Earth Day commitments will require action
A renewed focus on climate commitments from the US
This year we saw the US (re)take a stand on climate, pledging to halve greenhouse gases by 2030 compared to 2005. This brings the US in line with other nations that have made commitments, with over 60% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions are now committed to net-zero emissions goals, the majority by 2050. We’ve also seen more than 1,000 companies set science based targets or commit to 1.5°C. Even the Pope joined in calling for action.
Achieving these goal will require a broad range of solutions, enabled by digital technologies
Now the question is not will anyone commit to these goals, but what action is required to achieve these goals. A recent WEF report focused on opportunities across supply chains identifying what major levers could help reduce emissions along with their average cost and maturity.
Digging deeper into this report we see that some of the most viable and near term solutions are enabled by digital technologies, e.g. optimizing truck routing or leveraging virtual meetings.
This research fits the Buoyant thesis, and is why we are so bullish on the potential of digital solutions for climate change (and climate risks!)
We are excited about the next phase of the climate commitment journey and the actions it will take to achieve our collective world goals. These digital solutions aren’t just market ready but also have the ability to scale quickly to meet the level of impact required.
We wish we would have…
We were thrilled to see RMI launch Canary Media, creating a home for the independent energy journalism we loved from former Greentech Media staff. This type of work is needed more than ever!
What we are…
…Reading
Buoyant agrees that now is one of the best times to start a company, especially one in climate tech, and Steve Vassallo from Foundation Capital did a great job of articulating the tailwinds in his article: Party Of Startups: Entrepreneurship Is About To Take Off. A personal favorite quote from the article was:
Finally, the hottest propellant of the coming Party of Startups might be the fearless factor. There’s nothing like being stalked by a deadly respiratory virus to focus the mind on the things that really matter, nor like losing a year to quasi-house arrest to remind one that life is too short.
The electric motor city is jumping across state lines and Illinois is well-positioned to lead, with several electric transportation companies with a strong Illinois presence highlighted in a recent report by Advanced Energy Economy, including Rivian, AllCell Technologies, Hubbell Wiegmann and Navitas Systems
We enjoyed this hopeful summary of how nature can restore itself if we help it along.
A lot has been said about the SEC’s recent Risk Alert on ESG investments, we thought this article was well written and practical SEC to ESG practitioners: Say what you mean and mean what you say, we also enjoyed this tweet from Chris Sacca
An interesting look at the world’s largest companies 2005 vs. 2020
…Watching
Project Drawdown Climate Solutions 101 is an educational effort focused solely on solutions.
Thank you to Jacob Gleason and Katherine Cunningham!
If you have enjoyed our recent Climate Risk Intelligence research produced over the last few months please help us in thanking Jacob and Katherine, who have worked to produce this content.
Buoyant was lucky to work with such talented and enjoyable individuals. Jacob is headed off to business school at Kellogg and Katherine will be joining RBC Capital Markets after she graduates from Ross at the Univesity of Michigan. We wish them well in their future endeavors and hope that we get to work with them again soon.
Congratulations to Congruent Ventures!
With the Congruent news, we at Buoyant also have a lot to be thankful for. Abe and Daniel met back in 2006 and Abe introduced Daniel to RockPort Capital where they worked closely together for almost 10 years. And Abe and Josh encouraged Amy to reach out to Daniel in the early days of Buoyant. So congratulations and thank you Team Congruent - great to be in the climate fight together!
Buoyant Venture Updates
Amy Francetic was featured in ChicagoInno article Chicago’s Climate Innovators, Buoyant is excited to play a role investing in growing the cleantech and climate tech ecosystems in Chicago and Illinois
Work with us! (& some of our favorite people)
Raptor Maps is hiring a Head of Product Marketing to develop and execute the their marketing strategy
Seeking a "green job"? Your best shot is likely to be in nontraditional areas
For fun (since you’ve made it this far…)
‘Un Skier en Feu’ by @hugomanhes’ is a visualization of climate change’s impact on snow sports. Statistics and science are important to help us solve these challenges but art like this reminds us what is at stake. h/t to Teton Gravity for highlighting
Make sure to watch the video of the screenshot below for the full effect.
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The Lighthouse is a resource for climate tech updates and a channel for us to regularly share our perspective on Buoyant’s investment thesis and industry sectors. We know we are not alone in producing great content and will amplify the voices of others by highlighting those resources we find thought-provoking.