CleanTechies Podcast

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit cleantechies.substack.comNOTE: if you’re a free subscriber, you can get the full ~43-minute conversation by upgrading to paid today. 🌎 Welcome back to CleanTechiesThe #1 Podcast For ClimateTech Entrepreneurs* Discussions 2x / week 🎙️* Bonus content on many episodes 🙋* Monthly show with Somil & Silas 🤓* Community 🤝ClimateTech Investor? Entrepreneur? Maybe an aspiring one? Service p…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit cleantechies.substack.comThis is a special breakdown of Ample’s strategic playbook and how you can apply it to your hardware climate startup. The full version of this episode is only available to our paid subscribers — soo… if you’re looking for a reason to become a paid sub… here is your chance 😉

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit cleantechies.substack.comWe’ve got perhaps one of the most value-packed episodes we’ve made. We have a special breakdown as a follow-up in the coming days. Stay tuned… 👀NOTE: if you’re a free subscriber, you can get the full ~50-minute conversation by upgrading to paid today. 🌎 Welcome back to CleanTechiesThe #1 Podcast For ClimateTech Entrepreneurs* Discussions 2x / week 🎙️* Bo…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit cleantechies.substack.comNOTE: if you’re a free subscriber, you can get the full 52-minute conversation by upgrading to paid today. 🌎 Welcome back to CleanTechiesThe #1 Podcast For ClimateTech Entrepreneurs* Discussions 2x / week 🎙️* Bonus content on many episodes 🙋* Monthly show with Somil & Silas 🤓* Community 🤝ClimateTech Investor? Entrepreneur? Maybe an aspiring one? Service p…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit cleantechies.substack.comWoo Hoo! Episode #200 🎉🎉🎉 First of all! Thank you SO SO much for your support all the way to episode 200! It’s been a helluva journey. Here is to the next 200… and beyond! 🚀NOTE: if you’re a free subscriber, you can get the full 52-minute conversation by upgrading to paid today. 🌎 Welcome back to CleanTechiesThe #1 Podcast For ClimateTech Entrepren…

What’s a construction worker’s favorite type of music? Heavy metal! 🌎 Welcome back to CleanTechiesWe are The #1 Podcast For ClimateTech Entrepreneurs.* Convo’s (x2) with top climate entrepreneurs each week 🎙️* In-depth takeaways for each ep to distill the core lessons 🙋* Companies to watch lists weekly(ish) 📝* Monthly show with Somil & Silas 🤓ClimateTech Investor? Entrepreneur? Maybe an aspiring one? Service provider?If what you do touches early-stage ClimateTech, this is the place for you. 🤝Too busy to listen? Check out the transcript below 👇 (if you’re reading in email, check out the full transcript by reading on Substack)Today, we are talking to Vivin Hegde of Zacua Ventures.Vivin Hegde is a visionary in the built environment space — from leading innovation efforts at Hilti to co-founding Zacua Ventures, Vivin is on a mission to redefine how we think about construction and infrastructure. In this episode, he dives deep into the challenges and opportunities of investing in the built environment, sharing his journey from managing corporate venture capital at Hilti to launching Zacua Ventures, where he backs early-stage startups focused on decarbonization, productivity, and infrastructure resiliency.Vivin unpacks:* The importance of "gentle disruption" in the construction industry 🛠️* The strategic shift from corporate innovation to independent VC investing 💼* How global perspectives inform better investment decisions 🌍* The key traits he looks for in founders, especially in the construction tech space 👥Convinced that you should know more about this? Well, you’re in luck. Tune in to todays episode to learn more…🎧💡📺 Watch on YouTube | 🍎 Apple Podcasts | 🎧 Spotify | 🗣️ Join the Slack ChannelThe Guest: Vivin Hegde* Vivin Hegde is the General Partner and co-founder of Zacua Ventures.* With a rich background spanning 6 years at McKinsey, and 8 years at Hilti, Vivin brings over a decade of experience in construction tech, industrial innovation, and corporate strategy.* At Hilti, Vivin played a pivotal role in driving innovation, leading global sales teams, and managing the Hilti-Trimble joint venture, where he spearheaded projects in robotics, software, and construction technologies.* Vivin is passionate about reshaping the built environment and leverages his deep industry expertise to support startups that are tackling decarbonization, productivity, and infrastructure resiliency challenges on a global scale.The Company: Zacua VenturesOne Liner: A global venture fund driving innovation in the built environment by investing in early-stage startups focused on sustainability, productivity, and urbanization* Zacua Ventures focuses on transforming the built environment through strategic early-stage investments* They integrates deep industry expertise with strong corporate partnerships, offering startups access to global networks and resources to accelerate growth* Zacua is led by partners with more than 30 years of combined industry experience and who have been investing in construction tech for the past decade * With regional presence in San Francisco, Madrid and Singapore, Zacua helps entrepreneurs to build and strengthen their value proposition and scale their businesses globally, leveraging deep corporate networksGot future guest suggestions or topics? Leave a comment!Unable to support financially but still want to help? Share this post w/ 3 ClimateTech (or aspiring) entrepreneurs. Sharing is super helpful to us, and it costs you nothing.