Funding the Tech of Tomorrow with Juan Muldoon, Partner at Energize Capital | Season Seven, Episode Six

Welcome to Season Seven of Conversations in Cleantech!  From inspiring stories and words of wisdom, to financial foresight and investment insights: in this season, you can expect to learn all about the people and companies who are propelling us towards a greener tomorrow, with a spotlight on investing in a cleaner planet. Join your host, Ben Sparks, for this episode with Juan Muldoon, Partner at Energize Capital.  Energize is on a mission to scale sustainable innovation through climate software and in this episode, Juan, a clean energy finance pioneer, dives into this exciting world where tech is transforming how we power our planet. Taking a leap of faith with his career to go from working on Wall Street to now fueling Energize Capital, Juan shares all about his journey, how Energize Capital works, and plenty of cleantech wisdom, particularly for those in the cleantech SaaS space. From investment case studies like Aurora Solar and Monta who are making solar power installation a snap and EV charging a seamless experience, to first-time founder advice and investment industry insights, this episode with Juan packs in plenty of value.  Buckle up, the future of energy is bright and brimming with software-powered innovation! 00:50 - Introduction to Juan 04:02 - How are you living your purpose, inside and outside of work? 05:15 - What inspired you to move into cleantech? 07:35 - What gives Energize Capital a competitive edge? 10:53 - Can you give us a macro view of why mobility as a service, or how SaaS platforms, are pivotal in the energy transition in the US and globally? 14:35 - Are there any niche market segments that you're super excited by at the moment? 16:37 - What are some of the “stretch” moments you’ve had in your career to date? 19:11 - If you could go back to that time and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be? 19:45 - Since you’ve been at Energize, what are some of the landscape shifts in investing that you’ve seen? 22:54 - Do you have to coach people to invest in cleantech? What are the main differences between a traditional, enterprise SaaS player and clean tech SaaS startup? 26:27 - How would you be coaching a first-time founder right now? 29:58 - Any thoughts for the sector moving forward, as you look into your crystal ball? Connect with your host, Ben Sparks on LinkedIn. Find your guest Juan Muldoon on LinkedIn. Thanks for listening to Conversations in Cleantech brought to you by Brightsmith. This is a Loaded Hype production.