Gina Domanig chats with Jan Michael Hess about being a smart green VC
Ecosummit TV: Gina Domanig is a pioneer of cleantech venture capital. She got started in 2000 after a tempting call from a headhunter. Since then, Zurich-based Emerald Technology Ventures raised 3 funds and has got €370M of assets under management. Gina likes being a smart green VC because it is a multi-dimensional job involving technology, finance, industrial applications, transactions and, most importantly, lots of smart and inspiring people. It is also a tough job because you have to be available all the time for your portfolio and LPs. Gina travels almost every week, spends 50% of her time with the portfolio companies and the rest with investors, dealflow and fund management. In today’s environment, VCs have to be very involved in securing the ongoing financing of a startup, helping them recruit the best team and making the connections with the relevant corporates who may become customers, partners or even acquirers when it’s time for an exit. Next to the startups, the real customers of the VC are the investors. The majority of Emerald’s LPs are corporates whose key motivation for fund investments is fostering open innovation. There is a lot to learn from Gina and we are grateful that she joined ECO14 Berlin.
Read morePeter Stein pitches Thermoelectric Generator Startup GreenTEG at ECO11
Ecosummit TV brings to you Peter Stein, Co-Founder and Head of Sales and Finance of GreenTEG, pitching the Zurich-based thermoelectric generator startup to investors at ECO11 in Berlin. The amount of lost waste energy, especially as heat, mankind loses during power generation and industrial production is huge. GreenTEG has developed cost-efficient technology that turns waste heat into energy using thermoelectric generators.
Read moreEcosummit TV – ECO11 – Gina Domanig – Emerald Technology Ventures
Gina Domanig, Managing Partner, Emerald Technology Ventures, is a real pioneer in the Cleantech Venture Capital scene. 10 years ago she raised her first Cleantech fund and can now tell very interesting stories about the lessons she learned during the past decade. At Ecosummit 2011, Gina gave a wonderful slide-free speech sharing her VC experience. Gina points out the significance of managing close relationships with the corporates in the various Cleantech sectors, i.e. the big companies that often buy the products of the startups or, even better, the entire startup company. In my eyes, a real highlight of our agenda and definitely a must-watch episode of Ecosummit TV for investors, startups and corporates.
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