketing is how you solve it. Do new climate tech marketing in 2026. 1 audience → Multi-stakeholder strategy 1 message → Tailored for each problem you solve Climate-first → Value-first with climate credentials Build FOR → Build WITH PS. If you're done with 'save the planet' messaging that converts nobody, comment 'BUZZWORD' and I'll send you the link to our newsletter with more strategies for climate tech that actually drives adoption.

The U.S. decision to pull out of the UNFCCC isn’t just a geopolitical signal — it’s a climate risk signal. Policy uncertainty tends to slow or reprice decarbonization investments, raising the cost of capital for clean energy, infrastructure, and industrial transition. That doesn’t eliminate risk — it defers it, often at a higher long-term cost through physical impacts, supply-chain disruption, and insurance and commodity volatility. Meanwhile, global climate rules, disclosure expectations, and buyer requirements won’t pause. For U.S. companies, this means a real competitiveness risk: having to meet evolving international standards with less influence over how those standards are shaped. For corporates, the takeaway is clear: climate strategy can’t hinge on political cycles. The most resilient companies will double down on no-regret actions — efficiency, supply-chain resilience, high-ROI decarbonization, and decision-grade data — and embed climate into enterprise risk management, not just sustainability teams. The real question isn’t ideology. It’s whether we’re pricing climate risk accurately today — or paying more for it tomorrow. #ClimateRisk #EnterpriseRisk #Strategy #Resilience #EnergyTransition #Decarbonization

🌍 Accelerating Industry Decarbonization: Collaboration Is the Key The World Economic Forum's latest report, United for Net Zero: Public-Private Collaboration to Accelerate Industry Decarbonization, outlines a roadmap for tackling industrial emissions, which account for 30% of global greenhouse gases. The report highlights the urgent need for collaboration between governments and businesses to overcome barriers like insufficient funding, regulatory fragmentation, and slow technology adoption. 8 key opportunities to accelerate progress: ✨ Understand and leverage public financial mechanisms: Governments must provide tailored incentives like tax breaks and subsidies to make decarbonization projects financially viable. ✨ Engage your sector to co-develop financial mechanisms: Industries should work with stakeholders to design financing models that align with sectoral needs and drive innovation. ✨ Facilitate carbon tracking adoption within your value chain: Promoting standardized carbon measurement tools and tracking systems can improve transparency and drive efficiency. ✨ Contribute to harmonizing carbon accounting standards: Aligning global standards for carbon reporting will reduce costs and improve accountability. ✨ Proactively support net-zero solutions across value chains: Companies must help decarbonize supply chains, particularly by supporting SMEs with knowledge and funding. ✨ Collaborate with governments on value chain decarbonization policies: Businesses should actively shape policies that accelerate emissions reduction while ensuring fairness. ✨ Co-invest in climate technologies and market creation: Joint investment in technologies like green hydrogen and renewables will be key to achieving net-zero goals. ✨ Help create enabling policies for climate technology adoption: Governments and industries must design policies that reduce risks and boost demand for climate innovations. 🌱 My Reflections 💭 1. Mobilizing Consumer Influence Consumers hold untapped power to drive change. A globally recognized "carbon-neutral certified" label could transform purchasing habits. Transparent certifications and awareness campaigns could accelerate demand for sustainable products. 💭 2. Ensuring Equity Across Borders Global supply chains must help developing economies transition fairly. Capacity-building, knowledge-sharing, and financial support can ensure all regions—not just wealthy ones—meet net-zero goals. 💭 3. Fast-Tracking Green Innovation Regulatory bottlenecks remain a major hurdle. An international fast-track mechanism for green projects could streamline approvals and accelerate innovations like green hydrogen and carbon capture technologies. The challenge is immense, but so are the opportunities. What do you see as the most critical steps toward net-zero industries? 🌟 #NetZero #Sustainability #ClimateAction #Decarbonization #Innovation #Collaboration

Here are 10 clear, actionable takeaways distilled from the talk, from Rod Cotton & Mary Smith Antonio Hunter Rahsaan Thompson The Just Society 1. Plan for policy volatility, not policy certainty. Assume regulatory, funding, and reimbursement environments will remain unpredictable. Build flexibility into strategy, timelines, and capital planning rather than betting on stable policy conditions. 2. Broaden your definition of “payer” and “customer” Don’t focus only on FDA approval or scientific success—track who ultimately pays (patients, insurers, government programs) and how changes like ACA subsidy shifts could impact access and uptake. 3. Maintain active, continuous communication with regulators Don’t engage regulators only at inflection points. Ongoing, transparent dialogue with FDA, FTC, DOJ, and other agencies reduces surprises and builds credibility. 4. Use collective advocacy, not solo lobbying. Engage through trade organizations, professional associations, and coalitions. Collective voices (industry groups, business roundtables) are more effective and lower individual company risk. 5. Leverage patients as authentic storytellers—carefully. Patient-led social media storytelling can influence public opinion and policy far more powerfully than corporate messaging. Let stories live organically; avoid reposting or endorsing patient claims in ways that create regulatory risk. 6. Explore non-obvious government entry points. Instead of pursuing full government contracts, consider pilot programs embedded in appropriations bills or demonstration projects—often a faster, quieter way to get technology adopted. 7. Balance public-private partnerships with private alliances. Public-private partnerships still matter, but funding uncertainty makes private-private partnerships (e.g., biotech–biopharma collaborations) increasingly critical to advancing programs. 8. Invest early in political risk management. Treat political risk like supply-chain or financial risk: scenario-plan, stress-test assumptions, and prepare contingency plans—especially for manufacturing, sourcing, and global dependencies. 9. Preserve the ability to pivot quickly You cannot plan for every shock (e.g., pandemics, shutdowns, elections). What matters most is organizational agility—decision speed, adaptive leadership, and flexible operating models. 10. Depoliticize decisions by focusing on substance and patients Avoid reactive shifts driven by political cycles. Anchor decisions in what’s best for patients, long-term business sustainability, and scientific integrity—politics changes, fundamentals return.