Saving the Planet, One Climate Tech Startup at a Time. Fireside w/ Heidi Lindvall and Robin Wouters

Join Heidi Lindvall and Robin Wouters as they discuss the rapidly growing climate tech startup space, the challenges of greenwashing, and the huge potential of sustainable businesses and adaptations driven by the IRA.

Key takeaways
  • Climate tech investing is growing, with $100 billion in funding in 2021, up from $20 billion in 2020.
  • Heidi Lindvall, general partner at Pale Blue Dot, advises that the sector is still relatively early and not yet fully understood.
  • Many companies are not sustainable, even those in the climate tech space.
  • Fund managers should be more transparent about what they are investing in and not just greenwashing.
  • Some VCs are still not comfortable investing in climate tech, but those who are, are seeing returns.
  • Climate tech is not just about reducing carbon emissions, but also about creating sustainable businesses.
  • Adaptation is a huge part of this space, and investors need to understand it better.
  • There is a lack of understanding around climate tech, even among VCs.
  • The IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) is driving growth in the US, but Europe needs to catch up.
  • Pale Blue Dot has a mandate to invest 5% of its funds in climate tech, but it would like to do more.
  • The industry is not yet at a point where it can sustain itself without government support.
  • Investors need to be patient, as climate tech solutions can take years to develop.
  • Heidi Lindvall thinks that climate tech will continue to grow and will not slow down anytime soon.
  • She is bullish on the sector and thinks it has huge potential.