#207 Innovative Business Models, Europe's Regulatory Environment, EV Challanges, Freight Electrification & More w/ Till Stenzel (SET Ventures)

In this episode, we are joined by Till Stenzel, Partner at SET Ventures, a European venture capital firm that has been in operation in 2007 which makes them one of the first climate VCs out there. They invest $2-$5M in rounds that range from $3-10M at the Series A/A+ stage. SET Ventures focuses on innovative business models and typically like to lead or co-lead rounds. Their investments range over 6 focus areas: distributed energy systems, digital utilities, AI & enabling technologies, built environment, industrial energy management, and mobility & transport.

On a personal note, Till takes us on a fascinating ride through his career, from his early inspiration drawn from Amory Lovins and the Rocky Mountain Institute, to his venture into renewable energy projects across Northern Africa during the early solar boom, and his pivotal role at E.ON, where he navigated their corporate energy strategy towards renewables. In the age old debate of investing in the “now” of tech — tech we already have commercializable vs. investing in the future (i.e. more expensive breakthroughs), Till believes in the now, saying I quote “we don’t really need major science and energy breakthroughs to turn our energy system carbon free.” Mind blowing — listen to the ep to find out why.

He talks about:

• How Europe's regulatory environment is shaping the energy transition
• The challenges of scaling EV and grid technologies
• Why the future of freight electrification might be closer than we think

Enjoy!

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Topics 

• 00:00 Introduction
• 01:28 Innovative Business Models 
• 24:45 The Impact of Europe's Regulatory Environment
• 26:39 Challenges Faced by Utilities
• 32:15 The Power of Storytelling and Education

Paid Version Starts

• 35:27 Exit Modeling and Fund Strategy
• 48:57 Looking Forward for SET Ventures
• 50:21 Helpful Resources in Climate Tech

Links

• Till Stenzel | SET Ventures
• Connect with Somil on LinkedIn | Connect with Silas on LinkedIn
• Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn
• @Silas & @Somil_Agg on X 
• This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this