#166 Hybrids & EVs, Alternative Fuels, Technology Maturity, Diverse Teams & More w/ Logan Grizzel (MUUS Climate Partners)

TWO ANNOUNCEMENTS: 🚨* We’ve launched a Patreon 🥳🚀 please check it out and consider buying us **just one** latte ☕️* Thanks for returning to the CleanTechies Podcast on Substack! We have a big favor to ask you. Please take a couple minutes to fill out our listeners’ survey! Thank you SO much for being a supporter.🌎 Welcome back to the CleanTechies PodLetter, VC edition.Today, we are talking to Logan Grizzel of MUUS Climate Partners.Logan likely broke the quotable clip counter in this ep…so much good stuff. We discuss…* Logan’s time at Toyota with alternative fuels and how the Prius transformed the EV industry* Logan’s (semi) contrarian views on new tech like nuclear fusion * The growth and relevance of the Denver and Colorado climate communitiesAnd a lot more. 📺 Watch on YouTube🍎 Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify🗣️ Join the Slack ChannelSubscribe to get these episodes and show notes directly in your inbox - if you find this valuable, consider becoming a paid subscriber to help us continue this work. Already a subscriber? Join our Patreon to support the show by becoming a patron! 🙏The Guest: Logan Grizzel* Logan is a partner at MUUS Climate Partners, investing in the convergence of decarbonization and technological innovation, often in new markets and opportunity spaces * Logan started off his career spending a decade at Toyota where he worked on, amongst other things, alternative fuels* He then transitioned to management consulting on the grid/OEM side at Navigant* Before MUUS Climate Partners, he was CTO and Partner at Blackhorn Ventures, investing in entrepreneurs who are improving resource efficiency with science and engineering-based solutions🚨🚨🚨 Shoutout to our sponsor Net Zero Insights — Net Zero Insights is the leading market intelligence platform on climate information with all the latest you need on funding rounds, VCs, and the climate tech ecosystem. Use this link to schedule your demo and get a 10% discount! 🚨🚨🚨The VC: MUUS Climate PartnersOne Liner: Investing in the convergence of decarbonization and technological innovation, often in new markets and opportunity spacesMUUS Climate Partners is the venture capital arm of MUUS & Co, and invests at the convergence of climate solutions and high-tech applications. They invest at the cusp of commercialization (pre-seed to Series A) with check sizes of $500k-$1.5M, reserving half for follow-on.They have a strong investment track record and decades of combined industry leadership. MUUS & Co, the parent company of MUUS Climate Partners, is a values-driven, privately held, entrepreneurial investment company founded by serial entrepreneur Michael Sonnenfeldt. Enjoying the CleanTechies PodLetter? Please show your support by subscribing! 📝 Show Notes:Topics* 03:11 Herd Mentality in Climate VC* 09:26 Logan's Experience at Toyota* 13:34 The Significance of the Prius* 17:06 Nearshoring and Onshoring * 21:34 The Mismatch in Hydrogen Supply and Demand* 24:39 Decentralized vs Centralized Approaches to the Grid* 28:04 Timing and Assessing Technology Maturity* 29:25 Assessing Founder Adaptability* 30:29 Dreaming Too Big or Small in Entrepreneurship* 42:16 Denver Climate Scene* 48:12 Lessons from Blackhorn Ventures* 49:34 Diversity in Team Building* 58:58 Advice to VCs* 01:01:53 TakeawaysLinks* Logan Grizzel | MUUS Climate Partners* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas* This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.Asks 👋* We recently launched a listener survey, and we would love to hear how we can improve the show and what you like most.* Have a specific guest or topic you’d like us to discuss? Leave a comment and let us know. Here’s the thing: Somil and I both have day jobs, so if you’re in the helping mood, we both have an ask for you today.Somil: I’m currently seeking to connect with founders in the built environment space for a project I’m working on. If you’re in that space, schedule a chat here!Silas: If you’re a ClimateTech founder looking to hire top talent but don’t like the cost of headhunters… reach out. For a fraction of the cost of traditional headhunters, I’ll help you find top talent for your ClimateTech startup. (booking here)🙏🏽 Thanks for tuning in, and see you all next episode! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe