EUVC

E706 | Jo Slota-Newson & Marc Sabas, Almanac Ventures: Systemic Deep Tech for Industrial Decarbonisation


Listen Later

Industrial systems are responsible for 75% of global emissions, yet only a quarter of climate-focused VC money flows into them. Not because investors don’t care — but because these systems are hard. They’re interconnected. Capital-intensive. Slow-moving. Technically dense. And deeply under-innovated.

Almanac Ventures is built to change that.

In this episode of the EUVC Podcast, Andreas Munk Holm sits down with Jo Slota-Newson and Marc Sabas, co-founders of Almanac Ventures — a new European seed and pre-seed deep tech fund laser-focused on unlocking decarbonisation in industrial systems through scientific breakthroughs and commercial discipline.

This is a pitch episode — a chance for the EUVC LP & GP community to hear directly what Almanac stands for, how they invest, and why the next decade of industrial innovation will be shaped by specialist deep tech funds with true scientific and financial edge.

Here’s what’s covered:

  • 00:49 | What Almanac Ventures is — a European seed/pre-seed deep-tech fund backing scientific breakthroughs applied to industrial systems

  • 01:31 | The founding team — Jo’s nanoscience PhD + 18 years commercialising deep tech, Marc’s finance → CVC → impact VC journey (and Jo’s 37km Channel swim)

  • 03:52 | The complementary edge — technical rigor meets financial/commercial structuring, evidenced through 45 investments and a 2.3× MOIC track record

  • 05:22 | The industrial innovation gap — 75% of emissions come from industry, yet only ~25% of climate VC targets it (because the systems are hard, complex, and interconnected)

  • 06:11 | Why industry is ripe for deep-tech disruption — 20th-century inefficiencies, high value pools, and the need for performance + cost + decarb together

  • 10:17 | “Deep tech works for venture—if you know where to look” — how to identify capex-efficient, scalable industrial technologies vs. science projects that need different capital

  • 12:25 | Case study: Hot Green — a new compressor architecture enabling industrial heat pumps for 200–400°C processes (F&B, manufacturing) with electrification upside

  • 13:49 | Case study: ReClinker — Cambridge spinout recycling cement inside steel arc furnaces, piggybacking heat, removing the CO₂-heavy chemistry step

  • 15:19 | Do you need to be an operator to invest in deep tech? — why complementary experience (science + venture + corporate + some ops) beats any single “must-have”

  • 18:35 | Investment strategy — first-check investor at TRL 4–7, pan-Europe, €300k–€1M tickets, aiming for a 25–30 company portfolio with follow-on capacity

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

EUVCBy The European VC

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

4 ratings


More shows like EUVC

View all
Economist Podcasts by The Economist

Economist Podcasts

4,217 Listeners

The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch by Harry Stebbings

The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

546 Listeners

The a16z Show by Andreessen Horowitz

The a16z Show

1,102 Listeners

Affärsvärlden Analys by Affärsvärlden

Affärsvärlden Analys

2 Listeners

FT News Briefing by Financial Times

FT News Briefing

655 Listeners

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

10,218 Listeners

Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast by Sifted

Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast

2 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,823 Listeners

In Good Company with Nicolai Tangen by Norges Bank Investment Management

In Good Company with Nicolai Tangen

183 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics: Leading by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics: Leading

843 Listeners

BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley by BG2Pod

BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley

459 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics: US by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics: US

2,527 Listeners

Prof G Markets by Vox Media Podcast Network

Prof G Markets

1,480 Listeners

The NextGen VC by The European VC

The NextGen VC

0 Listeners

The UrbanTech VC by The European VC

The UrbanTech VC

0 Listeners

The EUVC Lowdown by The European VC

The EUVC Lowdown

0 Listeners

The Super Angel Podcast by The European VC

The Super Angel Podcast

0 Listeners

Uncapped with Jack Altman by Alt Capital

Uncapped with Jack Altman

41 Listeners