CLIMATE TECH & PIZZA: How to pitch and assess climate deeptech

Deep tech solutions are crucial in tackling climate change, a monumental challenge that can't be addressed by mere tweaks to existing technologies. Imagine harnessing the power of groundbreaking innovations in areas like artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and advanced materials to drastically cut carbon emissions, revolutionize renewable energy, and create sustainable agricultural practices. These aren't just incremental steps; they're leaps forward, akin to switching from horse-drawn carriages to electric cars in one go. Deep tech offers the radical shifts we need to protect our planet and secure a sustainable future.

For climate tech investors, the challenge lies in navigating uncharted waters where cutting-edge deep tech solutions often have no precedent. These investors must become detectives, piecing together the puzzle of groundbreaking innovations. Assessing the quality of such technologies involves diving deep into the science to ensure its validity and transformative potential. This means consulting with experts and leveraging peer-reviewed research to understand the technology's foundation.

We talk about the experiences of both - deep tech investors and founders - and explore the question of how to evaluate and explain solutions that are so profound that understanding them is a very challenging task.
Oh, and there is PIZZA.

With us are:
Maxi Pethö-Schramm, Investment Manager @ HV Capital
Michael Langguth, CSO and Co-Founder @Carbon13
Julien Fredonie, Head of Strategic Partnerships and Corporate Venturing Europe & Africa @Honda Xcelerator Ventures
Filip Valusiak, Head of Operations @Techspace

Thanks to Honda Xcelerator Ventures for being the co-organising this event series. And thanks to Techspace, who is our venue partner for the event. (Please do speak to Filip from Techspace about space if you're looking for a new home for your business.)

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Climate tech and pizza is an event series co-hosted by Honda Innovations, Techspace & Carbon13.

Maxi is an Investment Manager at HV Capital, focusing on early-stage deep tech companies that have the potential to become European champions. Most recently, she led HV’s investment in Again, a producer of green chemicals using waste CO2 as a feedstock. Maxi holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and also studied at Tsinghua University and the LSE. Prior to VC, she started her career as a consultant at McKinsey & Company in Berlin and a Tech & Innovation research fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute in San Francisco, co-authoring the firm’s Bio Revolution report published in 2020.

Host or Publisher Carbon13