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Climate VCs are cautiously optimistic about a second Trump term – here’s why

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climate VCs, climatetech, startups, Trump administration

President-elect Donald Trump made no secret during his campaign that he didn’t consider the US should take an aggressive stance on climate change. From leading chants of “drill, baby, drill” to regularly criticizing all the pieces from wind turbines to electric vehicles, he seems able to solid a shadow over the climate tech sector for the subsequent 4 years.

Or will he do it?

As with a lot of Trump’s positions, it’s difficult to find out his exact position on climate change and the technologies that mitigate or adapt to it. Moreover, a number of the policies he proposes could have broad advantages for climate technology, even in the event that they support oil and gas.

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“If you deregulate and drill, baby, drill, you can get more natural gas and oil. You can also get heat such as geothermal energy. Geological hydrogen can potentially be obtained,” Leonardo Banchik, chief investment officer at Voyager Ventures, told TechCrunch.

Banchik and other climate tech investors are cautiously optimistic that policy changes being considered by the second Trump administration won’t be broadly harmful to climate tech.

“Much of the climate technology wave started during the Trump administration,” Banchik said. “Regardless of which administration is in power, these technologies will continue to fall down the cost curve.”

Sophie Bakalar, partner at Collab Fund, agreed and added that she would not be surprised if this second Trump administration also inspired more entrepreneurs to start out businesses on this sector. “The climate does not operate on a four-year cycle, these are very long-term trends and problems,” she added.

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Much of investor optimism stems from lessons learned from the cleantech cycle that collapsed greater than a decade ago. Many firms then expanded too quickly, constructing huge factories and provide chains before demand fully materialized. They have also change into overly depending on government subsidies, whether in the shape of grants, loan guarantees, or otherwise.

“We don’t spend money on firms that depend on federal grants or really daring corporate ESG mandates. We only spend money on firms that provide their customers with tangible value, whatever the climate,” Bakalar said.

Joshua Posamentier, managing partner at Congruent Ventures, agrees. “We’re not investing in anything that we think will require subsidies forever to get any unit economics.”

Clear skies not all over the place

Still, some businesses will struggle. Several investors told TechCrunch that anything that relies on tax breaks for consumers might be vulnerable. Some expect wind energy and related industries to feel the impact, given Trump’s aversion to renewable energy sources. One investor predicted that the Environmental Protection Agency could also expect budget cuts.

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The lack of federal support could push some firms that were near the brink over the sting. “It will be a distillation, a thinning of the herd,” Posamentier said. “I think they were probably close to death.”

Startups that survive can profit from transparency with potential customers, said Shaun Abrahamson, managing partner at Third Sphere. “Really the hardest thing, at least over the last four years, has been the disconnect between what (companies) say publicly or what they feel they need to say and what happens when you ultimately meet the CFO. You will get a cleaner signal.”

A less climate-friendly administration could also hurt climate VCs themselves. Bakalar said that while we’ll likely see climate startups change their messaging and branding to avoid being related to the sector if it falls out of favor, enterprise firms cannot really do this, and climate-focused VCs may even see less interest in LPs over the course of next years next 4 years.

Silver linings

However, there are many sectors that may profit. Anything related to drilling, as Banchik mentioned earlier, including geothermal and geological hydrogen, will likely run counter to policies favoring oil and gas extraction. Both Posamentier and Banchik said energy grid startups will likely profit from the proposed permitting changes.

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Power generation firms could also profit. Growing investments in artificial intelligence have forced firms to quickly expand their infrastructure. The breakneck pace of labor has strained utilities and independent power producers to the purpose that by 2027, almost half of all recent AI data centers may lack sufficient capability.

Banchik said beneficiaries are prone to include nuclear startups constructing small modular reactors (SMRs) and geothermal energy firms. SMR startups Kairos and X-Energy are already riding the AI ​​wave, having signed deals with Google and Amazon, respectively. Geothermal startups are also in the sport, with Fervo Energy partnering with Google and Sage Geosystems partnering with Meta to power its data centers.

Both technologies have a potential ally in Chris Wright, whom Trump selected as his energy secretary. Wright sits on the board of Oklo, an SMR startup, and his company Liberty Energy has invested in Fervo.

“He deals with oil and gas all day long, but he’s a smart guy,” said Posamentier, who frolicked with Wright in the sphere. There, Wright explained to Posamentier that he was electrifying his company’s fracking equipment since it was a higher technology. “He’s a guy who gets pilloried for being anticlimactic. It is neither anti- nor pro-climate. And he said, “Take care of economics.”

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Investors and their portfolio firms may have to attend and see which predictions actually come true under the brand new administration and which of them don’t.

“The only constant is change and instability over the next four years,” Posamentier said.

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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The Legal Defense Fund withdraws from the META civil law advisory group over Dei Rolback

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Legal Defense Fund,, Meta, dei,


On April 11, the Legal Defense Fund announced that he was leaving the external advisory council for civil rights regarding the fear that the changes in technology company introduced diversity, own capital, inclusion and availability in January.

According to those changes that some perceived as the capitulation of meta against the upcoming Trump administration, contributed to their decision To leave the advisory council of the technology company.

In January, LDF, along with several other organizations of civil rights, which were a part of the board, sent a letter to Marek Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, outlining their fears As for a way changes would negatively affect users.

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“We are shocked and disappointed that the finish has not consulted with this group or its members, considering these significant changes in its content policy. Non -compliance with even its own advisory group of experts on external civil rights shows a cynical disregard for its diverse users base and undermines the commitment of the meta in the field of freedom of speech with which he claims to” return “.

