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The Gist
The Gist is the monthly newsletter of The Ad Hoc Group that covers everything at the intersection of climate tech and policy. Subscribe at the link here to have The Gist mailed to your inbox each month.
The Ad Hoc Gist: The Red Wave’s Casualties and Silver Linings
We’ve known for some time that a second Trump presidency was a high-probability event and that even a Republican trifecta could be a reasonably expected outcome of the election.
Though the dust has hardly settled, in this month’s Gist we give you an “inside-the-Beltway” view on what we and our lobbyist friends believe is the emerging state of play on climate policy.
The Ad Hoc Gist: It’s the Great Heat Pump, Charlie Brown
Since there’s nothing new to write about the election at this point, this month’s Gist is on a more practical and less emotional topic — heat pumps.
We’re now in heating season in much of the country, which is a good time to consider replacing that old gas or oil furnace. Enter heat pumps — the worst named, but most practical way to electrify your home heating system and get off of fossil heat.
However, those who believe the market is ready for massive heat pump uptake are living in a fantasy. The tech works, but, as you’ll learn from the lived experience of the Ad Hoc team, the customer experience remains a mess. We can and must do better!
The Ad Hoc Gist: One State’s Climate Firewall
With all the focus on the presidential election, it can be easy to lose sight of how aggressively several states are advancing a climate agenda. Washington State under Governor Jay Inslee – perhaps the most climate-forward governor in the country – stands out.
In this month’s Gist, we dig into Inslee’s legacy and leadership on climate and equity with his Senior Climate Advisor (and my former Opower teammate), Anna Lising. She talks about what Washington is doing on climate and energy policy that other states should follow. I’ll also be interviewing Anna and other state leaders at NYC Climate Week.
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People as Moat – Ad Hoc Expands into Search
In climate tech, we talk a lot about, well, technology. But talk with most CEOs and they’ll share that the hardest part of their job is figuring out how to hire and retain the right people. In my experience, a company’s ability to hire and effectively onboard the right people is what differentiates successful businesses from those that falter. Because, as a CEO, you can have a great vision, but if you don’t have the right people, you can’t execute it.
Press
We need to rethink climate investing
For climate tech to scale, the collaboration between climate tech founders and capital providers will need to change. It will need to be a durable — and dare we say, sustainable? — relationship, and one designed for deep partnership.Â
To get a sense of what this might look like, it is worth looking backward: to the very first days of Silicon Valley venture capital and the case of Intel. The company was founded by Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore with an innovative capital model proposed by Arthur Rock. Intel was given a $2.5 million pre-money valuation in 1968 — the equivalent of $21 million today — and Rock invested $2.5 million.
Is winter coming for climate tech?
We’re worried about climate tech.
We lived through cleantech 1.0 (b. 2007, d. 2011), and we see signs of similar mistakes unfolding this time around. And the problems are not restricted to a single group. Both founders and venture capitalists need to re-think their approach to the market.
On the one hand, founders need to deeply assess the business they’re building, and create a capital plan that fits their model — not every company is built to be a unicorn. On the other, VCs need to re-assess how they partner with startups, and consider paths that involve more ownership and increased operational expertise. For both sides, it’s time to focus on putting points on the board.
Unbound Wildfire Liability is a Cost the US Can’t Afford
Utility wildfire mitigation plans aren’t enough.
“We are all one spark away from bankruptcy,” said one utility CEO at the recent Western Conference of Public Service Commissioners meeting.
He was speaking about wildfires: a topic under regular conversation at energy industry events and in utility board rooms. The business of providing electricity is being turned on its head, and all of us are paying a price....
Podcast
Hear more from our leadership on My Climate Journey and Technopolis.