📝 Show Notes:Topics* 02:04 Intro* 03:08 Defining the Built Environment* 04:56 Automation and Robotics in Construction* 08:40 Sales and Building Relationships* 24:59 Supporting Startups at the Earliest Stages* 26:35 Investing Globally to Fund the Best Entrepreneurs* 31:55 The Importance of Sector Specialization* 42:53 The Role of Data Centers in the Digital Age* 44:27 The Potential of Mass Timber in Construction* 45:48 Addressing Challenges in the Design Space* 47:22 Impressing Investors: Deep Understanding, Knowledge, and Learning AgilityLinks* Vivin Hedge | Zacua Ventures* Connect with Somil on LinkedIn | Connect with Silas on LinkedIn* Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn* @Silas & @Somil_Agg on X * This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.Text Transcript 👇🏽Somil Aggarwal:Thank you for coming on. What time is it where I'm finding you? Are you based on the East Coast?Vivin Hegde:I'm based on the West Coast, and it's about 4 PM now.Somil Aggarwal:Okay, very cool. It's about 7 PM here. I'm very excited to be spending my evening on this because getting the chance to talk to you is very topical for me. The listeners know that I'm a huge built environment investor and enthusiast, and you guys have made some key investments, including one of our previous podcast guests, Pathways. So, it's a bit of a collision of worlds here, and I really appreciate having you on.Vivin Hegde:They had some good things to say about you, so I'm excited to be here.Somil Aggarwal:Amazing. High praise—I hope we follow it up. But before we get ahead of ourselves, please, I know who you are, but the audience doesn’t, so could you introduce yourself?Vivin Hegde:Sure! I'm Vivin Hegde, a General Partner at Zacua Ventures. We're an early-stage VC focused on the built environment. We invest from pre-seed to seed stages globally. I manage our investments in North America and India, while my partners are based in Madrid and Singapore. We also have team members in New York, Mexico, Dubai, Melbourne, and Madrid. I’m excited to be here and would love to talk about everything we do.Somil Aggarwal:Great! When you say you invest in the built environment, what does that mean to you? Because there are so many different definitions out there.Vivin Hegde:For me, the built environment includes anything around us that doesn’t move. It could be buildings—commercial, residential, infrastructure like roads, airports, data centers, or wastewater treatment plants. All of this is part of the built environment for us. Our focus extends from design and development to construction and operation. However, as a fund, we don’t spend much time on the prop tech side, such as mortgages and lending. Everything outside of that, though, is fair game for us.Somil Aggarwal:So, technology in the built space around us—I'm seeing that as the theme.Vivin Hegde:Exactly. And that includes supply chains, too. We look at supply chain decarbonization and productivity. We focus on areas like cement manufacturing, steel, glass, and everything else. It's all within our scope.Somil Aggarwal:That makes sense. So, clearly, you’re focused on decarbonization, productivity, and infrastructure. Just to give you some context, by the time this episode is posted, we'll have had a good run of built environment companies on the podcast. One of them you might have heard of—Urban Machine. They build a giant robotic arm to remove metal fasteners from wood to make it reusable.One of the coolest things I learned from them is that there was a lot of iteration involved in making the robotic arm to reduce wear and tear on the machine. Do you generally agree that wear and tear is the biggest issue facing robotics? And what are you looking for when evaluating robotics in this space?Vivin Hegde:It really depends on what problem you’re solving. Wear and tear was crucial for Urban Machine because they're doing repetitive motion in their module, which required specific movements at certain angles. I've seen different versions of their robot over the years, and because they’re based nearby, I visit their facility often.However, for a company like Dusty Robotics, which does layout robots, wear and tear isn’t the biggest issue. It's more about precision—how accurately they print and how precise the lines they’re printing are. For companies like Canvas, alignment and steadiness are bigger issues. For example, they find it challenging to install