Saideep Raj

Massachusetts in 2024 is home to the most climate tech startups per capita in the country. They thrive at institutions like MIT and Greentown Labs, turning big ideas into tangible solutions. But we struggle to keep them here. States from coast to coast are wooing away entrepreneurs and employers. These places facilitate demonstration programs, connect companies to trained workers, and provide access to real estate for manufacturing. The Mass Leads Act rebalances these incentives, directing capital investments and tax benefits that keep these innovators in Boston for the long term and encourages others to join them. #climatetech #climateVC #venturecapital

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Gearing up for the Breakthrough Energy Summit this week, I was struck by founder Bill Gates’ quote: “Climate innovators should be given a stellar grade for their work in the lab, but in future years, we’ll all face a much harder practical exam — getting those innovations out into the real world.” This beautifully captures the value of a global corporate platform like Libra Group. I couldn’t be prouder that our 20 subsidiaries are growing with the future in mind, from purchasing fleets of eVTOLs to testing novel carbon capture technologies. Corporations have a critical role to play in the Clean Industrial Revolution - without adoption, we cannot move the world forward. If you haven’t yet read Breakthrough’s 2024 Transition Report, take a look - it’s excellent! https://lnkd.in/db4dSJWP #BESummit24

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Why are private equity firms so focused on value creation these days? In the last couple of years, there have been a very notable increase in demand for our services - improving revenue generation performance of private equity backed companies through automated and actionable insights. What prompted this interest? The 100th episode of the Dry Powder podcast between Jim Strang, the Chairman of Hg, and Hugh MacArthur, Partner and Chairman of Global Private Equity Practice at Bain provides the answer. If you operate in the #privateequity space, this episode is packed with valuable insights. https://lnkd.in/eJVWKzpW And the answer for my question above? Until last couple of years PE houses benefited from increasing multiples, driven by cheap capital and strong competition on the buyer side. This driver has now all but disappeared, or in fact reversed. So the assets that got acquired at 12x multiple five years ago, struggle to attract willing buyers who would accept 12x or more. And that's the reason why the asset owners put more attention and budget behind revenue growth and margin expansion. What are the main trends in the world of your customers? And how are you taking advantage of these trends?

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Taking the long view seems at odds when a climate emergency is in front of us. However this capital intensive “valley of death” phase for climate tech firms echos my research with over 75 founders, academics, regulators and VC firms. The capital intensive needs to build manufacturing capacity is different than SaaS companies. As leaders, we need to help bridge this gap and help founders raise funds to scale. VC firms can’t just apply the same 5-8 year model to climate tech firms. Leaders need to lead.

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The potential for driving sustainability through digital transformation is limitless. Innovative organizations looking to build connected products have a huge competitive advantage. There are various sustainability use cases, such as reducing manufacturing scrap, monitoring the supply chain for disruption, enabling electric vehicles and more. #climatetech #data #climateVC

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Another Q&A episode of the pod this week. I was asked how to get people away from incremental/quick wins thinking and focus on big bold changes to hit Net Zero. Here's what I cover in my answer: ⛔️ Why ISO14001 can't deliver on Net Zero 🪜 Why 80:20 thinking is required in both engagement and strategy 💪 The power of backcasting 🤔 But why and to whom quick wins do matter 😇 How to pursue both strategic and incremental change simultaneously As always, please give the pod a little love on your socials – a few clicks can go a long way... https://lnkd.in/eaqnkB9k

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🌱In a new article for CEO Magazine, my colleague, Credera's Christian Buechel, shares the environmental performance metrics and strategies that can help organizations in their pursuit of sustainable business practices. #SustainableBusiness #EnvironmentalMetrics #GreenStrategies #CEOInsights #SustainabilityLeadership #BusinessGrowth #CrederaExperts #CEOMagazine #SustainableSuccess

