The Drop 2025 - Ripple summaries

From Vision to Value: Making Climate DeepTech Pay Off


The Ripple dove into how climate deep tech startups can turn big visions into real value, especially in today’s tough investment climate.

Founders, VCs, and experts bounced around ideas on what it takes for hardware startups to shine and grow. They swapped stories on grants, pilot projects, and building business models that grab attention.

Key takeaways:

- Convincing investors takes proof—not just ideas, but pilots, customer buy-in, and real-world traction.

- It’s smart to blend grant money with private funding to lower risk.

- Companies must keep solutions flexible and ready to scale, not just tailored for one partner.

- Building an experienced team, adding industry experts to the board, and plotting the next big funding step are all vital.

- No one-size-fits-all answer—success means lining up lots of small wins and learning from both failures and wins.

Overall, the Ripple showed that turning climate tech visions into action means teamwork, patience, and clever financing.

HOSTS

Steffen Reinecke
eCAPITAL VC

Christina Doumitrachko
DeepTech & Climate Fonds

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