systems when there's a lot of drilling happening nearby. So, how do you ensure stability and alignment under those conditions? It’s very use-case dependent. For Urban Machine, wear and tear is a significant topic, but it’s not always the most important issue for every robotics company.Somil Aggarwal:That’s interesting. So, it really varies based on the specific problem the robotics solution is addressing.Now, speaking more broadly, robotics and automation, especially in the built environment, are often seen as key solutions to labor issues—whether it’s labor cost, availability, or scalability of operations. As an investor, how close do you think we are to automating some of the labor required to build buildings, or even automating some of the processes in between? Are we still a few years out from seeing this hit the market?Vivin Hegde:As much as I like robotics, I’d say we’re getting closer, but we’re not there yet. We're making progress every day for a couple of reasons. First, the cost of robotics is coming down. Technology platforms like LIDAR, mobility, and payload systems are getting cheaper. Second, we're attracting more talent into this space, and labor is becoming more expensive. So, from a macro perspective, everything is trending in the right direction.But there are still some bottlenecks. Today, we design for humans, not for robots. Construction sites are not yet optimized for robotic consistency and repeatability. Robots excel when they can perform a single task very well over a period of time. Eventually, we’ll get there, but we're still in the process of making that transition.Somil Aggarwal:That makes sense. Thanks for that perspective. We kind of jumped right into the deep end, so let’s take a step back. You’ve spent a lot of time in and around construction materials and tech. Your journey is super interesting because you did some cool things before joining Zacua Ventures that I'd love to talk about. But first, when you finished your six years at McKinsey, how did you decide to transition into the construction tech space?Vivin Hegde:To be honest, it wasn't a completely deliberate choice to focus on construction. It was partly coincidental. At McKinsey, I did a lot of work in infrastructure, oil and gas, mining, and similar sectors, so I was exposed to the space and had a good understanding of it. I had also worked on acquisitions for one of the largest construction players.When I joined Hilti after McKinsey, it was as much an industrial play as it was a construction play. Hilti is an industrial company that needed someone with a management consulting background who understood the industrial sector. I was looking to join an industrial company with a global footprint, and Hilti fit that bill perfectly.It just so happened that 95% of Hilti's products are sold into construction, so there was a significant overlap that helped me understand the space well. After two years at Hilti, I moved into sales and spent every day on construction sites, which fully immersed me in the industry.…Tune into the episode for the rest 🎧💡 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Why did the electric car break up with the gas station? It found a current affair at the EV charger!🌎 Welcome back to CleanTechiesWe are The #1 Podcast For ClimateTech Entrepreneurs.* Convo’s (x2) with top climate entrepreneurs each week 🎙️* In-depth takeaways for each ep to distill the core lessons 🙋* Companies to watch lists weekly(ish) 📝* Monthly show with Somil & Silas 🤓ClimateTech Investor? Entrepreneur? Maybe an aspiring one? Service provider?If what you do touches early-stage ClimateTech, this is the place for you. 🤝Today, we are talking to Kieran White of Curo.Kieran is a friend of the pod, as we’ve known him for about a year. Originally from the UK, and like Silas, a college opt-out, he had a different start to his career. Originally, he hustled his way into a job with Tesla when they were not hiring anyone under 21. After some time there, he went to a recycling startup (Lasso Loop) and later decided to start Curo. In places like California, there is a lot of pressure to electrify fleets. The problem is that most fleet owners can’t afford to build the charging infrastructure required. Sometimes because of cost, sometimes because of space. They help solve this problem by identifying underutilized charging infrastructure. After scouting it out, they contract it, and then their customers can charge. Often, this happens at night when the daytime tenants are not using the charging. They get most of their customers set up in days. If they built their own infrastructure, it could take weeks or months. Today’s call is super fun. We discuss:* How he got that job at Tesla* The effect this exp had on him and how it led to him launching Curo * How they help fleet owners find reliable charging without building infrastructure * And how they help existing charging owners maximize their infrastructure It’s a great show so enjoy! 