Michal Klar

🚨 🚘 An exciting day here at 8090 Industries as we ‘roll out’ our latest investment in ENSO - 2023 Earthshot Prize Finalist, to revolutionize a stagnant industry undergoing the largest shift since its inception, with no solution in place, an aging workforce, lacking ingenuity and a business model out of touch with the dynamic needs of its customers - TIRES. World, meet Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, the industrialist pioneering a new dawn for the tire industry. But first, a quick history lesson: __________________________ In 1898, Franklin "Frank" Seiberling, jobless, with a wife and three children, borrowed $3,500 for a down payment from his brother-in-law, to purchase an old strawboard factory in Ohio, to open a rubber company. A science and history nut, he named it after Charles Goodyear, the pioneer of vulcanization, the main method of how rubber was produced. Over the next decade, they brought mechanization and technology to the cumbersome and time-consuming process of hand building tires — enabling one man to produce 60 tires in ten hours as opposed to five tires built by hand in a day. His Seiberling State machine revolutionized tire building and led to an explosion in tire production output. By 1907 - it caught the attention of Henry Ford who purchased 1,200 sets of tires for the Model T. And as they say, the rest is history. By 1913 - Over half the tires made in the U.S. were manufactured on Seiberling’s machines. By 1916 - The The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company became the largest tire producer in the world. _____________________ Today much has changed. @Goodyear is no longer the largest tire producer and tire manufacturers no longer own the direct relationship to fleets. That capitalistic, swashbuckling energy and entrepreneurial spirit that built Goodyear and pioneered the tire industry is in short supply, just when it needs it most as a global transition towards EVs compels the greatest growth opportunity for the tire industry in over a century. Led by Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, Enso produces tires perfectly fit for a world increasing run on EVs - that are tailored to endure the heavy weight and torque, last longer, cheaper and increase range by more than 10% today while bringing circularity to the supply chain and data through owning the direct relationship with fleets.  Don’t just take our word for it, some of the largest fleets in the world from Amazon to city cab fleets in Europe are already running on Enso tires and this is just the beginning. 👀 Stay tuned. Much to come! cc Kerem Ozmen Wes Mendenhall Filip Vurdelja Haluk Sabanci Dincer Grant Brown Ishan Meswani Garuth A. Andrew Irwin #climatetech #decarbonization

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Applications for Sprout Agritech Accelerator close tomorrow. If you have a Foodtech or Agtech (including Biotech) company or technology and want to: - Collect a significant number of customer insights and gain clarity on the right pathway for your tech - Make industry and customer connections - Accelerate the progress of your venture - Join a community of like-minded innovators - Upskill around entrepreneurial thinking Then have listen to the Sprout Accelerator participants in the video below and get your Application in (1 day to go!).

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AgTech Ecosystem - startups are often in need of help that does not justify hiring a full-time executive. I put together the AgTech Startup Mentor list for just this situation. 1) If you're a startup that would like help in a key part of your business, from product roadmap or strategy to go-to market to building a sales team to working through geographic expansion with channel partners, the list has 56 top quality mentors available to help. They have a wide range of expertise and experience. Review the list and if you find someone of interest reach out on LinkedIn to get a conversation started and see if there's a fit for them to work with your team. Common arrangements include fee-for-service (consulting arrangements for a set number of hours or days or ongoing) with negotiation around equity positions that come with the consulting. 2) If you're a mentor that would like to be on the list, please reach out and I'll give you access to create your entry. 3) If you're an AgTech investor, Accelerator or Incubator and you are looking for good resources to add to your "Startup Resources" deck or list, please consider adding the list and spreading the word. Then see item 4 for a "coming soon" update! 4) The plan for moving this to a fancier platform than Google Docs has been developed and funding secured. I'll have an update on the new platform as we get things built - stay tuned. Goal is to have the new platform in place by July. I have heard from many Mentors and startups that have had productive outcomes from reach outs created by the list. I absolutely love hearing these updates. Nothing makes me happier than connecting a startup with a resource that can help them get through some challenges (and the AgTech space has plenty of opportunity but also plenty of challenges and is not getting any easier ...) The Google Doc is not perfect but it does it's job while we try and add new mentors and move to v 2 this summer. Thank you for help spreading the word! #agtech #innovation #mentorscanhelp Pam Marrone Ben Palone Allan Fetters Dan Schultz Tim Nuss Jason Mellow Sachi Desai Nathan Faleide Rhishi P. Dr. Lisa K. Johnson Audre Kapacinskas Sumeeta Salvador Kirk Haney Adam Bergman Nolan Paul Mark McAllister Michael Macolino SVG Ventures | THRIVE Plug and Play Tech Center Connie Bowen Micki Seibel https://lnkd.in/gkvNdnqv