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I’m excited to share a pivotal collaboration between Boston Consulting Group (BCG), BCG X and the nonprofit climate technology investor, Elemental Excelerator. This past year, we've worked with over 100 investors to address the "Scale Gap" in climate technology—a crucial barrier to progress that is especially pronounced in Africa.   The new report, “Traversing the Climate Technology Scale Gap,” reveals the challenges in advancing from incubation to early deployment of climate solutions. These stages require significant investment, expert project development, and community engagement.   Despite the global "Scale Gap" estimated at over $150 billion, the potential for bridging it is immense, with new funding programs and tax incentives on the horizon. This is vital for Africa, where advanced climate technologies can significantly mitigate the impacts of climate change and drive sustainable growth.   By harnessing AI and digital tools, we aim to accelerate the deployment of these technologies. Banks, private equity, and other financial sectors are poised to support this transition through innovative financing and capacity building.   Let’s capitalize on these opportunities to enhance resilience and economic prosperity across Africa and beyond.   Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/efH5tw4Q   Congratulations to all the BCG and Elemental Excelerator authors for this great report: Dawn Lippert, Melissa Uhl, Saritha Peruri, Avra van der Zee, Natalie Volpe Danya Hakeem, Parham Peiroo, Veronica Chau, Katie Hill, Raju Sarma Vinay Shandal, Michael Bernstein   #SustainableInnovation #ClimateTech

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Partnering with startups can help companies to "solve a product problem, create a new avenue for revenue, accelerate R&D, or accelerate time to market for a specific product," according to Otilia Barbuta, principal at HP Tech Ventures, the venture capital arm of HP. She was talking at a breakout session at Circularity 2024. "There are solutions in the market created by startups and in this circularity realm, I think it's more important than ever to partner with [them]." #climatetech #startups #climateVC

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There is a huge demand for major capital projects coming from AI, renewables, manufacturing and general electrification - this article from Utility Dive highlights recent work from my colleagues on how to drive a step change in major capital project execution! #energytransition #Bain #majorcapitalprojects

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In last week’s radical Briefing, Jeffrey made a strong argument that we explore (and embrace) the “messy middle” in our endeavors to shape the future. His remarks hit a nerve with our community—we had lots of good conversations both on Substack and in our WhatsApp channel. Building on Jeffrey’s insight, I believe for organizations of all kinds to successfully navigate the ambiguity (and thus “messiness”) of our world, it is paramount to have clarity on their North Star. German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once observed that “if you know the why, you can live any how.” And, of course, American author Simon Sinek, in his famous TED talk, urged leaders to “start with why.” If this sounds familiar, and you count yourself lucky to work for (or run) an organization that has done the work of creating and communicating a good mission statement, consider this wrinkle: Is your mission statement, your North Star, your why clear, concise, and memorable? Can your people recite it by heart and do they truly understand your organization’s direction? Does it work not only as an aspirational tagline but as the ultimate clarifying device it ought to be? All too often, when I look up a company’s mission statement, it reads something like this: …blah blah blah blah innovation blah blah blah culture blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah market leader blah blah blah blah blah blah honesty blah blah blah blah excellence blah blah integrity blah blah blah blah strategies blah blah blah blah… To make sure your mission statement is not just a fancy marketing slogan but truly operates as your organization’s North Star, Kevin Starr, CEO of the Mulago Foundation, created the Eight-Word-Mission-Statement: Formulate your mission statement in the form of Verb – Target – Outcome—using eight words or less. In more detail: What are you doing (verb), for whose benefit (target), to what end (outcome). It is a powerful method to clarify and create a yardstick to measure whether any activity is inside or outside your scope. Want an example? Be radical’s mission statement is “Enable leaders and learners to seize the future.” We enable by teaching tools and frameworks, focusing on leaders inside organizations, not frontline employees, to build the future, which means we don’t work on day-to-day strategy. Your Eight-Word-Mission-Statement might not be suitable for marketing materials, but it will become the guiding star for you and your team, helping you clearly understand your activities (and, equally as important, what you don’t do). It is the sentence your people can recite even at 2am if asked: What does your company (and you) do? And it provides the clarity you and your organization need to navigate the messy middle, ambiguity, and uncertainty. Lastly, you can create Eight-Word-Mission-Statements not only for the company but also for business or organizational units, teams, and even for yourself. Give it a try—and if you like, share it here. #strategy #missionstatement