📺 Watch on YouTube | 🍎 Apple Podcasts | 🎧 Spotify | 🗣️ Join the Slack ChannelEvery ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com  (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)Got future guest suggestions or topics? Leave a comment!Unable to support financially but still want to help? Share this post w/ 3 ClimateTech (or aspiring) entrepreneurs. Sharing is super helpful to us, and it costs you nothing.📝 Show Notes:Topics* 01:56 Intro* 04:23 Journey to Entrepreneurship* 06:20 The Problem Curo is Solving* 08:22 Challenges and Ops in EV Charging* 17:05 Policy, Incentives, and the Future of the Industry* 19:33 Navigating Ideas / Staying Focused* 23:52 Growth Hacks * 27:07 Tracking Progress / Systematizing* 30:17 Dealing with New Ideas* 32:57 Climate Startup Ideas* 34:26 Future of EV Charging* 38:38 Fundraising Advice & Closing ThoughtsLinks* Kieran White | Curo* Connect with Somil on LinkedIn | Connect with Silas on LinkedIn* Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn* @Silas & @Somil_Agg on X * This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit cleantechies.substack.com🌎 Welcome back to CleanTechiesWe are The #1 Podcast For ClimateTech Entrepreneurs.* Convo’s (x2) with top climate entrepreneurs each week 🎙️ * Companies to watch lists weekly(ish) 📝 * In-depth takeaways to distill the core lessons 🙋 (paid)* Monthly show with Somil & Silas 🤓 (paid)* Slack Community 🤝 (paid)

How did the corporate giant announce their green initiative? By sending out millions of paper flyers about saving the rainforest! 🔖🌎 Welcome back to CleanTechiesWe are The #1 Podcast For ClimateTech Entrepreneurs.* Convo’s (x2) with top climate entrepreneurs each week 🎙️* In-depth takeaways for each ep to distill the core lessons 🙋* Companies to watch lists weekly(ish) 📝* Monthly show with Somil & Silas 🤓ClimateTech Investor? Entrepreneur? Maybe an aspiring one? Service provider?If what you do touches early-stage ClimateTech, this is the place for you. 🤝Too busy to listen? Check out the transcript below 👇 (if you’re reading in email, check out the full transcript by reading on Substack)Today, we are talking to Edo Perry of Elements World.Edo is a rockstar individual — from tackling the lack of green employer incentive problem to building climate tech communities across the USA, Edo joins us to share his journey from working in sustainability at Apple to founding Elements World, making it possible for employers to hit their sustainability targets through their employees. He discusses the unique challenges and opportunities in addressing Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions by leveraging the often-overlooked potential of employee-related activities, such as business travel, commuting, and work-from-home practices.He breaks down:* Their shift from a B2C to a B2B model 📈* Shares insights on fundraising challenges 💰* The importance of gaining traction before approaching investors 💵* The role of AI in optimizing their offerings 🤖Convinced that you should know more about this? Well, you’re in luck. Tune in to todays episode to learn more…🎧💡📺 Watch on YouTube | 🍎 Apple Podcasts | 🎧 Spotify | 🗣️ Join the Slack ChannelEvery ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com  (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)The Guest: Edo Perry* Edo Perry is the CEO and co-founder of Elements, optimizing corporate sustainability through employee engagement. * With over 12 years of experience in climate tech, Edo's background includes work with NGOs, political campaigns, and sustainability roles at Apple. * At Apple, Edo Perry worked on sustainability projects including waste management, energy efficiency, and employee engagement in sustainability initiatives.* Edo Perry organizes intimate climate tech events that foster cross-industry connections and community building for organizations like Voyagers and ClimateHack.The Company: Elements WorldOne Liner: AI-powered tool that helps corporations optimize resources, cut operational costs, and reduce Scope 3 emissions from employee activities like business travel, commuting, and remote work* Elements World focuses on optimizing corporate sustainability through employee engagement. * The company aims to help organizations reduce carbon emissions by addressing employee-related activities such as business travel, commuting, and work-from-home practices. * Elements integrates into existing corporate systems to gather data and offers solutions like community solar and energy-efficient technologies to employees. * By creating a new standard of "climate benefits," Elements seeks to become an essential component of corporate sustainability strategies worldwide.Got future guest suggestions or topics? Leave a comment!Unable to support financially but still want to help? Share this post w/ 3 ClimateTech (or aspiring) entrepreneurs. Sharing is super helpful to us, and it costs you nothing.