Welcome to Climate Takes, Carbon13’s podcast where we ask special guests from the climate startup and VC world for their takes on their subject, and we ask, what will it take to tackle the climate emergency?

In this special episode, we celebrate a huge milestone for Carbon13: 100 invested ventures since 2021.

Carbon13’s cofounders Nicky Dee and Michael Langguth take a few minutes out of their busy schedules building our next 100 ventures to talk to Sara Jones about Carbon13’s unique approach, tell us what people misunderstand about “impact”, what’s changed between our first investment and our 100th, and what might be coming in 2026.

Climate Takes 100 Investments

Welcome to Carbon13’s podcast “Climate Takes” where we ask special guests for their “takes” on their industry and climate challenge, as well as setting a call to action, asking what will it take to solve the climate emergency?

In this episode, we’re getting the investor’s view of deeptech, how they evaluate deeptech startups, conduct due diligence, and view the endgame for exits.

Deeptech broadly refers to cutting edge solutions in engineering or science. Almost all the megatrends in 2025 involve deeptech: AI, robotics, industrialisation, energy security, dual use and biotech - and that applies to climate too.

In Carbon13’s own portfolio, deeptech includes MatNex, building the world’s largest supercomputer for materials science, or Nium, using nanotechnology to replace the Haber-Bosch process.

And that’s a big change from the SaaS and app years - so it’s vital that the investors working on early stage deeptech actually have the knowledge to make the right bets - and that’s why we’re talking to Dr Charlotte Kirk: PhD chemist turned industrialist innovator turned climate VC, with ultra endurance sports and armed forces experience to boot. She takes us through her journey, and what she prizes in deeptech startups - and it's far more than just the technology.

Subscribe to Climate Takes to find more content on founding and investing in climatetech, with Takes on green chemicals, innovative materials, AI, and hard won lessons in climate entrepreneurship.

Climate Takes Deeptech VC

Welcome to Carbon13’s podcast “Climate Takes” where we ask special guests for their “takes” on their industry and climate challenge, as well as setting a call to action, asking what will it take to solve the climate emergency?

In this episode we’re looking at Corporate VCs and the role they play in funding climatetech startups. It’s estimated that in 2024, CVCs invested over $10 billion into climatetech startups - but it’s not just their chequebooks that are important to founders. CVCs can become an entrypoint into the parent company and in a sector where the majority of startups are b2b, and pilots, LOIs and Offtakes are the holy grails, this makes them an investor class well worth understanding.

To demystify CVCs, we’re delighted to be joined by Mike Smeed, Managing Director of InMotion Ventures, Jaguar Land Rover’s CVC. Their portfolio includes battery recycling, rare earths recycling and supply chain visibility solutions. Mike himself is passionate about connecting mission driven entrepreneurs to JLR’s strategic goals, and elevating the work of CVCs across Europe.

Subscribe to Climate Takes to find more content on founding and investing in climatetech, with Takes on green chemicals, innovative materials, AI, and hard won lessons in climate entrepreneurship.

Climate Takes Corporate VCs

Welcome to Carbon13’s podcast “Climate Takes” where we ask special guests for their “takes” on their industry and climate challenge, as well as setting a call to action, asking what will it take to solve the climate emergency?

In this episode we’re looking at synthetic biology, which sounds simple: it means engineering organisms to have new functions. But it’s not a peripheral technology, it is predicted to be one of the 21st century’s most disruptive technologies on a scale similar to AI. The current bioeconomy is already $4 trillion, and it's projected to hit $30 trillion by 2050.

But like AI, synbio has a lot of challenges, and there’s a graveyard of startups in this sector. In this episode, Tim Corcoran and Manuel Rios of Deep Blue Biotech give us their takes on why startups have struggled, and yet, why synbio could be so significant for human progress.

Subscribe to Climate Takes to find more content on founding and investing in climatetech, with Takes on green chemicals, innovative materials, AI, and hard won lessons in climate entrepreneurship.

Climate Takes Synthetic Biology

Welcome to Carbon13’s podcast “Climate Takes” where we ask special guests for their “takes” on their industry and climate challenge, as well as setting a call to action, asking what will it take to solve the climate emergency?

Climate Takes Critical Materials covers the most global question of this podcast so far: the supply chains of critical materials. They are the stuff we need for the world's energy transition, its energy storage, and even the screen you're reading this on.

