Episodes

  • Leaders In Cleantech Bitesize #142 Federico Cristoforoni – Net Zero Insights - Q1 Funding Trends
    May 1 2024

    In start-up world everyone wants to know about the deals. Who raised what, which VC's are spending some of that 'dry powder' all these things are important, but looking at the bigger trends is perhaps more useful.

    In this Bitesize episode I speak with Federico Cristoforoni of Net Zero Insights about some of the trends is their Q! Quarterly Report. We discuss some of the key themes, but you can access the full report here.

    Chapters:
    00:00:00 - Introduction to Federico
    00:01:40 - State of the Industry Update
    00:03:27 - Economic Uncertainty and Investment Trends
    00:05:24 - Changing Dynamics and Mega Deals in the Marketplace
    00:07:20 - Scaling up Technologies for the Future
    00:09:12 - Increasing Non-Dilutive Rounds in the Industry
    00:11:24 - European Clean Tech and US Investment
    00:13:30 - Analysis of Funding for Physical vs. Digital Solutions
    00:15:18 - The Skew Towards Larger Infrastructure and Scale
    00:16:53 - Deep Dive into the Clean Tech Market

    About Hyperion Executive Search:

    Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.

    If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com


    Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribe
    I'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter.
    If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/

    Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date.
    LinkedIn: ...

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    18 mins
  • Leaders In Cleantech #141 David Trainavicius – PVCase
    Apr 25 2024

    What’s it all about?
    Solar. Another part of the value-chain explored by this BNEF award-winning, Mega-funding round landing solar SaaS start-up/scale-up. We speak with founder and CEO David Trainavvicius about the journey so far.

    About David Trainavicius:
    David is the Founder and CEO of PVcase. He has been involved with a wide variety of solar projects since 2009, gaining expertise in the European solar power market and regulations. He has an in-depth knowledge of solar energy systems, including roof mounts, ground mounts and façades.
    Under his leadership, PVcase has become a leading design software in the PV market.

    About PVCase:
    PVcase creates advanced software to break logjams in the engineering and construction of renewable energy projects, making them less labor-intensive, time-consuming, and complicated. Our technology enables developers to complete projects faster, more efficiently, and more precisely – accelerating the global transition to clean energy. It’s the top choice of renewable energy design professionals and development companies in nearly 80 countries. PVcase puts an end to clunky processes and corrupted data and clears our path to a net-zero economy.

    In 2024 PVcase was recognized as #104 in the Financial Time’s index of Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies and selected for. and winning the Bloomberg NEF’s prestigious Pioneer Award. David recently penned a byline for Renewable Energy World on what he believes to be the most pressing issue constraining renewable energy growth, data risk.

    Chapters:
    00:00:00 - Introduction to David
    00:03:24 - The Birth of PVCase and the Challenges
    00:07:17 - Transitioning from Engineering to SaaS Business
    00:14:29 - Maintaining Culture During Growth
    00:17:48 - Building a Strong Company Culture
    00:21:14 - Disrupting Incumbents in the Market
    00:25:13 - The Growth of the Solar Industry
    00:29:12 - Hybrid Projects and the Combination of Different Types of Renewable Energy

    Social links:
    David Trainavicius on LinkedIn
    PVCase on LinkedIn
    PVCase on YouTube
    PVCase on X
    PVCase website:

    About Hyperion Executive Search:

    Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.

    If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com


    Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribe
    I'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter.
    If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/

    Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date.
    LinkedIn: ...

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    34 mins
  • Leaders in Cleantech #140 - Davor Sutija – NexWafe
    Apr 17 2024

    What’s it all about?
    Solar. But not rooftops this time, the other end of the value-chain. Wafers are not only a large part of the cost of solar modules, producing them is also very energy intensive, and therefore carbon emitting. Through innovation in this part of the process Nexwafe hope to make the manufacture of solar modules, cheaper, cleaner, and to bring manufacturing at scale to Europe, North America, and India, and beyond. We need how much solar? We’re heading to Terawatt territory. We need innovations like this. Enjoy the episode

