
About this episode
In climatetech, the ‘valley of death’ describes the lack of capital for newer solutions, especially those that mainstream investors view as unproven. The climate tech world is full of technologies that would be fantastic tools for fighting the climate crisis, if only they could cross this valley of death and scale.
Scott Jacobs co-founded Generate Capital in 2014 to help address this problem. In this episode Shayle talks to Scott about how to successfully finance first-of-a-kind climatetech. They cover technologies like electric bus leasing, anaerobic digesters, microgrids and EV fleet charging infrastructure.
And they dig in on:
Winning over investors who don't have the time to understand complex technologies or business models
The kinds of support, beyond capital, that first-of-a-kind technologies need from investors
Navigating the rising cost of capital and supply chain problems
When exactly technologies have proven themselves in the eyes of investors
Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more.
Solar Power International and Energy Storage International are returning in-person this year as part of RE+. Come join everyone in Anaheim for the largest, B2B clean energy event in North America. Catalyst listeners can receive 15% off a full conference, non-member pass using promo code CANARY15. Register here.
Get every episode summarized
Each time Catalyst with Shayle Kann publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Catalyst with Shayle Kann

Scaling America's domestic solar supply chain
Catalyst with Shayle Kann
Mar 19, 202640:26failed

AI scaling pathways: on grid, on edge, off grid, off planet
Catalyst with Shayle Kann
Mar 12, 202642:32failed

Frontier Forum: How VPPs earn grid-scale trust [partner content]
Catalyst with Shayle Kann
Mar 10, 202635:25completed

Digging deep for super hot geothermal
Catalyst with Shayle Kann
Mar 5, 202636:05pending