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Which international VC has invested most actively in NZ? Here's the slide we prepared recently for our Investor Masterclass. Let me know who I'm missing. Four more sessions coming up including: Valuation, Terms, Governance, and War Stories. Join the fun by registering here: https://lnkd.in/ghJJpdR4

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CHART OF THE WEEK - Agtech Start-Up Founders: Carbon in, Indoor Farming out Read our latest weekly insight - https://lnkd.in/gjacCj-j] - where we track what technologies founders in the #agtech and #foodtech space are targeting. We find - * almost no-one founded a Controlled Environment Agriculture company (vertical farming, indoor hydroponics and aeroponics) in 2023, at least not a “visible” one, for example that was publicly announced, or emerged from stealth via a funding round (pink slice in chart). * the proportion of indoor farming among new founded companies in the green transition space has also declined year on year since 2018. * carbon & nature companies (for example #soilcarbon MRV, #pollination services, #blockchain-supported nature markets) have risen to more than 20% of our space, from less than 5% in 2020 - see green slice in chart. Examples founded last year include Carbon Maps, Oligofeed and Helios

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🌾📈 Accelerator in Australia announces chosen AgriFoodTech startups. SparkLabs Cultiv8, a cleantech AgriFood accelerator, has revealed the nine startups selected for its latest accelerator program. Founder Jonathon Quigley highlighted that these startups were chosen for their contributions to a more sustainable and efficient global food production system. The 2024 cohort includes a diverse range of companies: 👉 Alkiira Therapeutics - focuses on Australian-grown botanical extracts and nutraceuticals 👉 Bovotica - offers a probiotic/prebiotic feed supplement to reduce methane in cattle 👉 Carbon Friendly - provides carbon technology solutions for the agricultural industry 👉 Levur Pty Ltd - creates sustainable oil substitutes using yeast 👉 Nitronic - develops on-site, zero-carbon fertilizers 👉 NonTox - produces non-toxic herbicides and anti-pathogen solutions 👉 Invenios - explores microbial-based biological solutions 👉 PyxGlobal - ensures secure data exchange along supply chains 👉 Unibaio - formulates more efficient pesticides and fertilizers with natural microparticles. The accelerator program runs for six months and has supported over 50 companies, which have collectively raised more than $750 million, created 750 jobs, and now hold a total value of $1.75 billion. Unibaio is a FoodTech 500 alum. Learn more about this company here: https://lnkd.in/eJkrrciZ Read the full Startup Daily article here: https://lnkd.in/ewrwckBV #ForwardFooding #accelerator #startup #venture #foodtech #innovation

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🌍💡 Embracing Interoperability: The Evolution of Carbon Markets 💡🌍 The landscape of carbon markets is rapidly evolving, with a significant shift towards fungibility and interoperability. What does this mean? We (at the SoHo Global Climate Fund) spoke with leading climate fund manager, Charles Bedford of Carbon Growth Partners, to shed light on this important trend in the carbon markets. It's about creating seamless connections between compliance and voluntary markets, allowing for the exchange and recognition of carbon credits across borders and sectors. This trend marks a pivotal moment in our collective efforts towards combating climate change. By enabling carbon credits to be fungible and interoperable, we're fostering a more efficient and scalable approach to carbon pricing and emissions reduction strategies. Companies and organizations now have greater flexibility to participate in markets that align with their goals. #CarbonMarkets #ClimateAction #Fungibility #Interoperability #Sustainability #Innovation #GlobalImpact