    About Dr Davor Sutija:
    Dr. Davor Sutija's serial entrepreneurial goal is to inject radical go-to-market strategies into companies with potentially game-changing technology, repositioning them for success. He has shown the ability to help companies capture market share in a number of seminal industries, such as Enterprise Search, Photovoltaics, MEMS sensors, Printed Electronics and Industrial AI, and has a proven track record of success. Davor joined NexWafe in 2020 as CEO and has successfully secured $75M in private equity funding to assist with the company’s pivot to accelerate technology development with a view to rapid product commercialization. Previously, Davor was co-founder and CEO of SiNor AS, the sister company of ScanWafer in REC, and CEO of publicly traded Thinfilm. He was also SVP Enterprise Products at FAST, when it was acquired by Microsoft for $1.3B USD. Davor is a graduate of the Jerome Fisher Management and Technology program at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and holds M.S./Ph.D. Chemical Engineering degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was a Hertz Foundation Fellow.

    Social links:
    Andres Anijalg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davorsutija/
    NexWafe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nexwafe/
    NexWafe website: https://www.nexwafe.com/

    About Hyperion Executive Search:

    Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.

    If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com


    Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribe
    I'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter.
    If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/

    Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date.
    LinkedIn: ...

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    38 mins
  • Leaders in Cleantech #139 - Andres Anijalg – Roofit
    Mar 27 2024

    What’s it all about?

    Solar. Beautiful Solar roofs. This harks back to my early days in solar, founding a solar EPC which initially at least focused of residential roofs, before expanding to include large commercial installations. Roofit have a unique, aesthetic solar roof solution, just at a time when both energy costs and EU legislation are driving the uptake of retrofit and newbuild solar rooftop installations. Our entrepreneur in the episode is a former banker and dirty energy developer turned cleantech pioneer and Founder. We take a dive into his and his companies growth story, and some of the key elements behind their success so far, and the journey ahead, including another funding round.

    About Andres Anijalg:
    Andres Anijalg is the co-founder and CEO of Roofit.solar. He has been active in the power industry since 2007 as the head of international development projects at Enefit, the biggest renewable energy producer in Baltics. He was leading the development of a $2.3 billion, 500MW greenfield power plant project in Jordan (middle east) as the CEO of Attarat Power Company. This is where he also understood that fossil fuel does not have a future and started with Roofit.Solar. Andres has been also working almost 10 years in the Scandinavian banking sector, holds his MBA degree from the University of Tartu and has been studying at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Proud father of 3 children.
    About Roofit:
    It all started with dissatisfaction with what traditional solar panels look like. Now we assist homeowners around the world to convert their homes into sustainable net-zero buildings.

    Chapters:
    00:00:00 - From Banker to Solar Entrepreneur: Introducing Andres
    00:04:27 - The Innovation in Roofing Technology
    00:08:43 - Starting from Scratch: Funding and Manufacturing Challenges
    00:12:38 - Contract Manufacturing and Lower Costs
    00:16:56 - The Benefits and Challenges of Rooftop Solar Installation
    00:20:58 - The Estonian Startup Ecosystem
    00:25:01 - Current Status of Fundraising and Expansion Plans
    00:29:08 - Building Awareness of Solar Solutions
    00:33:29 - Organizational Structure and Company Culture

    We bring 2-in-1 solar roofs to homes and businesses all over the world, helping to build renewable electricity production. We give you solar energy from your rooftop without a compromise on aesthetics.

    Social links:

    About Hyperion Executive Search:

    Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.

    If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com


    Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribe
    I'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter.
    If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/

    Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date.
    LinkedIn: ...

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    38 mins
  • Leaders in Cleantech #138 - Gavin White - About:Energy
    Mar 6 2024

    What’s it all about

    Batteries, patents, entrepreneurship, and the founder’s journey. I first met my guest Gavin White at Energy Tech Summit in Warsaw a little over a year ago. So much has happened in that time, and he and business partner Kieran O’Regan have built an outstanding team and offering to the battery and automotive sector, with clients including Porsche. From PhD student to patents to a lifelong ambition to build a company. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

    About Gavin White:

