I am very proud to have been featured in this insightful Financial Times article. Many thanks to Simon Mundy (Editor - Moral Money Newsletter) for interviewing me and for his extremely clear and concise words; in this piece, he explains in great detail the much-dreaded "Start-up Valley of Death". As a climate start-up, we've encountered a significant hurdle: the pressing need to secure funding for scaling our groundbreaking technologies and combating climate change. While transition finance is gaining momentum, a substantial funding gap remains, especially for companies like ours that are constructing their first full-scale plants. Feel free to read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dxWjN_GE Here are some key takeaways: 🟢 Energy Dome, like many climate start-ups, faced the daunting task of securing funding for its first full-scale energy storage plant, often referred to as the "valley of death." 🟢 A partnership between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Breakthrough Energy Catalyst provided a critical lifeline, granting Energy Dome €35 million and €25 million in venture debt respectively. 🟢 This funding is currently enabling Energy Dome to demonstrate our technology at scale, attracting infrastructure funds who typically hesitate to invest in untested projects. 🟢 Energy Dome's carbon dioxide-based system offers higher efficiency and lower costs compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries, presenting a compelling alternative for grid-scale storage. We take pride in our success story, as it helps to showcase how vital it is for a company to get a helping hand when it comes to bridging the gap between ideas and reality. Thankfully, Energy Dome could rely on the help of Mario Fernandez, who was also interviewed for this piece, and his team at Breakthrough Energy Thanks again, and well done indeed, Simon; this kind of insightful and well-researched journalism deserves genuine praise. My key takeaway? ➡️ ➡️ ➡️ The future of our planet depends on bold innovation, and it's essential to empower climate companies to bring those solutions to life. ⬅️ ⬅️ ⬅️ #EnergyDome #OurWorldCantWait #sustainability #longdurationenergystorage #innovation #CO2Battery #decarbonization #LDES #renewables
Bravo Claudio Spadacini very well said. The transition requires equipment somewhere in the process, and for CAPEX related start-ups it is challenging to raise funds. You need a compelling narrative, a strong business case, but above all you need passion and tenacity to see it through. It is worth it!
Thank you for the inspiring story and paving the way for other CleanTech innovations. We’ll be learning from your journey as we grow and continue our fundraising journey 🌱🔋💚✅😎
Well Done!
Inspiring story! Yes bold innovation in combination with bold clients that belief in you and the innovation...
Congrat ! :))
Thanks for sharing
Founder: Quantum Archaeoastronomy Institute ~ Consultant: Whole Systems Theory, Practice & Execution ~ Strategic Advisor: Qatuan Network.
5moNice piece. Well shared Mario Torchio, and I'll be popping over to say hello soon Claudio Spadacini . Energy is absolutely the way to go. Equally as with most other projects in the sector, it is exceptionally challenging to get right, straight off the bat. The only way that sustainable energy provision will work, is by pulling ourselves together to work within the complexity that we are only just beginning to 'learn' that we are. The greatest challenge to our success, is the psychology of our peers, *allows himself a giggle*, and inevitably the energy we manage to put into the positivity of the process. At Qatuan, we radically changed direction. We're experimenting with energy model inclusion at community scales for rural municipalities. Exactly as the article suggests, it's an enormous challenge BUT ... it's MORE challenging, because economists refuse to think in terms of "community" without a "throne". The problem believe it or not, isn't the finance, it's the economic model that assumes the role of "sustainable" ... Which indeed, it isn't. Thus and therefore, the problem is the economist. NOT the model; the thinking patterns; inevitably therefore the human and the entirety of this game we play, called "civilization".