On today's episode of the Climate Insiders podcast, we’re sitting down with Fabian Heilemann, CEO of AENU. AENU is an impact fund that focuses on seed and Series A investments in climate technologies, esp. energy transition and carbon economy, in Northern Europe.

Fabian shares insights into his journey from being an entrepreneur to becoming a venture capitalist with a focus on sustainable investments. Highlighting his experience of burnout post-Google acquisition, Fabian discusses how maintaining a routine involving physical workouts and meditation has been crucial for his mental wellbeing. This episode dives into how he and his brother pivoted their careers towards impact investing, driven by a profound commitment to addressing the climate crisis.

Fabian Heilemann is a serial-entrepreneur and investor from Berlin, Germany. He founded Heilemann Ventures together with his brother Ferry after the trade sale of his company DailyDeal, Europe's first couponing portal, to Google in 2011.

Since then he has been an early stage VC-investor, actively supporting companies in the digital sector. Meanwhile, Fabian and his brother Ferry set the fundamentals for their holding Sky & Sand. Currently it combines DailyDeal, which the brothers bought back from Google in early 2013, and the mobile-POS system provider pepperbill.

This episode delves into:

• Burnout Prevention
• Transition from Founder to VC
• Investment Strategies
• Role of VCs
• Impact vs. Branding

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(00:00) - Intro Hook

(00:58) - Intro

(02:37) - What’s the secret to avoiding burnout?

(05:40) - From Founder to VC: Is It a Natural Path or a Tough Trade-off

(08:21) - Should Entrepreneurs Turn Family Offices into Climate Tech Funds?

(17:08) - Would the VC World Benefit from More Former Entrepreneurs?

(20:33) - What makes a great VC?

(22:55) - Who are the top role models in the VC space?

(27:12) - Is It Time to Remove Barriers and Let More Professionals Drive Climate Investments?

(30:40) - Are Top VC Firms More Focused on Building Brands or Creating Impact?

(34:52) - Can Europe Catch Up to the U.S. in Funding Climate Innovation?

(36:43) - Can Climate Tech Survive Political Swings Like Trump’s Era?

(43:58) - Does Climate VC Favor Software Over Hardware for Long-Term Success?

(46:28) - Is a Software-Heavy Strategy Enough to Drive Real Climate Impact?

(49:26) - How Can Climate Funds Balance LP Expectations with Risk-Taking?

(54:28) - Do VCs Shape Startup Quality, or Is It All About the Founders?

(58:44) - Is It the VC's Role to Fill Gaps in Startup Teams?

(01:04:48) - How do you find happiness while watching the world burn?

(01:09:16) - Outro

On today's episode of the Climate Insiders podcast, we’re sitting down with Allister Furey, CEO and Co-founder of Sylvera. Sylvera is a carbon data provider that helps organizations ensure they're making the most effective investments toward net zero. We build software that independently and accurately automates the evaluation of carbon projects that capture, remove, or avoid emissions.

With Sylvera's data and tools, the world’s largest businesses and governments can confidently invest in, benchmark, deliver, and report real climate impact.

Allister Furey has an MBA from London Business School, and a PhD in computational neuroscience and robotics from University of Sussex, where he focused on optimizing control of wind energy systems. He has worked as a consultant for Bain & Company, as CTO of a leading UK wind energy technology company, and venture partner at Entrepreneur First.

Allister and his co-founder Sam Gill observed that carbon markets needed a revolution in data quality to reliably deliver climate benefits, and to achieve the necessary scale to have a meaningful impact. Together they founded Sylvera in 2020 to bring transparency and, ultimately, trust to carbon markets.

This episode delves into:

- The Importance of Accurate Carbon Data

- Challenges of Carbon Markets

- Role of Sylvera

- Emerging Carbon Removal Technologies

- Future of Carbon Markets

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our channel!

Want to go deeper?

Invest in climate moonshots with Climate Insiders. Join 300+ members and become a shareholder of the best climate tech startups alongside us, from $1,000.

