A useful overview for anyone interested in making a switch into climate tech:
There has been an influx of capital to climate tech in the past year. Investment surpassed $60B in the first half of 2021 alone – up from $29B in the 12 months prior. According to PWC, climate tech now accounts for 14 cents of every VC dollar. Complimenting this capital stream is an influx of talent.
For the folks transitioning from traditional tech into climate tech, 2 things are clear:
- Climate tech isn’t one industry – it’s a new economy: there are hundreds of companies working to address the climate from every industry/ sector – energy, agriculture, fintech, etc.
- Climate tech is a hardware/science/bio heavy universe – making it hard to figure out where and how traditional tech skillsets can have the most leverage.
After understanding the big picture problem (sources of emissions, big levers to course correct via resources like Project Drawdown), trying to understand where one can best fit into the solutions space can feel overwhelming.
We — a working group of 8 folks* who met through the MCJ Collective community — wanted to create a framework for folks transitioning from traditional tech to get a 50K foot view of where the current centers of gravity are around capital & talent, overlaid with solutions that range from heavy software to heavy hardware/science as well as the purpose they serve in drawing down greenhouse gases and adapting to a warmer planet. Read the full article on MCJ Climate Voices.