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Two things can be true: Australian climate tech had one of the biggest funding quarters ever (raising $359m* in Q2) AND the demand for capital far, far exceeds investment 💸 Funding was up almost 4x over the last quarter ($98m in Q1) because of a few mega deals (Hysata, Samsara Eco, RayGen) 🧐 Yet, many startups are struggling to raise as Yolanda Redrup (The Australian Financial Review) and Kate Burgess (Capital Brief) describe well in their articles (links below) *$344m was reported in Cut Through Venture's Q2 excellent funding report (link below), so my number differs slightly. Hey Cut Through Venture 👋🏽 happy to compare notes 🙂 Paul Barrett Paul Riley Richard Payne Tom Hussey Jessica Richmond Mark Croudace Julia Kay Jordy Kay Lewis Dunnigan Billy Jeremijenko Luke Marshall Adam Jones Alan Hunter Fern Ho Shan V. Templewater Temasek Main Sequence Breakthrough Victoria Planeteer Capital Blackbird Jekara Group Alberts Counteract Investible Prtnr Giant Leap Archangel Ventures

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📣 Calling Queensland’s most ambitious climate tech founders looking to raise capital! EnergyLab is coming to Queensland and applications are now open: https://lnkd.in/e-ft9mK7 The brand new Investment Ready Program runs over 12 weeks and will equip startups with the right tools and know-how to navigate the many challenges of raising capital: - understanding VCs’ investment criteria and screening processes, - how to streamline your investor outreach, - how to articulate the opportunity by thinking at investors’ level, - developing a clear path to growth, - nailing the pitch, and - closing the deal. Successful applicants will be mentored by experienced climate tech experts and introduced to Australia’s most active climate tech investors. ✨ The program is backed by QIC and completely free to eligible Queensland-based startups working on solutions to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, address the impacts of climate change, and other environmental issues such as waste and biodiversity. Apply now: https://lnkd.in/e-ft9mK7 Cake EquityCallum Davidson Audun Fiskerud EnergyLab

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Ecstatic to announce Titanium Ventures' investment in Samsara Eco, the climate tech innovator enabling infinite plastic recycling, as part of their US$65M Series A+! Global emissions from plastic production could triple to account for one-fifth of the Earth’s remaining carbon budget. Plastic creation generated 2.24 gigatons of planet-heating pollution in 2019, or as much as 600 coal-fired power plants - 5% of all global carbon emissions. Samsara Eco has led world-first innovations in infinite recycling, pioneering the ability to recycle plastics including nylon 6,6 and polyester. Earlier this year, in partnership with its first textile partner, Samsara Eco unveiled the world’s first enzymatically recycled nylon 6,6 product (sweet jackets which we bought online!) and also helped to introduce lululemon’s first product made from enzymatically recycled polyester. Whilst I write this, I am wearing one of the first jackets in the world that has been recycled! We’re excited to see the impact they will have in the years to come. Other impressive investors include: Temasek, Main Sequence, lululemon, DCVC, Hitachi Ventures and Wollemi Capital. https://lnkd.in/gKkg2mS3

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🎊 Big News from Our Team at Titanium Ventures! 🎊 Today, we’re thrilled to share that we've evolved from Telstra Ventures to Titanium Ventures! Why Titanium? Because it captures the essence of who we are and aspires to be—a firm that supports exceptionally strong and resilient entrepreneurs, those who thrive under pressure. Titanium is not just a metal with the highest durability and strength-to-weight ratio; it represents the extraordinary capability and determination of the leaders we back—leaders who consistently punch way above their weight. Our commitment remains steadfast: to unearth and scale the most promising ventures in AI, digital, and software sectors. With 99 investments, including 12 IPOs, 17 unicorns and 42 liquidity events, we’re just getting started. Holding almost US$1B in funds under management and having returned US$678M to our investors, we are more driven than ever. This is more than a name change—it’s a reaffirmation of our promise to accelerate the extraordinary, fueling the growth of standout disruptors. We've been doing this for over a decade, and it's what our investors and founders expect us to do for many more to come. Here's to the next chapter in our journey with all of you! #VentureCapital #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #TitaniumVentures

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Many Aussie/Kiwi founders eventually face the decision of: what market should I go to next? Often, the answer they land on is the US. The key decision points then become: 1) when should I enter the US? 2) how should I break in? I spent the last 2 weeks with US VCs in San Francisco and New York, exploring those two questions and understanding what they've seen work and what they've seen fail. If you're in the early stages of building a venture scale business, I wrote the below as a simplified guide for thinking through those two decision points: https://lnkd.in/gY2JzByV