Become a member now: https://www.climateinsiders.com

Join the Climate Insiders newsletter, The only newsletter you need to invest in climate tech. Every Saturday I share one actionable tip to invest successfully in climate tech. Join 3,500+ investors and get access to investing tips and strategies to invest today: https://climateinsiders.substack.com/

(00:00) - Intro

(00:13) - How Can We Incentivize Investment in Real Climate Action?

(00:51) - How does Sylvera defer organizations like Vera or B0?

(01:27) - Why are Carbon Markets Important?

(07:40) - How Does Sylvera’s Rating System Drive Smarter Climate Tech Investments?

(10:10) - How Easy Can the Rating System Recognize mistakes?

(13:30) - What is a Triple B in The Ranking System?

(15:18) - What Factors Matter the Most When Rating Direct Air Capture Projects?

(21:43) - What Emerging Carbon Capture Technologies should Investors Keep an Eye on?

(24:40) - What Will Carbon Markets Look like In 10 Years?

(29:54) - Is the Carbon Market going to Be Regionally Fragmented?

(30:47) - Outro

In today's show, I'm welcoming Nadav Steinmetz an early stage climate tech investor based in London, UK. Nadav is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Climate First. Nadav delves into he critical role of deep tech in combating climate change and the challenges and opportunities faced within this niche. The discussion is particularly relevant given the backdrop of heightened climate awareness and the pressing need for sustainable solutions.

Nadav highlights the crucial role of deep tech and hardware investments in achieving decarbonization goals and generating significant returns. He emphasizes that while many investors focus on software, physical solutions like deep tech are essential for real climate impact. Despite longer development cycles, Nadav believes that these investments can lead to major disruptions in sectors like energy and manufacturing.

Battery technology is central to climate tech, with challenges in supply chains and geopolitical dependencies. Nadav discusses innovations in green mining and battery recycling as critical solutions. He also highlights the importance of global collaboration, pointing to Europe’s climate commitment, the Middle East’s resources, and Israel’s innovation as key drivers in advancing climate tech. Nadav remains optimistic that these efforts will create a powerful, impactful ecosystem for the future.

We cover:

Strategic Deep Tech Investments

Challenges and Innovations in Battery Technology

Global and Regional Dynamics

Want to go deeper?

Invest in climate moonshots with Climate Insiders. Join 300+ members and become a shareholder of the best climate tech startups alongside us, from $1,000.

Become a member now: https://www.climateinsiders.com

Join the Climate Insiders newsletter, the only newsletter you need to invest in climate tech. Every Saturday I share one actionable tip to invest successfully in climate tech. Join 3,500+ investors and get access to investing tips and strategies to invest today: https://climateinsiders.substack.com/

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SHOW NOTES:

01:40 - Intro

02:27 - What is Climate First?

03:34 - Why is investing in deep tech important?

05:54 - How can we stop climate tech funds from chasing easy money?

07:20 - How can we ensure the LPs that they invest in funds that they will get greater returns?

08:59 - Why are investors shying away from climate tech's biggest solutions?

10:26 - Why should TRL be the new metric for climate tech success?

12:54 - How important are corporate partnerships for startup success?

14:17 - How will high interest rates impact the future of climate tech?

15:60 - Can M&A activity help meet the 2030 targets?

18:08 - What climate tech solutions will drive global decarbonization in the next 5-7 years?

20:02 - What are hard-to-abate sectors worth looking at?

21:02 - How will access to rare minerals influence the future of electrification?

22:30 - How can Europe and the US reduce dependence on imported rare earth minerals?

24:58 - What solutions exist for the mineral shortage?

26:42 - Can recycling existing technologies provide Europe with mineral self-reliance?

28:21 - Can recycled batteries be fully reused?

29:35 - How can green mining innovations transform lithium extraction and reduce environmental impact?

33:01 - What are the key developments in Israel’s climate tech sector?

35:42 - Will the Middle East become a major player in the global climate ecosystem?

37:04 - Is Middle Eastern investment in climate tech a strategy or just diversification?

38:54 - How important are Middle Eastern funds in the global venture capital landscape?

40:37 - Is Europe at risk of falling behind in climate tech due to over-regulation?

44:05 - How can Europe compete with US and...