Welcome to The Zenergy Podcast! Today, Karan sits down with Paul Straub, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Wireframe Ventures. To start, Paul shares his journey to co-founding Wireframe Ventures and the learnings they had while building their very first fund. He then discusses how they were able to raise a fund at a time when clean tech 1.0 had just happened, how raising funds has evolved over time, and where the landscape of the VC climate funds is headed. Karan and Paul also talk about how Wireframe Ventures sources opportunities, what the company looks for in founders, and how they determine if an investment opportunity is right for them. Lastly, Paul shares his advice for early career professionals looking to get into the VC climate space.
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Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:55 - Welcome
2:30 - What is Wireframe Ventures?
2:50 - Paul’s journey to co-founding Wireframe Ventures
6:20 - What Paul learned from Clean Tech 1.0, and why he thought there was still potential after the crash
13:50 - How Paul raised his fund in 2016 and 2022
18:30 - How Paul sources investment opportunities
22:15 - How Paul evaluates investment opportunities
27:00 - How does Paul see climate investment evolving over the next few years?
31:45 - How young people can break into venture capital
34:45 - Paul’s best piece of advice
Credits:
Editing: Desta Wondirad, Wondir Studios