📝 Show Notes:Topics* 02:31 Introduction and Background* 05:23 Understanding the Employer Problem* 09:16 Transition from B2C to B2B* 13:13 Working at Apple and Decision to Found Elements World* 16:43 Fundraising Journey* 22:26 Using AI in Climate Tech* 27:26 Building and Scaling the Team* 33:06 Creating ClimateTech Communities* 35:44 Future Goals and Closing ThoughtsLinks* Edo Perry | Elements World* Connect with Somil on LinkedIn | Connect with Silas on LinkedIn* Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn* @Silas & @Somil_Agg on X * This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.Text Transcript 👇🏽Somil Aggarwal: Yeah, great, I'm super happy to have you on. I know who you are very well, but the audience doesn't, so please introduce yourself.Edo Perry: So I'm Edo, the CEO and co-founder of Elements. Born and raised in California, lived in Israel for the last 14 years. Recently moved to San Francisco, so I'm based currently in San Francisco. I've been in climate tech for the past 12 years, from NGOs to political campaigns to working at Apple on sustainability, to starting Elements in different communities. And that's pretty much it.Somil Aggarwal: Yeah, you're a huge community builder. Can't state that enough. And I'm gonna ask you a couple of questions about that before we get into it, but let's start off. We're gonna get into what Elements World does, but I think the coolest thing that you guys do is you try to tackle the employer problem. So just generally speaking, what is the employer problem?Edo Perry: I think that when companies today look at carbon emissions in general, and with all these new regulations coming out—like SB 253 in California, the CSRD in Europe, and the SEC's evolving standards—there's a lot of regulation that companies need to address. They've also put out these net-zero goals, and measuring all these emissions is very hard. Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions are a very challenging area that companies need to face. We specifically focus on the employee side, which we see as an untapped area. If we can utilize that in the right way, we can create value for both companies and employees, helping them reach their net-zero goals much quicker and more effectively. That's what we focus on.Somil Aggarwal: It's very clear that employers have a lot of agency in determining the carbon footprint of their employees. The way you go about it is not immediately obvious, but there are inherent decisions that employers encourage that affect that. And that's exactly what you tackle, right?Edo Perry: Yep, that's exactly it. We try to optimize resources. Companies spend a lot on business travel, commuting, and work-from-home expenses. We can help reduce these expenses and operational costs while also reducing carbon emissions. So, there's a win-win on that side.Somil Aggarwal: Let's start basic. If I'm a big company, let's call it Orange, and I want to decarbonize and meet my decarbonization goals, how does Elements World help me do that? How do you engage with that kind of company?Edo Perry: That's a great question. Usually, we work with chief sustainability officers, sustainability teams, and also CFOs or COOs. We integrate into their existing tech stack, such as HR, business travel expenses, and commuting systems like Uber and Lyft. We gather data to have accurate and granular information on emissions. The second part of our solution is the reduction aspect. We help optimize and find the right solutions to reduce business travel, commuting, and work-from-home emissions. We offer solutions like community solar, heat pumps, and smart meters. For example, one of our providers is Arcadia. We can offer community solar to employees or energy-efficient technologies. That's what we do with different companies.Somil Aggarwal: When we first sat down to talk about Elements World, you walked me through how you guys found the employer model. It's not necessarily a straightforward model. Can you tell us about the experimentation that led you to targeting employers?Edo Perry: Yeah, that's a great question. We started out B2C, wanting to make renewable energy accessible for everyone. We wanted to find different solutions and educate people about the financial value of solar, heat pumps, etc. But B2C is really hard, and we didn't see the market moving in that direction quickly enough. So, we shifted to B2B, realizing that if we want to make a bigger impact, we should go through employers. For example, Apple has 164,000 employees, which means 164,000 homes we could potentially reach. Companies have regulations and sustainability teams, making them more educated about these issues. So, it made more sense to go through the B2B route.Somil Aggarwal: In terms of messaging, you were originally thinking about the consumer, but then switched to the employer. What were the major differences in the language and approach that you felt?Edo Perry: It had a lot to do with finance, showing returns. Companies introduce new software for three reasons: making money, saving money, or due to regulation. The B2B side focuses heavily on regulation and cost savings. So, we changed