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Venture building often sounds appealing to senior executives. They like the idea of having a higher ownership stake than you’d get through normal investing. BUT venture building also requires a lot of resources and can be risky, especially if you are only building one or two ventures at a time. Even if you can defy the usual startup failure rate of 90%, your odds aren’t that great, unless you can start a lot of ventures.  A good benchmark is SC Ventures by Standard Chartered. Standard Chartered bank’s venturing arm has managed to create a venture building process that has so far created 15 companies, with a steady stream of 30 more in the pipeline. Gurdeep Singh Kohli, who helped set up the unit with Alex Manson, shares some key learnings in the Global Corporate Venturing post below. ⏩ Going big ⏩ Taking some counterintuitive bets ⏩ Finding the right balance of independence and collaboration with Standard Chartered #openinnovation #venturebuilder #startups Mind the Bridge

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"BCG excels at delivering AI with business impact.”   I’m thrilled to share Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has been named a leader in The Forrester Wave™ : AI Service Providers, Q2 2024! It’s been exhilarating helping our clients in the EMESA region transform their businesses with #AI and #GenAI, and I feel incredibly lucky to have my talented team of innovators at BCG X who make it all possible.   You can read more about our recognition here: https://lnkd.in/eYHJEuBX    #BCGX #AI #ArtificialIntelligence

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Here's a summary of the recent venture capital news: #Getinformed https://lnkd.in/eDThAiDC Founder Collective Spotlight: Amanda Herson from Founder Collective receives recognition. Acquisition: rePurpose Global acquires Bluebird Climate. Climate Tech Investors: Climate50 reveals the leading Climate Tech investors of 2023. Partnership: Greycroft partners with Experiment, a skincare brand poised for growth. Impact Team: Primary Venture's Impact Team is assisting startups. HAX HQ Unveiled: HAX unveils its state-of-the-art headquarters. Funding Journey: Verqor's journey from 0 to $7.5M in funding. Pitch Event: HearstLab announces applications open for Pitch HearstLab U. Social Impact: Flourish Fi is featured in the BerkeleyHaas Social Impact Case Series. Investment Updates: Ariel Investments releases 1Q 2024 Portfolio Manager Letters. Fireside Chat: LTNtech Voices hosts a Fireside Chat @1871. Milestones: Orbit Startups celebrates April milestones. #FounderCollective #VentureSpotlight #Acquisition #ClimateTech #Climate50 #Investors #Partnership #StartupSupport #FundingJourney #StartupSuccess #PitchEvent #Entrepreneurship #InvestmentUpdates #Portfolio #TechCommunity #Startup4 #StartupGrowth Learn more at the venture watch newsletter

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In M&A, technology isn't just a tool— it's a transformative agent. Boston Consulting Group (BCG)’s recent insights reveal how strategic tech integration can redefine cost structures and operational efficiency post-merger, driving not just savings but sustained value creation. #CostManagement

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The private equity sector stands at the cusp of revolutionary transformation fueled by the power of Generative AI. In our latest webcast, Anil Kumar and David Mcgraw, from Alvarez & Marsal's Private Equity Performance Improvement Group, alongside Microsoft's Matthew Fish, delve into how AI is not merely an addition but a catalyst for groundbreaking innovation. Discover how AI is reshaping deal-making, enhancing operational efficiency, and redefining value creation with unprecedented precision. Tune in here: https://lnkd.in/eV9vHtCC #PrivateEquity #PerformanceImprovement #AI #GenerativeAI

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Decarbonization is not only a solution to climate change, but it could also drive economic growth on a global scale. I gained valuable insights from the most recent McKinsey podcast featuring my colleague Mark Patel discussing the potential $1.2 trillion industry of carbon dioxide removal by 2050. In this episode, my colleague Munya Muvezwa shares how Black Americans are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change. To learn more, you can listen to or read the podcast here: https://lnkd.in/g6W6JWcd

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In case you haven't seen it yet: I can recommend this video on how McKinsey and SAP co-innovate to rewire value creation in SAP programs.

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