But, one battery maker alone can have over 10,000 suppliers. A renewable energy project can be killed entirely by a 6 month delay in materials supply.

So we talk to Sarah Montgomery, CEO of Infyos, an AI supply chain operating system for energy and mobility, built by experts in Chinese supply chain data supply chain disruption.

Subscribe to Climate Takes to find more content on founding and investing in climatetech, with Takes on green chemicals, innovative materials, AI, and hard won lessons in climate entrepreneurship.

Climate Takes Critical Materials

Welcome to Carbon13's podcast "Climate Takes" where we ask founders, investors and builders for their "takes" on their industry and climate challenge, as well as setting a call to action, asking what will it take to solve the climate emergency?

On Climate Takes Venture Builders, we’re joined by two serial entrepreneurs who work within Carbon13: Puja Balachander and Nishul Saperia. Using their Founding and Venture Building experience, we take a look at the very model of Carbon13 itself.

Our conversation includes: What are venture builders, how do they differ to accelerators and venture studios, how do they work, and how do they make meaningful change in climate innovation?

Carbon13’s own Venture Builder has seen over 1000 founders pass through our programmes, resulting in nearly 80 invested ventures, collectively worth over £230million, with a potential to reduce emissions by 500 million tonnes per year.

Subscribe to Climate Takes to find more content on founding and investing in climatetech, with Takes on green chemicals, innovative materials, AI, and hard won lessons in climate entrepreneurship.

Climate Takes Venture Builders

Welcome to Carbon13's podcast "Climate Takes" where we ask special guests for their "takes" on their industry and climate challenge, as well as setting a call to action, asking what will it take to solve the climate emergency?

On Climate Takes Capital, we’re looking at money and where it goes in climatetech and why. $44 billion was invested into climatetech in 2024, with one in six of those dollars invested in the UK, including a billion spent on AI Climatetech.

Carbon13’s very own Founding Partner Michael Langguth and Min Dhillon, Head of Capital, share their takes on the climatetech investment landscape.

Carbon13 has invested £10 million into nearly 80 ventures since 2021, with the portfolio now having a collective potential to reduce emissions by 500 million tonnes per year when at scale.

Subscribe to Climate Takes to find more content on green chemicals, innovative materials, AI, and hard won lessons in climate entrepreneurship.

Climate Takes Capital

Climate Takes takes a quick look back on 2024. We're joined by Nicky and Michael, cofounders of Carbon13, who share their takes on climatetech trends this year and what we think is coming through in 2025. We also take the time to enjoy our favourite moments and recognise the wonderful work of our partners such as Barclays Eagle Labs, Siemens Energy Ventures, Arm and more.

Climate Takes 2024

Welcome to Carbon13's podcast "Climate Takes" where we ask special guests for their "takes" on their industry and climate challenge, as well as setting a call to action, asking what will it take to solve the climate emergency?

On Climate Takes Ammonia, we're talking about the chemical that feeds half the world, is a $230 billion industry, and is key to a clean hydrogen future.

But which right now is the most polluting chemical process on earth.

To make one tonne of ammonia, two tonnes of emissions are generated. 

But industry is so keen for Nium's clean ammonia, that they already have a $120 million project pipeline and $50 million in signed offtake agreements, while still at TRL 5.

We'll be getting the story behind those numbers and more, with CEO Lewis Jenkins.

We hope you enjoy the podcast and it becomes a catalyst for you for climate tech innovation too.

Climate Takes Ammonia

Welcome to Carbon13's podcast "Climate Takes" where we ask special guests for their "takes" on their industry and climate challenge, as well as setting a call to action, asking what will it take to solve the climate emergency?

Climate Takes is Carbon13's podcast where we ask climate entrepreneurs, innovators and funders for their takes on their industry and climate challenges, while also asking what it takes to solve the climate emergency. 

Carbon13 is the Venture Builder for the climate emergency. Based in Cambridge, London and Berlin, we support and invest in entrepreneurs tackling challenges to Earth's Vital Systems.

Since 2021, we have worked with over 1000 entrepreneurs, invested in over 70 startups which collectively have a decarbonisation potential of 500 million tonnes per year by 2040.

Climate Takes is our chance to invite special guests from this community, and share the learnings, insights and determination needed to scale climate solutions.

Sara Jones

Shows