our vocabulary to match their needs.Somil Aggarwal: You mentioned Orange as a big competitor to Apple a couple of times now. I think it's an especially potent example here because you used to work for Apple. Before we dive into that, I want to get a little bit of your journey. You were working within sustainability at Apple and decided to leave and start your own company. What was the decision to do that like? You're leaving what's presumably a relatively secure and cushy job, right?Edo Perry: That's true, and it was not easy. But, at some point, I felt that as much as I enjoyed the work there, Apple's focus on consumer electronics didn't align with my passion for sustainability. I thought I could make a much bigger impact outside Apple. I left on good terms and continued as a consultant for them. We've even worked with them through Elements. It just felt like the right decision to make.Somil Aggarwal: What were the biggest takeaways from your experience at Apple? Walk me through what it was like working in sustainability there and what you learned.Edo Perry: I was in Israel, working in R&D, and was the first to focus on sustainability and climate there. I handled projects around waste management, water, energy management, employee engagement, and getting buildings to LEED Platinum or Gold standards. Apple’s approach to sustainability and climate investment is incredible. Working with incredible people and seeing how they prioritize these issues was a big takeaway. Companies like Google and Microsoft are also good examples, but there are only a few companies doing this at such a scale.Somil Aggarwal: Definitely makes sense. So, you're a founder who's recently started this company. Would you consider yourself a first-time founder?Edo Perry: For sure. Yep, first-time founder.Somil Aggarwal: What was that experience like? Especially since your business model isn't hardware-heavy, how do you become a connective player in the ecosystem?Edo Perry: It's very early, and I like to say it's a first-mover's market. There are quite a few players in Europe, less in the US. We defined a term called "climate benefit for employees," similar to health benefits or pension funds. It's a new term that requires market education, and we haven't seen too many folks doing that. We aim to create a new standard in every company worldwide.Somil Aggarwal: There's a lot of white space for that. You've seen companies like Carbon Collective focus on bringing sustainability to 401ks. It doesn't feel like an employee's responsibility to figure that out. By engaging with employers, you remove a huge hassle.Edo Perry: For sure. Brean is a great example of a company we partner with. We try to offer their green 401k plans to employees of our clients. There's a lot of synchronicity in that space.Somil Aggarwal: What was it like fundraising for Elements? Fundraising is one of the hardest things a first-time founder faces.Edo Perry: It was not easy. As a first-time founder in a down market, it was one of the hardest challenges. We decided to bootstrap the company initially. I personally invested, and we had some family and friends help out. We focused on getting early traction and design partners, which our investors wanted to see. Once we had those big logos, like Lemonade, Estee Lauder, and Apple, investors took us more seriously. We eventually closed a pre-seed round with Fusion VC and other investors.Somil Aggarwal: That's incredible. What stood out to investors when you bootstrapped and then approached them with progress? What would you do differently next time?Edo Perry: Traction was key. Once we had large companies working with us, it showed investors we were serious. I recommend focusing on clients early on and getting substantial traction before meeting investors. We spent too much time meeting investors early without enough traction. Also, focus on the MVP and understanding company needs before building out many features.…Tune into the episode for the rest 🎧💡 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Water you waiting for? Dive into the latest in H2Oh-mazing technology!🌎 Welcome back to CleanTechiesWe are The #1 Podcast For ClimateTech Entrepreneurs.* Convo’s (x2) with top climate entrepreneurs each week 🎙️* In-depth insights to distill the core lessons 🙋* Companies to watch lists weekly(ish) 📝* Monthly show with Somil & Silas 🤓ClimateTech Investor? Entrepreneur? Maybe an aspiring one? Service provider?If what you do touches early-stage ClimateTech, this is the place for you. 