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Investment Climate Podcast

Investment Climate Podcast

Alex Shandrovsky 122 Episodes Jul 1, 2026

We are uncovering the investment playbooks of successful Climate Tech CEOs and Leading VCs.

Episodes

On "Agtech 2.0," Managing Smart Capital Stacks, and Scaling via OEMs- Liron Yanay, AgriPass Robotics Jul 1, 2026 00:27:07 Episode 109: AgriPass Robotics: Liron Yanay on "Agtech 2.0," Managing Smart Capital Stacks, and Scaling via OEMs In this episode, I catch up with Liron Yanay, CEO of AgriPass Robotics, an innovative agtech startup that recently closed a $7.5M Seed round. Liron details their journey from their initial pre-seed and matching grants with the Israel Innovation Authority to locking in Harbor Venture Con
On Bypassing "Grant Traps" & the Art of Professional Pre-Seed Agtech Strategy - Arnout, Rockstart Jun 30, 2026 00:25:13 Episode 108: Rockstart: Arnout Dijkhuizen on Bypassing "Grant Traps" and the Art of Professional Pre-Seed Agtech Strategy In this episode, I sit down with Arnout Dijkhuizen, Principal at Rockstart, a leading early-stage accelerator-vanguard and venture capital fund anchored out of Amsterdam and Copenhagen. Arnout, an agtech investing veteran, opens up about what it truly means to deploy profession
On Why Execution-First Models Beat Capex-Heavy Tech - Alberto Criado, Cardumen Capital Jun 25, 2026 00:27:06 Episode 107: Cardumen Capital: Alberto Criado on Why Execution-First Models Beat Capex-Heavy Tech and the Rise of "Coffee-as-a-Service"In this episode, I sit down with Alberto Criado, Principal at Cardumen Capital, an elite European venture capital firm that has rapidly scaled its assets under management from €50M to nearly €400M. Alberto walks us through Cardumen's highly opportunistic and execut
On Why Vertical SaaS Still Rules in the Era of AI - Nils Eiteneyer, Capnamic Jun 23, 2026 00:22:50 Episode 106: Capnamic: Nils Eiteneyer on Spotting "Unsexy" Multi-Decade Themes and Why Vertical SaaS Still Rules in the Era of AIIn this episode, I sit down with Nils Eiteneyer, Partner at Capnamic, a premier early-stage venture capital firm based in Germany. Nils brings his background as an ex-operator and McKinsey advisor to explain Capnamic's rigorous approach to early-stage investing through t
On Why Family Offices Beat VCs in the Hard-Tech Winter - Jaap Zijlstra, Navus Jun 17, 2026 00:23:50 Episode 105: Navus: Jaap Zijlstra on Why "Process Tech" is the Missing Link in Scaling AgriFood and Why Family Offices Beat VCs in the Hard-Tech WinterIn this episode, I sit down with Jaap Zijlstra, representing Navus, a Dutch family office-backed venture firm. Unlike traditional VCs, Navus leverages the technical heritage of a world-leading dairy robotics family to build clusters of sustainable f
On Navigating a 14-Month Biotech Seed Round & Making Whole Milk from Mammary Cells- Opalia: Jennifer Jun 10, 2026 00:31:27 Episode 103: Opalia: Jennifer Côté on Navigating a 14-Month Biotech Seed Round and Making Whole Milk from Mammary CellsIn this episode, I sit down with Jennifer Côté, CEO and Co-Founder of Opalia, a Montreal-based biotechnology company pioneering animal-free dairy by producing real whole milk from bovine mammary cells. Jennifer shares a transparent, reality-check account of what it takes to close
On the Strength of the Syndicate Model and De-Risking AgriFood Investing - Branch Venture Group Jun 8, 2026 00:34:54 Episode 102: Branch Venture Group: Lauren Abda on the Strength of the Syndicate Model and De-Risking AgriFood InvestingIn this episode, I sit down with Lauren Abda, Co-Founder of Branch Venture Group, a Boston-based angel investment network and syndicate deployed heavily into the future of food. Lauren delivers a masterclass on why the syndicate model has outperformed traditional mega-funds during
On why the "Plant-Based Meat" thesis failed & pivoting a $50M fund to Defense Tech - Champel Capital Jun 4, 2026 00:45:51 Episode 102: Champel Capital: Amir Weitmann on why the "Plant-Based Meat" thesis failed and pivoting a $50M fund to Defense Tech In this episode, I sit down with Amir Weitmann, Managing Partner at Champel Capital, an Israeli venture fund that deployed heavily into FoodTech across its first two funds (backing standouts like Remilk and Aleph Farms). Amir delivers a brutally honest post-mortem on the
On the 16M CHF Series A, licensing IP to sugar giants,& bypassing CapEx-Charles Pontvianne,Planetary Jun 2, 2026 00:32:42 Episode 101: Planetary: Charles Pontvianne on the 16M CHF Series A, licensing IP to sugar giants, and bypassing CapEx In this episode, I sit down with Charles Pontvianne, CFO of Planetary, a Swiss biotech startup that recently announced a massive 16 million CHF Series A co-led by Radical Capital and Oetker Group. Charles breaks down their highly unusual "middleman" equity story: instead of buildin
On non-dilutive govt hacks, dodging the OpenAI threat, & $1.1M pre-seed pitch - Dan Bull, Scanabull May 26, 2026 00:27:47 Episode 100: Scannabull: Dan Bull on non-dilutive government hacks, dodging the OpenAI threat, and the $1.1M pre-seed pitch In this episode, I sit down with Dan Bull, CEO of Scannabull, a New Zealand-based AgTech startup utilizing 3D imagery and edge-device machine learning to accurately weigh livestock. Dan breaks down the exact timeline of their $1.1M NZD pre-seed round, explaining how an early
On the €8M Food Forecast Series A & why European VCs run Due Diligence Post-Term Sheet- SHIFT Invest May 25, 2026 00:29:56 Episode 99: SHIFT Invest: Jonas von den Driesch on the €8M Food Forecast Series A and why European VCs run Due Diligence Post-Term Sheet In this episode, I sit down with Jonas von den Driesch, an investor at SHIFT Invest, a Dutch impact venture capital fund that just launched its fourth fund with a first close of €90M. Jonas breaks down the exact timeline and thesis behind their recent €8M Series
On surviving Corporate VC Due Diligence and the 1% Conversion Rate Reality - Tomas Turner, Cosaic May 19, 2026 00:42:13 Episode 98: Cosaic: Tomas Turner on surviving Corporate VC Due Diligence and the 1% Conversion Rate Reality In this episode, I sit down with Tomas Turner, CEO and Co-founder of Cosaic, a biomass fermentation startup producing highly functional yeast-based ingredients to replace additives, milk, and eggs. Tomas walks us through the grueling realities of closing a $6M round led by DSM-Firmenich’s CV

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