#123: $1.2B for Investment in Climate Software — John Tough⁠, Managing Partner at ⁠Energize Ventures

⭐ My guest today is John Tough, Managing Partner at Energize Ventures.

Energize Ventures is a leading climate software investor that manages $1.2 Billion across two strategies: venture capital and growth equity. 

In addition, John is the former Chief Revenue Officer at Choose Energy, the largest online energy marketplace in North America, and a former investor at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

- How they make investment decisions using the PMTEDI model

- The size of checks they write for Series A through C stage companies, and what revenue targets they aim for

- The four megatrends they’re investing in

- How they develop investment theses with deep dives and active pursuit of 60-100 companies that might be the sector winner

- The benefits of investing in climate startups in the EU

- The importance of asking “Why now?” when picking the right CEOs to back

- Why he’s read 200+ biographies as a way to be a better investor

- The reason that you shouldn’t be so concerned with your competition

- How scarcity creates clarity (I know, sounds like a verse from the Tao Te Ching)

- Why “problem first, technology second” is their preferred approach

- And lots more

🙏Hope you enjoy it!

📣And please give John and Energize Ventures a shout-out on LinkedIn, Slack, or Twitter by sharing this podcast with your people.

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