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🍓 You like plants, especially strawberries? 🌱 You're ready to help save the planet one crop at a time? 👨‍🌾 You love working with farmers and cutting-edge technology? Then join hexafarms and set up their customer success organisation! The FT recently published an article, summarizing the devastating impact of climate change on our current food production system. In the next decade, the global availability of some of the world's most crucial crops could decrease due to increasing temperatures and a higher frequency of severe weather conditions affecting crop yields. If you want to be part of the solution, and work with greenhouse farmers on a daily basis that play a huge role in making our food system more resilient, reach out! cc David Ahmed Felix Kirschstein Huijo Kim Andreas Schwarzenbrunner

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These days staying ahead means continuously evolving. SWARM Engineering, one of Serra's portfolio companies, has released AVA an Agrifood Virtual Advisor designed to help you do just that. By using advanced AI on a SaaS platform, combined with ChatGPT, AVA can hold meaningful conversations to uncover and prioritize challenges, offering actionable insights and even fully working applications. Whether it’s optimizing logistics or improving supply/demand planning, AVA accelerates problem-solving while simultaneously capturing essential corporate knowledge. AVA is designed to enhance operational decision-making, for million dollar savings. I’d encourage you to take a look at what SWARM Engineering is doing with AVA. #Agrifood #Sustainability #AI #Innovation #Operations   https://lnkd.in/g5tQKvZ5

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Stop this removal-only obsession in the carbon markets. What kind of hare-brained approach is that? We need avoidance even more than we need removals. This article reminds me of the analogy I made a few months ago about a sinking boat. No amount of bailing water with buckets will save you if the hole in the hull is getting bigger. Remember, if deforestation was a country, it would be the world's third largest emitter. And no, you cannot just demand/legislate that poor rural people stop deforesting without providing alternative income. That is why forest carbon exists. It takes some form of totalitarian mindset (and/or total lack of understanding of rural economies)to think one can just ban things they do not like. https://lnkd.in/eCddBRwt

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Decoding VC speak is often tough - many founders will hear a combo of “Come back to us when you have more revenue” or “Let me know once you have a lead investor” Much of this means “Tell me when it’s safe enough for me to make a decision because someone else has done the hard work” I talk about this and more in an article for our friends at Startup Daily https://lnkd.in/gnFvGFy8

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Join me at our next course June 6 & 7 as we delve into the changing Angel Investment landscape and what it takes to build a successful Angel Investment Portfolio.

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What questions are we asking when we look at new pre-seed climate investments? This was the answer from the LLM trained on our last 26 weeks of partner meetings. Some bits are unsurprising, like team questions or moats. But we spend A LOT of time trying to understand if there are real customers, which routinely leads us to unpack potential unit economics. Here's the complete response - Ability to generate both compelling financial returns and climate impact + If successful, can this company deliver a large enough exit to return the fund? + Does the environmental impact story go beyond just marketing greenwashing? + How do the actual carbon and pollution reduction numbers pencil out? Market size and growth potential + Is the total addressable market large enough to support a venture-scale outcome? + How quickly is the market growing and evolving? Strength of the founding team + Do the founders have relevant industry experience and strong entrepreneurial qualities? + Can they attract top talent, communicate their vision, and execute well? + Are they coachable and do they take feedback well? Competitive differentiation and defensibility + How is this company different from incumbents and other startups in the space? + Do they have a unique technology, business model, or go-to-market strategy? + Is their competitive advantage sustainable or could it be easily replicated? Technical and execution risk + How complex is the underlying technology and how much development risk remains? + Can the team actually build what they are pitching and scale it commercially? + What external dependencies or bottlenecks could impede their progress? Pathway to profitability and attractive unit economics + How will the company make money and are the unit economics attractive at scale? + How much capital is required to get to profitability and a successful exit? + Is this just a service business masquerading as a tech company? Customer validation and ability to sell the product + Who exactly is the target customer and what evidence is there of product-market fit? + Can they actually close enterprise sales deals or get consumers to adopt the product? + How long are customer sales cycles and how lumpy is the revenue? Overinflated valuation and round dynamics + Is the valuation reasonable given the company's stage, traction, and market? + How competitive is the round? + Is there a risk of a down round if they raise too high of a valuation too soon?

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While most of the top investors hail from the US, technologies founded out of India attracted the most investment. That’s likely because it’s by far the most developed agtech ecosystem in the emerging markets and international investors have more comfort investing there. #climateadaptation #climatetech #climateVC

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