Tommy Leep, founding partner at Jetstream, shares insights on climate tech investing and nurturing startups for a sustainable future. He delves into climate tech trends, opportunities for startups, and challenges that early-stage investors face (such as greenwashing). Tommy also advises founders on articulating their vision, avoiding the "founders' curse of knowledge" and the importance of sales skills.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

[2:05] Startups attract people who love to be part of disruptive innovation.

[4:53] Finding purpose in setbacks: the story of how Jetstream started

[9:59] Trends and opportunities in climate tech investing.

[14:03] Building a startup in the climate tech space

[19:47] Founders’ curse of knowledge - what is it? How can founders avoid the curse of knowledge?

[25:21] There’s something special about a founder who can influence an investor to make subjective decisions.

About Tommy Leep

Tommy Leep is the founder of Jetstream. He is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and business advisor with experience in startup funding and growth. He held key roles at Floodgate and Rothenberg Ventures before delving into venture capitalism. With experience at Meraki, Inc., Intuit, and Yahoo! Music, he brings a diverse skill set. Tommy advises startups like Around, Payable, and Patreon, and formerly led Rothenberg Ventures' SF office. He's also advised Orchestra Inc. (now part of Dropbox).

About Jetstream

Jetstream is a venture capital firm investing in pre-seed climate, sustainability, and biodiversity startups. Companies in Jetstream’s startup portfolio include Verdi, Pachama, Windborne Systems, Glacier, Albebo, Lightship, Pathways, Cecil, Wildgrid among others.

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