Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern’s Post

𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞-𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 Fundraising for climate-tech companies is on the upswing in 2024, with fund value already on track to exceed numbers from 2023, according to PitchBook . While 2022 marked a peak in climate-tech investment, the decline over the last two years is largely a part of wider VC deal trends and not necessarily indicative of the strength of climate tech itself. Eighteen climate funds have closed so far in 2024, with five exceeding $300 million each. Emerging firms still make up over half of VC climate-tech investors so far in 2024, though the ratio of experienced to emerging firms is becoming more balanced as new climate regulations see widespread acceptance.

🌍 The 2024 Climate Tech Funds Report from PitchBook reveals a robust $18.7 billion raised in 2022, marking a pivotal year for VC fundraising in this sector. Despite a slight dip in 2023, 2024 is showing promising signs with $3.4 billion raised YTD. The PitchBook report covers 213 climate specialist VC fund managers, highlighting their diverse investments from clean energy to sustainable agriculture. #ClimateTech #VC #InvestmentTrends #Sustainability Return on Good Jay Kelly https://lnkd.in/gedQgT5z

While many climate investors focus their efforts on breakthrough, deep-tech solutions, Patrick Sheehan at ETF Partners has other ideas. “I’ve actually got nothing against carbon capture and storage, apart from the fact it’s probably going to be commercialized too late,” he told TechCrunch. Instead, Sheehan and his colleagues are diving into more software-centric companies that promise to still move the needle https://lnkd.in/eyAMF_jF #climatetech #climate #technology #investing

Climate tech investing is charting new paths. Investors are enabling climate startups to build new technologies more #sustainably, more collaboratively and (arguably) more cost efficiently by offering climate tech builders flexible and blended types of #financing and resources, beyond traditional #venture capital. In this 3-minute clip, Yao Huang 🏳️🌈 describes what's interesting about climate tech, Jonathan Azoff explains a #collaborative-minded approach to investing and sharing resources across #climate portfolio companies, and Alena Solonina shares why #credit is a growing asset class in climate #investing. For the full first half of our On the Record / Off the Record conversation with climate tech investors: https://lnkd.in/g7YrUyd3 https://lnkd.in/geMU-2-S

On Earth Day Impact-Investor.com reached out to figures in the field of impact to learn about the personal steps they take to contribute 🌍 Ted Persson, Partner, EQT Ventures: "As investors, we have choices every day. Should we look at this case, should we look at that case? But in some cases, it’s about weighing the impact of different alternatives. There might be a quicker return to some investments, but that’s not as important. We sing that gospel as much as we can internally. When you think back of this time, in 30 years from now, what will you remember? Founders and ideas that are plus one for the world and will serve as the building blocks of a greener and more sustainable future."

A few weeks ago now I attended the Climate Collective's Climate Tech Investment Summit 2024: Summer Edition. It was a week of all things #ClimateTech and #ClimateTechInvestment but my favourite session was the opener... What does it take to invest in impactful climate technologies? 🌿 💻 💰 The answer? 💻 On the technology side: measurable and notable impact providing needed solutions to real world problems. 💰 On the VC side: innovative and flexible funding models that meet the support needs of the innovative solutions they seek to fund. Of course, it's a simple summary of a complex and hugely informative discussion. It was such a great event of learning and certainly put forward the case for India being fertile grounds for impact investing! 🇮🇳 👀 Huge thanks to Starlene Sharma from Green Artha for hosting, and the panellists Paula Mariwala from Aureolis Ventures, Mirik Gogri from Spectrum Impact, and Mark Kahn from Omnivore. Also a shoutout to my friends at Rho Impact, Project Frame and Prime Coalition whose impact modelling principles were mentioned by Starlene as a framework to identify impact potential in start-ups where impact is not yet measurable in realtime. #ImpactModelling #ClimateTechWeek #EarlyStageInvesting #IndiaForImpact #ImpactInvesting #ImpactModelling

🎯 Another great piece from Harvey Koh and the Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) on lessons learn on how to make #catalyticcapital more effective. Recommended read! #impactinvesting #impinv #impact #foundations #philanthropy ImpactAlpha

In only a few years Climate Tech as become the hottest Investment category and has overtaken Software as the single largest sector by capital raised! Compared to 2015, 2023 saw a 19% increase in share of capital invested in Climate Tech while other industries saw a decline. I still remember the reactions from some investors, when Benedikt Franke and I started Planetly in 2019. Back then “Climate Tech” wasn’t a real label and definitely not a hot category for Investors. The conversation went like: Founders: "We will do something good for the Climate in our new venture" Investors: “Ah - so you will found a non-profit organisation!” But we did not! Instead we founded Planetly and showed the world, that something that is good for the planet can also have a strong business model. Or should I go even further? It must have a strong business model to be really able to scale! Today Climate Tech Investments make more than 25% of all VC investments and have just overtaken Software as the single largest sector by capital raised. What a great change in just a few years! We have way to go, but lets still pause a second and be hopeful in the light of this development!

The climate tech landscape is ripe with innovation, but a significant hurdle remains: the "missing middle" - As Katie Brigham of Heatmap News calls it. (Link here: https://lnkd.in/eNv-M2Qh ) As I am sure you inferred from the name, this is the gap between early-stage funding and late-stage growth, where promising technologies struggle to secure the necessary capital to scale. While venture capital firms excel at identifying and funding early-stage startups, they often lack the appetite for the long-term, capital-intensive nature of scaling climate tech solutions. On the other hand, traditional infrastructure investors prefer more mature, less risky projects. So, what can we do to bridge this gap? We need to explore alternative financing mechanisms, such as blended finance, impact investing, CVC, and patient capital. These models can provide the necessary capital and risk tolerance to support the growth of climate tech companies. Governments and policymakers can play a crucial role in this by creating favorable regulatory environments and providing incentives for climate tech investment. And by we all have a role to play in fostering collaboration between startups, investors, and industry experts so we can accelerate innovation and knowledge transfer. This is an exciting time to be involved in green tech! We are shaping it as we go 💪 #climatetech #agrifoodtech #impactinvesting #cleanenergy #climatechange

Hard to believe we are halfway through the year… time flies when you’re solving problems. 🙂 The H1’24 has been full of many firsts as GTM Strategies has taken on new clients and projects. 🌟 Highlights from H1’24: -Created and actively implementing a full go-to-market strategy for an early-stage greentech start-up. -Reconnected with many  industry leaders, investors and founders at Carnegie Mellon University, Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE), Transition AI, ERCOT Market Summit, Y Combinator, MCJ Collective, and more. -Completed due diligence for VC & PE firms making some exciting investments into cleantech. We’re incredibly excited for what the second half of the year holds and continue to be humbled by the brilliant and dedicated people we work with. Thank you to our clients and partners. Wishing everyone a safe and joyous Fourth of July! 🇺🇸 #HalfYearReview #GTMStrategies #Consulting #Innovation #Cleantech #GoToMarket #IndustryLeaders #VC #PE #ClientSuccess #Teamwork #FourthOfJuly #ExcitedForH2 #Sustainability #BusinessGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment #Networking