🤝Too busy to listen? Check out the transcript below 👇 (if you’re reading in email, check out the full transcript by reading on Substack)Today, we interview Ravi Kurani, Creator & Host of the Liquid Assets Podcast and CEO & Founder of SutroIn the last episode, we learned how One Pont Five (OPF.Degree) is training 100k sustainability professionals.Today Ravi Kurani teaches us what he’s learned from interviewing some of the leading voices in the water tech space. You see, we had a lot of people asking for more about the water tech space — turns out we recently met someone who interviews all of those experts. We thought we’d get a 1 for X deal by speaking with Ravi. But first, a little background on Ravi. His Background: Growing up, he worked for his Dad who owned a chain of pool and spa supply stores. In his own words, he was basically a pool boy. After a short stint at NASA (🤯) he ended up working in a VC fund in India. There he was first exposed to the idea of impact investing. Having had a taste for what it took to build a startup, he decided to try his hand at the entrepreneurship game and founded Sutro, a pool sensor company. Fun fact #1: he actually ended up getting to know Sam Parr from My First Million well because they worked out of the same office in SF around this time. Fun fact #2: Sam is one of my favorite entreprenuers and MFM is one of my favorite podcasts.Through building Sutro, he got to know the ImagineH20 accelerator, where he met past guest Tom Ferguson (#178) (that’s how we found each other). Not too long into his journey with Sutro, he sold to Sani Marc, and he is currently scaling up the technology. 📺 Watch on YouTube | 🍎 Apple Podcasts | 🎧 Spotify Seeking a community of serious climate entrepreneurs? — Become a paid subscriber today to join our Slack community.You’ll get (1) high-quality bonus content, (2) special speaker events, (3) ability to ask questions, (4) access to all our paid content, (5) and most importantly a great group of fellow Climate Builders. Fast-forward: He now runs a podcast called Liquid Assets. Because he speaks with top water entrepreneurs, policy makers, and thought leaders, he has a wealth of knowledge. That’s why today’s conversation is so good. A few of the core topics that come to mind are: * The different categories of WaterTech* How the market being fragmented presents unique challenges to building in this space* The major differences between water and energy* How you should GTM in water* And perhaps most fascinating, why he thinks that water needs a new financing vehicleThis was a really fun episode, likely in part because he’s a fellow podcaster and in part because he just really knows his stuff. If you haven’t already, check out Ravi’s pod by going to LiquidAssets.cc—give him a follow. It’s highly worth it. Enjoy the episode! 🎧Got future guest suggestions or topics? Leave a comment!Unable to support financially but still want to help? Share this post w/ 3 ClimateTech (or aspiring) entrepreneurs. Sharing is super helpful to us, and it costs you nothing.📝 Show Notes:Topics* 02:28 Intro* 04:10 Learnings from Liquid Assets Podcast* 08:09 The Categories of Water* 11:20 Where Innovation Is* 13:27 Energy x Water (Policy)* 16:26 Upgrade to Paid Ad* 18:01 GTM in Water* 21:55 Power Dynamics and Wastewater* 24:04 Telecom Parallel* 24:52 Circularity x Water x Infrastructure* 26:33 Owning Wastewater* 28:45 Geo-Specific Challenges* 31:04 Water Isn't Priced Right* 32:20 KPIs for Success in Water* 34:13 Global Water Hubs* 35:35 Why Water is Close Knit* 36:49 Startup Ideas* 37:59 Water Needs New Financing ArmLinks* Connect with Ravi Kurani | Follow Liquid Assets* Connect with Somil on LinkedIn | Connect with Silas on LinkedIn* Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn* This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.Text Transcript 👇🏽Silas Mähner:Welcome to the show, Ravi. How are you doing today?Ravi Kurani:I am doing good, guys. How are you?Silas Mähner:We’re doing great! It's not often I get the chance to meet our guests in person, so I'm really excited about this one. Before we dive in, can you give us a brief introduction about yourself and what you do?Ravi Kurani:Absolutely. My name is Ravi Kurani. I'm the founder and president of Sutro, a water diagnostics company. We make a colorimetric sensor that floats in swimming pools and measures the water chemistry, providing real-time data on what adjustments need to be made. Besides running Sutro, I also host a podcast called Liquid Assets, where we explore the world of water through the lenses of technology, business, and policy.Silas Mähner:That’s fantastic! I’ve listened to some episodes of Liquid Assets, and you’ve had some really interesting guests. What inspired you to start this podcast?Ravi Kurani:It’s a bit of a journey. As the founder of a water company, I realized how vast and diverse the water industry is. Despite being a CEO in this space, I found there were many aspects of the industry I wasn’t fully aware of. So, I started Liquid Assets as a way to learn more about the industry while educating others. The podcast helps shine a light on the importance of water and the various innovations happening within the sector.Silas Mähner:Through your podcast, what are some of the key learnings or surprises you’ve encountered about the water industry?Ravi Kurani:One of the biggest things I’ve learned is how slow-moving the water industry is. Water is essential to everything we do, from drinking water to agriculture, which