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- September
2019
Smart green VCs you should know
There are many smart green VCs in Europe and the US that back startups in energy, mobility, buildings, cities, materials, food and circular economy to create impact as well as environmental, financial and strategic returns for their fund investors (LPs). In the VC food chain, early stage investors prefer to invest, at lower valuations and higher risk, in the Seed, Series A and Series B financing rounds of young startups working on product market fit and traction (users, customers, revenues). On the other hand, late stage VCs like shorter holding periods and time-to-exit and, consequently, advanced startups with more than €5M revenues, experienced management teams and fast growth. The existence of KPIs, ideally going up over time, makes the life of every investor easier. Facing climate change, technology revolution and global competition, the majority of corporates have adopted corporate venturing and open innovation strategies in order to invest in and do business with startups. The result are different investment strategies and sometimes competing portfolios that startups should know before pitching. Let’s co-invest and meet at Ecosummit Berlin.
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- July
2013
Bart Markus checks the reality of cleantech venture capital
Ecosummit TV: At Ecosummit Berlin 2013, Bart Markus of Wellington Partners provides a very honest reality check of the cleantech venture capital industry. Cleantech investments have gone down, money sits very tight and it is equally difficult for startups and VCs alike to raise new capital. In fact, since 2012 Bart did not make any new investment but rather focused his money and time on his existing portfolio. Now Wellington thinks about whether they should focus on the Internet or raise a dedicated cleantech fund. Still, Bart is an optimist, loves cleantech hardware and sees light at the end of the tunnel. He recommends that startups limit the time and money needed until proof point, tap into other sources of capital and build relationships with potential acquirers early on. Watch Bart on Ecosummit TV to get the full story.
Read more- 23
- June
2013
Faster exits, higher returns – Alois Flatz discusses the investment strategy of Zouk Capital
Ecosummit TV: Zouk’s Alois Flatz talks about cleantech venture capital 2.0 and the mega trends he takes into consideration for his investment strategy. As we have seen with the feed-in-tariffs, government regulations are in most cases temporary. For startups it’s dangerous to rely on governments as they will change their opinion when the next crisis with huge financial impact is upon them. Alois looks for business models that generate cash from early on and can be grown at low CAPEX for the startup and its customers deploying the new technology. The late stage venture capitalist believes that a top management team at all times and a long-term strategy focused on the exit are among the key success factors. European entrepreneurs and top managers should continue to optimise resource productivity because its benefits will easily survive the next boom and bust cycle.
Read more- 23
- June
2013
Smart green corporate venture capital panel with Eon, Aster, Electranova and Entelios
Ecosummit TV: Tim Lafferty of Global Corporate Venturing moderates the smart green corporate venture capital panel featuring Susana Quintana-Plaza (E.ON), Alexander Schlaepfer (Aster), Philippe Ringenbach (Electranova) and Tom Schulz (Entelios). Being an important pillar of the open innovation strategy of multinationals, corporate venture capital is a big trend as 500 new CVC units were created in the last 3 years. At least 10% of the CVCs are active in one or several of the cleantech sectors. Next to money, CVCs offer strategic value through market access and technological expertise.
Read more- 3
- March
2013
Ecosummit Lounge London 2 May 2013
Ecosummit and Taylor Wessing, the international law firm with extensive cleantech and private equity experience, co-host the second Ecosummit Lounge London on 2 May 2013 at Taylor Wessing’s magnificent office. We will enjoy an inspiring evening of smart green business networking with a group of local and international cleantech startups, investors and corporates. Rob Wylie, Partner at WHEB Partners, gives a keynote on the current state of cleantech venture capital, followed by startup pitches of the 3 ECO13 Award Nominees Ubitricity, Tado and Loowatt. Tickets are available for £30,00. Thanks a lot to Simon Walker and his team for hosting us and sharing the super cool roof terrace.
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- April
2011
Ecosummit 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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