    Gavin White is the co-founder and CEO of About:Energy, a leading battery data and software company he started in 2022 together with Kieran O'Regan. Their shared mission is to accelerate the transition to electrification by providing the tools and data needed to optimise battery design.
    During his PhD research on measuring lithium-ion battery thermal properties at Imperial College London, Gavin invented a novel testing method and obtained a patent. Recognising the commercial potential, he joined forces with Kieran, an expert in electrochemical modelling, to launch About:Energy.
    As co-founders Gavin and Kieran lead the company's vision to transform battery testing and modelling. Their aim is to become the central hub for battery data, where any company can access the information they need to build the right battery for their specific application.
    Beyond his pioneering technology work, Gavin is deeply passionate about STEM education and equal opportunities. He volunteers extensively as a STEM ambassador and exemplifies how combining technical expertise, business acumen and values with the right partnership can create transformative solutions to global challenges.

    About About:Energy:

    About:Energy is the leading battery software company headquartered in London. The company has focused on building a portfolio of battery measurement and modelling capabilities to provide a software solution for battery design and use. About:Energy provides organisations with the tools to streamline their R&D, reducing time-to-market and enhancing battery system performance. About:Energy’s data informs better decision-making across the value chain, from mine to end-of-life. These activities include battery system design, lifetime prediction, and cell optimization.

    Social links:

    • Gavin White on LinkedIn
    • Abou

    About Hyperion Executive Search:

    Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.

    If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com


    Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribe
    I'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter.
    If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/

    Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date.
    LinkedIn: ...

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    44 mins
  • Leaders in Cleantech #137 - Akshat Rathi - Bloomberg News
    Jan 24 2024

    What’s it all about?
    People, Policies and Technology. Unsung cleantech heroes, why we shouldn’t worry too much about Trump in the Whitehouse, at least where the IRA is concerned. I take a deep dive into the economic and technological drivers of the energy and mobility transition with Bloomberg Climate reporter and Author of Climate Capitalism, Akshat Rathi, it’s a great episode, Take a watch/listen.

    About Akshat Rathi:
    Akshat Rathi is an award-winning senior climate reporter for Bloomberg News. He is the host of Zero, a weekly climate podcast for Bloomberg Green and writes a weekly newsletter on climate solutions.
    He has a PhD in chemistry from the University of Oxford, and a BTech in chemical engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai. He has worked for Quartz and The Economist.
    About Climate Capitalism:
    Our age will be defined by the climate emergency. But contrary to the doomist narrative that’s taken hold, the world has already begun deploying the solutions needed to deal with it.

    On a journey across five continents, Climate Capitalism tracks the unlikely heroes driving the fight against climate change. From the Chinese bureaucrat who did more to make electric cars a reality than Elon Musk, to the Indian entrepreneur showing how to deploy solar on a tight budget, or the American oil executive building the technology that can reverse climate damages, we meet the people working to scale technologies that are finally able to bend the emissions curve.

    Through stories that bring people, policy and technology together, Akshat Rathi reveals how the green economy is not only possible, but profitable. This inspiring blend of business, science, and history provides the framework for ensuring that future generations can live in prosperity and that the wheels of progress don’t falter.

    Social links:
    Akshat Rathi on LinkedIn
    ZERO Podcast: Zero
    ZERO Newsletter on Linked In
    Climate Capitalism book

    Chapters:

    00:04:13 - Unlikely Heroes in the Clean Tech Industry
    00:09:08 - Overcoming Industry Resistance
    00:18:58 - Hope for Climate Change Solutions

    About Hyperion Executive Search:

    Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.

    If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com


    Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribe
    I'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter.
    If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/

    Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date.
    LinkedIn: ...

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    45 mins
  • Leaders in Cleantech #136 - Stephen Brittain - Insurtech Gateway
    Jan 16 2024

    What’s it all about?

    The perhaps surprising insurtech solution to unlocking innovation and scaling for clean technology deployment. We've often discussed how business model innovation can be as important if not more so, than technological innovation. Fundability and risk can be inhibitors, can insurance innovation solve that problem? Take a listen as I explore this topic the with co-founder of Insurtech Gateway.

