Investing €300M in climate-tech that can sell to climate deniers - Tim Schumacher (World Fund, Ecosia)

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

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Tim Schumacher, General Partner at World Fund, joins the podcast to share insights on building Europe's largest climate-tech VC and what it takes to back companies that even climate deniers would buy from.

In our conversation, we explore:

• World Fund's investment and fundraising strategy

• Assessing startups with the climate performance potential (CPP)

• Climate-tech that can sell to climate deniers

• The founding of Ecosia

• … and more!

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Introduction

01:22 Tim's Journey from Software to Climate Tech

06:18 Ecosia: A Climate-Friendly Search Engine

14:57 World Fund's Investment Strategy

20:11 The Importance of CO2 Reduction

26:03 Assessing Climate Performance Potential (CPP)

31:12 Defining the Ideal Founder

33:42 Global Applicability and Market Fit

37:32 Due Diligence in Climate Tech Investments

40:51 Selling to Climate Deniers

43:55 Future Outlook for Climate Tech

48:05 Rapid-Fire Questions

54:52 Closing Thoughts and Final Words

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FRAMEWORKS

• Climate Performance Potential (CPP) - A methodology developed by World Fund to assess how much carbon a technology can save over time.

STARTUPS

• Ecosia – A search engine that uses ad revenue to plant trees.

• Planet A – chocolate alternative made from oats and precision fermentation.

• Anaphite – Developing new battery production methods for electric vehicles.

• Aedifion – AI-powered energy optimization for buildings

FUNDS

• European Investment Fund (EIF): A major LP in World Fund.

• World Fund – Europe's largest climate-tech VC.

• Better Ventures – An impact-focused angel investment group.

• Energy Impact Partners (EIP) – A later-stage climate-tech fund.

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GUEST

▶️ Tim Schumacher - https://www.linkedin.com/in/timschumacher/

🔗 World Fund - https://www.worldfund.vc/

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If you’re new here, I'm Hugo Rauch, the founder of VCo2 media and an aspiring climate tech VC who shares insights, interviews, and research about venture capital and climate tech. I aim to help you become a better climate-tech entrepreneur and smarter impact investor.

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CONNECT WITH ME

▶️ Newsletter - https://climateventuresvco2.substack.com

🔗 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugorauch/

📧 Email - climateventuresvco2@substack.com

🔴 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@VCo2_HugoRauch

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PAST EPISODES

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• Eric Gossart on Impact VCs vs Traditional VCs (Racine2)

• August Solliv on cleantech 1.0 lessons (Impact Supporters)

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🟢 Spotify - https://shorturl.at/yDTfR

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