Debating Venture 2.0 with Christian Jølck & Rokas Peciuliatis at the Villar Summit by WEF/Uplink & The Villlar Institute
Debating Venture 2.0 with Christian Jølck & Rokas Peciuliatis at the Villar Summit by WEF/Uplink & The Villlar Institute
Just like Davos, The Villar Summit is set to become the ultimate gathering for climate entrepreneurship and venture - the OG Summit, if you will.
I don't think I've ever encountered a more pungent smell in my life than the one emanating from the dude next to me on the flight to Villar, Switzerland. It was like someone had stuffed a dead skunk inside his carry-on and forgot to seal the lid. The mere act of breathing felt like an exercise in self-torture.
But it was worth it.
The VC and startup conference in Villar was a who's who of the ClimateTech world, and the caliber of attendees was off the charts. Family offices, VCs, and startup founders all mingled together, swapping stories and big ideas like they were trading baseball cards. The level of ambition in that room was nothing short of mind-blowing.
Big shout out to the Uplink gang and Villar Institute for putting this on🙏
Debating Venture 2.0 with Christian & Rokas, some of Europe’s leading climate VCs.
It was gorgeous, a real masterpiece of nature that was so perfect, so awe-inspiring, that even attempting to capture it on film felt like a damn disservice.
And let me be real with you, me and David ain't exactly the next Scorsese or Spielberg. Our first foray into podcasting was probably just as amateurish as our attempts to capture this godforsaken beauty on film when recording our chat for the EUVC pod with Christian and Rokas.
So there we were, at this bustling conference, surrounded by a bunch of suits and talking heads changing the world. But we weren't there for the free coffee and stale pastries, oh no. We were there to get down and dirty with some heavy hitters in the investment game.
We made our way to a quiet spot on the balcony, away from the cacophony of destiny-altering thoughts being spewed inside. And who did we find sitting there but Christian Jølck, founding partner of 2150 and the GOAT who raised the biggest fund in all of Europe (270M€). This guy was a goddamn legend and we were lucky as hell to be sharing a balcony with him.
But wait, it gets better. We were also joined by Rokas Peciuliatis, founding partner of Contrarian Ventures, who had just announced that EIF had come in for a cool 25M€ in their Fund II.
It was like fireworks were exploding all around us, nothing but a celebration of the best in the biz.
Just like Davos, The Villar Summit is set to become the ultimate gathering for climate entrepreneurship and venture - the OG Summit, if you will.
As I reflect on the past ten, twenty years of Venture, it's clear that it's been a tight-knit community, an ecosystem, a network, if you will. But as we look to the future, the role of venture capital is set to change dramatically, and I'm talking BIG changes.
When you look at the problems we’re facing, the next 25 years, even 50 years, venture will play a different role and have its most relevant decades ever.
Christian Jølck, 2150
We're facing some real problems over the next few decades and venture is going to play a pivotal role in solving them.
But it's not just about coming up with these great ideas. It's about implementing them in a timely manner. Time is of the essence when it comes to tackling climate change, and that's where venture capital can truly shine.
The climate isn’t getting better. We’re in serious trouble and Venture 1.0 hasn’t done too much to help solve the problem. It’s time for venture 2.0.
We need to shift our perspective and think about how we can use this industry to solve the problems that lie ahead. That means having discussions about scaling hardware companies, and looking at different types of capital and policy. It's time to think outside the box, because history won't repeat itself.
Venture is the best tool in our toolbox to scale solutions in an exponential way that break the time constraint that’s threatening the climate. And that actually gives hope, right? If we, ten years from now, want to be in a much better place in terms of climate change, we need something that scales fast.
Christian Jølck, 2150
Venturing into sustainable innovation is a challenge that takes years to build, but those who succeed financially will also reap the rewards of making a significant impact. The first trillionaires of this world will be born in ClimateTech.
The climate challenge tasks us with huge transitions that Europe is very well-positioned to lead. Take Denmark; Vestas, Orsted. These are two of the most important companies. Maersk, the shipping company. In Europe, the skillset to build the companies and innovations we need have been built over the last 30 years. Building real scalable technology businesses is more present in Europe than anywhere else.
Rokas Peciuliatis, Contrarian Ventures
Climate50 - the place to find the world’s trailblazing Climate investors.
Climate 50 is the real deal, a movement that's all about throwing some serious cash towards saving the planet we all live on. We're talking mobilizing trillions of dollars by 2050, baby!
And we ain't just talking about some weak-a** funds with a bunch of shady operators. No, sir! We're talking about enabling real entrepreneurs to get the dough they need to change the game. And we're doing it all while disregarding the phonies and pushing for transparency in the world of climate investing.
When it all comes down to it, we only have ten years left to get our act together, and there ain't gonna be no single fund that's gonna save us all. We need thought leaders, we need innovation, we need a goddamn army of unicorns marching towards a sustainable future!
And that's where Climate 50 comes in. Climate 50 is the place to find the funds that make a real difference. Climate50 is the place that gives you the inside scoop on the ClimateTech landscape, and helps you mobilize your capital toward saving our planet. And if you're still on the fence, let me drop a little knowledge on you. If we can just bring that 0.1% of capital deployed into ClimateTech up to 1%, we'll be making more moves than anyone could ever dream of.
Listen to the full interview on The European VC podcast on Apple or Spotify.