#158 Product-Led ClimateTech, Exiting to Big Tech TWICE, Being a Climate Papa, & More w/ Ben Eidelson (Stepchange, Climate Papa)

In this episode, I chat with Ben Eidelson, Co-founder & GP of Stepchange, an early-stage venture fund that invests in product-led companies that will make a “step change”, pun intended, I’m guessing?, impact on climate. When editing the episode, Alex, our executive producer, told us he could already tell one of our best episodes yet. I very much agree. This turned out to be the VC meets product meets content special I was hoping it would be. We discuss all things product in climate, Ben being a 2 time exited founder to big tech, starting a climate fund in this environment, and why his kids changed his life. A huge shoutout to Ben for coming on the episode. This started out as me fan-boying to one of his episodes and here we are. As always, thanks so much for listening and enjoy the episode!---🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview.  ---🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox 🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel ----- Topics: **3:10 What is a Product-Led Company?**8:49 Why PMs are not Thinking about Climate**14:45 The Importance of Active Listening**16:03 Identifying Founder Potential**18:29 The Role of Vulnerability in Relationships**20:35 The Origin and Impact of Climate Papa**25:41 The Product-Focused Thesis of Step Change**27:41 Product Meets Hardware and Deep Tech**34:35 Bullish Industries in Climate**42:45 Lessons from Being a Founder**44:59 Building Deep Co-Founder Relationships**47:32 Tips for Product-Market Fit in Climate----- Links: **Ben Eidelson | Stepchange | Climate Papa**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn**@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the showIf you're gonna change the world, you're gonna need a world-class team. Partner with ErthTech Talent to help you do that, for less.70+ Placements5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech)The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary)90-day placement guaranteeIt's really hard to say no to that. Wait?! -- The best service is also the cheapest? Seems too good to be true, but it's the entire reason we started this company. We believe that Climate entrepreneurs are doing important work, and there should be a firm to help them find the best talent, without it breaking the bank. Reach out today for a free assessment of your hiring process. [email protected]