USA vs Europe: Who Wins In Climate? - Matthew Blain (Voyager Ventures)

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.***Thank you to BioEsol for sponsoring this episode. 💚BioEsol is an AI-powered energy company bringing Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) to industrial and SME clients, enabling energy autonomy, cost savings, and sustainability - with no upfront investment. In April, the company will open its Series A round to accelerate its expansion in France & Europe.***This week, we’re joined by Matthew Blain, Principal at Voyager Ventures, a climate fund investing across Europe and the US. In this conversation, we break down the key differences between Europe and America. We discuss:* Why Europe’s software climate startups are outperforming* The deeptech-commercialization gap and how to fix it* What the US loan program office got right (and why it matters)* Lessons from academia, accelerators, and growth capital* The cultural differences in ambition between European and US VCs* How founders and funds can think globally from day one* … and more! ***⌛TIMESTAMPS * 00:00 Introduction to the episode* 01:46 Europe has great research universities* 02:58 Comparing Investment Ecosystems: Europe vs. US* 05:57 The European Advantage* 08:40 The Role of Accelerators and Government Support* 10:50 Grant Financing: The US advantage* 11:28 The Loan Program Office* 12:54 The problem with European Growth Fund* 16:21 How can investors drive change* 19:58 Ambition and Global Mindset in European Startups* 25:13 Europe vs America: who wins in climate tech?* 29:59 Collaboration Between US and European Investors* 33:51 VC to VC conversation* 35:54 Rapid Fire Insights***▶️ CONNECT WITH MATTHEW* Matthew Blain - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-blain-vc/* Voyager Ventures - https://www.voyagervc.com/***📚 REFERENCES AND MENTIONS* Activate – US deeptech accelerator * Loan Program Office (US DOE) – Government debt vehicle* ARIA (UK) – Advanced Research & Innovation Agency* SPRIND (Germany) – Government agency backing breakthrough innovation* BPI France – State-backed French investment bank* Atomico’s State of European Tech – Annual report on EU startup activity* Book: Venture Deals – by Brad Feld & Jason Mendelson*** 🎙️PAST EPISODES YOU’LL LOVE* How to Exit a Deep Tech Startup - Matt Jones (Syensqo)* Founders Should Operate Like Athletes – Romain Vidal (Teampact Ventures)* Climate Change Is a Social Issue - Alina Klarner (Impact Shakers)***💚 LEAVE A REVIEW * Apple Podcasts - https://shorturl.at/HIDcg * Spotify - https://shorturl.at/yDTfR This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateventuresvco2.substack.com