218. Climate Tech Battle Royale (Shayle Kann vs. Gerard Reid) - Mar26

Mar 2, 2026

Shayle Kann, Managing Partner at Energy Impact Partners and deep-tech investor in grid and physical-AI, joins a fast-paced discussion. They debate the end of the 2021–22 hype cycle and a shift to infrastructure-led climate tech. Conversation jumps from batteries as the cornerstone to AI converging with real-world systems, grid-enhancing tech, and even orbital data-center ideas.

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INSIGHT

China's Scale Is The Transition Tailwind

China is the main tailwind for global energy transition due to scale manufacturing and rapid deployment of solar, storage, and semiconductors.
Gerard notes solar deployment pace eclipses other energy techs and will supply massive capacity by early 2030s.

INSIGHT

Capital Concentrates On AI-Linked Energy Winners

Funding in 2025 rose modestly but capital concentrates into growth-stage winners tied to AI and load growth; early-stage and policy-reliant categories struggle.
BasePower raised a $1bn VC round largely from generalist Silicon Valley investors, not energy specialists.

ADVICE

Reframe Climate Bets And Avoid Lobby-Pushed Plays

Be cautious when labeling or pitching as 'climate' since sentiment and politics have shifted; reframe to energy security or digital infrastructure when needed.
Gerard recommends avoiding overexposure to fossil-lobby-pushed areas like hydrogen and many carbon removal plays.

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Last month, Gerard Reid joined Shayle Kann, Managing Partner at Energy Impact Partners, for a world class and fast-moving conversation on the state and future of Climate Tech. The discussion was organised by Carbon Equity and led by its co-founder Liza Rubinstein Malamud.

Originally it featured a third guest, Will Dufton of Giant Ventures, whose contributions were fully edited for this episode (with apologies — and an open invitation to return).

First strong statement: the Silicon Valley-style climate tech era of 2021–2022 is over. Gerard is clear that carbon removal and hydrogen, at least as they were framed and funded during the hype cycle, are effectively dead. What comes now is a far more grounded, infrastructure-driven view of the transition.

Both guests are emphatically bullish on energy and AI. Shayle especially sees climate tech not as a standalone vertical, but as a horizontal that cuts across the entire economy. Anything that supports electrification, datacenters, and energy-hungry digital infrastructure represents a major opportunity. Gerard pushes the horizon even further, imagining datacenters in space.

A central theme is the convergence of AI and the physical world. Shayle argues that as large language models become commoditised, value will move from bits to atoms — from software to real-world systems, infrastructure, and industrial processes. Gerard complements this with a strong emphasis on resilience, positioning it as a defining investment lens for the coming decade.

On batteries, there is rare and total agreement. Both see them as the most important technology of our time, underpinning electrification, grid stability, transport, and the scaling of renewables.

What emerges is an intense, wide-ranging exchange between two of the sharpest minds in the energy transition — a true Battle Royale on where climate, energy, and technology are heading next.

You can watch the hour-long video here:
https://youtu.be/H5YE1Upe0JI?si=HlgHKFOOjZj8Gygp