They closed the letter, hoping that the finish would recommend the ideals of freedom of speech: “If the finish really wants to recommend freedom of speech, he must commit to freedom of speech for all his services. As an advisory group from external civil rights, we offer our advice and knowledge in creating a better path.”

These fears increased only in the next months, culminating in one other list, which from the LDF director, Todd A. Cox, who indicated that the organization withdraws its membership from the META civil law advisory council.

“I am deeply disturbed and disappointed with the announcement of Medical on January 7, 2025, with irresponsible changes in content moderation policies on platforms, which are a serious risk for the health and safety of black communities and risk that they destabilize our republic,” Cox wrote.

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He continued: “For almost a decade, the NACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) has invested a lot of time and resources, working with META as part of the informal committee advising the company in matters of civil rights. However, the finish introduced these changes in the policy of the content modification without consulting this group, and many changes directly with the guidelines from the guidelines from LDF and partners. LD can no longer participate in the scope. ” Advisory Committee for Rights “

In a separate but related LDF list, it clearly resembled a finish about the actual obligations of the Citizens’ Rights Act of 1964 and other provisions regarding discrimination in the workplace, versus the false statements of the Trump administration, that diversity, justice and initiative to incorporate discriminates against white Americans.

“While the finish has modified its policy, its obligations arising from federal regulations regarding civil rights remain unchanged. The title of VII of the Act on civic rights of 1964 and other regulations on civil rights prohibit discrimination in the workplace, including disconnecting treatment, principles in the workplace which have unfair disproportionate effects, and the hostile work environment. Also when it comes to inclusion, and access programs.

In the LDF press release, announcing each letters, Cox He called attention Metal insert into growing violence and division in the country’s social climate.

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“LDF worked hard and in good faith with meta leadership and its consulting group for civil rights to ensure that the company’s workforce reflects the values ​​and racial warehouses of the United States and to increase the security priorities of many different communities that use meta platforms,” ​​said Cox. “Now we cannot support a company in good conscience that consciously takes steps in order to introduce changes in politics that supply further division and violence in the United States. We call the meta to reverse the course with these dangerous changes.”

(Tagstranslate) TODD A. COX (T) Legal Defense Fund (T) META (T) Diversity (T) Equality (T) inclusion

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Students of young, talented and black yale collect $ 3 million on a new application

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Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow, juniors from Yale University, collected $ 3 million in only 14 days to finance their startup, series, social application powered by AI, designed to support significant connections and challenge platforms, similar to LinkedIn and Instagram.

A duo that’s a co -host of the podcast A series of foundersHe created the application after recognizing the gap in the way in which digital platforms help people connect. SEries focuses moderately on facilitating authentic introductions than gathering likes, observing or involvement indicators.

“Social media is great for broadcasting, but it does not necessarily help you meet the right people at the right time,” said Johnson in an interview with Entrepreneur warehouse.

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The series connects users through AI “friends” who communicate via IMessage and help to introduce. Users introduce specific needs-are on the lookout for co-founders, mentors, colleagues or investors-AI makes it easier to introduce based on mutual value. The concept attracts comparisons to LinkedIn, but with more personal experience.

“You publish photos on Instagram, publish movies on Tiktok and publish work posts on LinkedIn … And that’s where you have this microinfluuncer band,” Johnson added.

The application goals to avoid the superficial character of typical social platforms. Hargrow emphasized that although aesthetics often dominates on Instagram and the content virus drives tabktok, Number It is intentional, deliberate contacts.

“We are not trying to replace relationships in the real world-we are going to make it easier for people to find the right relationships,” said Hargrow.

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Parable projects carried out before the seeded (*3*)Funding roundwhich included participation with Pear VC, DGB, VC, forty seventh Street, Radicle Impact, UNCASMON Projects and several famous Angels Investors, including the General Director of Reddit Steve Huffman and the founder of GPTZERO Edward Tian. Johnson called one meeting of investors “dinner for a million dollars”, reflecting how their pitch resonated with early supporters.

Although not the principal corporations, Johnson and Hargrow based pre-coreneuring through their podcast, through which they interviews the founders and leaders of C-Suite about less known elements of constructing the company-as accounting, business law and team formation.

Since the beginning of the series, over 32,000 messages between “friends” have been mentioned within the test phases. The initial goal of the application is the entrepreneurs market. Despite this, the founders hope to develop in finance, dating, education and health – ultimately striving to construct probably the most available warm network on the earth.

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(Tagstranslate) VC (T) Yale (T) Venture Capital (T) Technology (T) APP

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Tesla used cars offers rapidly increased in March

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Tesla cars sit in a dealership lot

The growing variety of Tesla owners puts their used vehicles on the market, because consumers react to the political activities of Elon Musk and the worldwide protests they were driven.

In March, the variety of used Tesla vehicles listed on the market at autotrader.com increased rapidly, Sherwood News announcedCiting data from the house company Autotrader Cox Automotive. The numbers were particularly high in the last week of March, when on average over 13,000 used Teslas was replaced. It was not only a record – a rise of 67% in comparison with the identical week of the yr earlier.

At the identical time, the sale of latest Tesla vehicles slowed down even when EV sales from other brands increases. In the primary quarter of 2025, almost 300,000 latest EVs were sold in the USA According to the most recent Kelley Blue Book reporta rise of 10.6% yr on yr. Meanwhile, Tesla sales fell in the primary quarter, which is nearly 9% in comparison with the identical period in 2024.

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Automaks resembling GM and Hyundai are still behind Tesla. But they see growth growth. For example, GM brands sold over 30,000 EV in the primary quarter, almost double the amount of a yr ago, in line with Kelley Blue Book.

(Tagstranslat) electric vehicles

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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