A venture capitalist’s perspective on the evolution of green transportation

In 2021 alone, more than $32 billion dollars were invested in green-technology startups, a four-fold increase from five years earlier.  But how far will those dollars go?  Only about 25% of venture-backed startups actually make the transition from an innovative idea to a successful business.  

And when we are considering green technology, choosing which companies will have the biggest impact means much more than a return on investment. It will determine how fast we can reach a carbon-free global economy, and how dire the impact of climate change will be.  

So how do investors pick the startups with the most potential?  We spoke with G2 Venture Partners' Brook Porter, a chemical engineer-turned environmental technology investor with over two decades of experience in sustainability and technology development, about which companies are leading the way, how they succeeded, and what to be looking for among the up-and-comers in the green technology sector.

Episode breakdown:
00:40 Brook's background
04:30 What type of company will succeed?
10:00 Wright's Law of innovation
11:20 Is there a template for low-risk, high yield investment in climate tech?
13:13 VC typical startup failure rate
14:18 What trends is G2V following?
27:00 How does policy impact venture investments?
29:13 Hydrogen vs Electric cars
33:54 Technologies to decarbonize aviation

Climate Now is made possible, in part, by science partners like the Livermore Lab Foundation. The Livermore Lab Foundation supports climate research and carbon cleanup initiatives underway at Lawrence Livermore National Lab, which is a Department of Energy applied science and research facility. More information about the Foundation's work can be found at livermorelabfoundation.org.

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