    About Stephen Brittain:

    Stephen co-founded the Insurtech Gateway in 2016, using his 15 years of innovation experience to help bring disruptive insurtech businesses like FloodFlash, By Miles, Collective Benefits and IBISA to market. Previously, as Hambro Perks first Creative Director, he supported their growing portfolio (including Sipsmiths, Laundrapp, Takumi, TheDots) through early-stage development and testing. This, combined with previous agency projects (including Native, SeymourPowell, BBC, Nike, DEFRA) gave Stephen a deep understanding of startups, strategic innovation and translating this to investors. As an avid designer and entrepreneur himself, Stephen has won several awards including Sunday Times Ski Product of the Year, for his map business MountMaps. Stephen is now focused on supporting Insurtech Gateway’s founders tackling complex climate and social challenges.

    About Insurtech Gateway:

    The specialist insurtech investor. Insurtech Gateway is on a mission to support founders tackling complex climate and social challenges.

    The Gateway incubates early-stage founders to de-risk their regulatory and insurance metrics. Founded in 2016, the Gateway has authorised incubators in London and Sydney, supporting 28 portfolio companies, live in 97 countries, working with 26 insurers. The Gateway would like to meet early-stage founders with game-changing ideas or products, and progressive (re)insurers who are interested in collaboration.

    Chapters:
    00:00:00 - Introduction and Background of Insurtech Gateway
    00:07:41 - Enabling Smart People to Succeed
    00:15:47 - Unlocking Opportunities in the Renewable Energy Industry
    00:23:15 - Mitigating Risk in the Insurance Sector
    00:30:57 - Global Solutions for Global Problems
    00:38:23 - Unlocking Solutions for Risk Prevention and Innovation

    Social links:
    Stephen Brittain on LinkedIn: Stephen Brittain | LinkedIn

    About Hyperion Executive Search:

    Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.

    If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com


    Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribe
    I'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter.
    If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/

    Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date.
    LinkedIn: ...

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    46 mins
  • Leaders in Cleantech #135 - Bill Esterson - MP Shadow Minister
    Jan 4 2024

    What’s it all about?
    Policy and government. For a long time I’ve said that the cleantech sector has done well despite, not because of politics and policy. I do however think that to truly scale we do need politicians and policies to support the energy and mobility transitions, and over the last years we have seen this increase. But we still have a deeply entrenched fossil fuel funded government in the UK, and in many partsof the world, and the Orange buffoon lurking again in the US. I’ve recently seen a number of posts from the Labour Party, and Bill Esterson in particular that gave me hope for the UK at least, when and if they get elected. I thought I’d ask Bill to join me to share some thoughts, as a former entrepreneur turned Shadow Minister/Minister. A bit different but I hope you enjoy the episode.

    About Bill Esterson:
    Bill Esterson was first elected Labour MP for Sefton Central in 2010 and is Shadow Minister for Roads. His brief includes the automotive sector, roads and motoring, logistics, decarbonisation, air quality and integrated transport.

    Mr Esterson has previously served on the frontbench as Shadow Minister for Business and Industry, Shadow Minister for Small Business, and Shadow Minister for International Trade. He was a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Education, Housing, Communities & Local Government and Treasury Committees between 2010 and 2015, is Treasurer of the Tribune group of Labour MPs, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, vice-chair of the All Party Group for Children in Care and Care Leavers, vice chair of the All Party Group on Carbon Capture and Underground Storage and vice-chair of the All Party Group on Hydrogen.

    Before entering Parliament, Mr Esterson started and grew a number of businesses between 1995 and 2010, alongside serving as a local councillor. He graduated from Leeds University in 1990 with BSc Hons in Maths and Philosophy and trained as an accountant after graduating.

    Social links:
    Bill Esterson on LinkedIn: Bill Esterson | LinkedIn
    Bill Esterson on X: (16) Bill Esterson (@Bill_Esterson) / X (twitter.com)
    Bill Esterson website: Bill Esterson

    Chapters:

    00:00:00 - Introduction to Bill
    00:04:28 - Recovering from the financial crisis
    00:09:20 - Becoming a Clean Energy Superpower
    00:14:11 - Grid Connection Challenges in the UK

    About Hyperion Executive Search:

    Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.

    If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com


    Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribe
    I'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter.
    If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/

    Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date.
    LinkedIn: ...

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    43 mins