makes it highly regulated and resistant to change. This leads to long sales cycles and a cautious approach to new technologies. Another surprising aspect is how overlooked the industry is, despite its importance. Most investment goes into more visible sectors like SaaS or AI, rather than water. Finally, there’s a lot of innovation happening, but it often doesn’t get the spotlight it deserves due to the industry’s fragmented nature and the challenges of scaling up new technologies.Somil Aggarwal:Water is a critical yet often ignored area, especially when compared to other climate tech investments. How did you initially get into the water industry?Ravi Kurani:Interestingly, my entry into the water industry started when I was a kid. My dad owned a chain of pool and spa supply stores, so I grew up learning about water chemistry and testing pool water. After pursuing engineering and an MBA, I worked at an impact investing fund in India, where I saw firsthand the major issues surrounding water access and quality. These experiences combined to give me a unique perspective on the water industry.Somil Aggarwal:For those of us who aren’t as familiar, can you break down the water industry and its main segments?Ravi Kurani:The water industry can broadly be categorized into consumer water and industrial water. Consumer water includes everything we interact with daily, like drinking water, swimming pools, showers, and dishwashers. Industrial water is used in agriculture, manufacturing, and the built environment. Agriculture is the largest user of water, followed by industries like oil and gas, and then cooling towers in buildings. Understanding these categories helps in identifying where innovation can have the most impact, particularly in the industrial sector where water use is highest.Silas Mähner:Given your experience with both the consumer and industrial sides, where do you see the most significant innovations happening?Ravi Kurani:Innovations are happening across both consumer and industrial water segments. For instance, there are smart shower systems that help hotels and motels manage their water use more efficiently, and drone-based systems that monitor agricultural crops to optimize water and fertilizer use. Companies like Rainstick are working on gray and black water remediation, which is crucial for recycling water in various applications. Despite these innovations, the challenge remains in getting these technologies adopted widely due to the industry's slow sales cycles and regulatory hurdles.Somil Aggarwal:Water and energy are closely linked. Can you explain the energy-water nexus and its implications?Ravi Kurani:Absolutely. Moving and treating water requires a significant amount of energy. This connection means that reducing water consumption can also lead to energy savings. For example, using less water for irrigation or in industrial processes reduces the energy needed to pump and treat that water. Therefore, innovations that improve water efficiency can have a dual benefit of saving both water and energy.Silas Mähner:Policy plays a big role in the water industry. What are some policy challenges and how can they be addressed?Ravi Kurani:Water policies are often outdated and fragmented, which complicates effective water management. For example, California still uses water laws from the 1800s. Modernizing these policies is essential to better manage water resources and support new technologies. Additionally, there’s a need for policies that incentivize efficient water use and infrastructure upgrades to handle water recycling and reuse more effectively.Somil Aggarwal:You’ve mentioned gray and black water remediation as important areas for innovation. Can you elaborate on what these terms mean and their significance?Ravi Kurani:Gray water is relatively clean wastewater from baths, sinks, washing machines, and other kitchen appliances. Black water is more contaminated wastewater from toilets. Remediating and recycling these types of water can significantly reduce fresh water consumption. For example, using treated gray water for irrigation or flushing toilets can conserve a substantial amount of potable water. This kind of water recycling is crucial for sustainable water management, especially in areas facing water scarcity.Silas Mähner:It sounds like there are many exciting developments in water tech. For those interested in the field, where should they start looking for opportunities?Ravi Kurani:There are hubs for water tech innovation, particularly in areas with significant water issues like California. Organizations like Imagine H2O are great resources, as they connect startups with policy makers, corporates, and other stakeholders. Additionally, anywhere there is a critical water issue is a potential hub for innovation. For example, South Africa during its Day Zero crisis or Mexico City, which faces ongoing water scarcity challenges, are key areas where innovative solutions are needed. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe