#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 transitionThe challenges of scaling EV and grid technologiesWhy the future of freight electrification might be closer than we thinkEnjoy!---🌎 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🌐 Become a paid Subscriber to get access to the Slack CommunityTopics 00:00 Introduction01:28 Innovative Business Models 24:45 The Impact of Europe's Regulatory Environment26:39 Challenges Faced by Utilities32:15 The Power of Storytelling and EducationPaid Version Starts35:27 Exit Modeling and Fund Strategy48:57 Looking Forward for SET Ventures50:21 Helpful Resources in Climate TechLinksTill Stenzel | SET VenturesConnect with Somil on LinkedIn | Connect with Silas on LinkedInFollow 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 thisSupport 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]