Inevitable

Ep 32: David Buzby, Private Impact Investor

Listen Later

Today’s guest is David Buzby.

David has been starting, building and investing in “impact” businesses for the last 27 years with an emphasis on renewable energy generation, energy storage/grid services, wastewater treatment and e-commerce.

He currently sits on the Board of Cambrian Innovation, Leading Edge Crystal Technologies, Paragon Power and Stem, as well as being a member of the Investment Committee at the PRIME Coalition. 

He has in the past been a founding investor and director of SunRun (NASD:RUN), SunEdison (NYSE: SUNE), Valueclick (NASD:VCLK), Brilliant Light Power, Bright Plain Renewable Energy, Prevalent Power, Resource Holdings and Best Internet.

David has an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BA from Middlebury College.

In this episode we discuss:

  • The two moments in David’s life that led him to focus on impact based businesses
  • How David got his start in the impact business world
  • Some of the companies that David has started, invested in, and advised
  • The criteria David uses for his investments and the dual focus on impact and profits
  • Some of the issues with funding impact businesses with traditional venture capital, and thoughts on how to solve
  • A teaser of what David is thinking about doing next
  • David’s thoughts on science risk, time horizons, upside, price on carbon, nuclear, and more

    • Links to topics discussed in this episode:

    • David Buzby LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-buzby-8840a217/ 
    • Johns Manville: https://www.jm.com/ 
    • SunEdison: http://www.sunedison.com/ 
    • Jigar Shah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jigarshahdc/ 
    • SunRun: https://www.sunrun.com/ 
    • Stem: https://www.stem.com/about-us/executive-team/ 

      • You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

      Enjoy the show!

      Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

      Connect with MCJ:

      • Cody Simms on LinkedIn
      • Visit mcj.vc
      • Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter

      *Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store
      InevitableBy an MCJ podcast
      • 4.8
      • 4.8
      • 4.8
      • 4.8
      • 4.8

      4.8

      165 ratings

      More shows like Inevitable

      View all
      Energy Gang by Wood Mackenzie

      Energy Gang

      1,247 Listeners

      Climate One by Climate One from The Commonwealth Club

      Climate One

      571 Listeners

      Columbia Energy Exchange by Columbia University

      Columbia Energy Exchange

      399 Listeners

      Currents by Norton Rose Fulbright

      Currents

      127 Listeners

      Interchange Recharged by Wood Mackenzie

      Interchange Recharged

      506 Listeners

      Redefining Energy by Laurent Segalen and Gerard Reid

      Redefining Energy

      127 Listeners

      Switched On by Bloomberg

      Switched On

      104 Listeners

      Climate Rising by Harvard Business School Business & Environment Initiative

      Climate Rising

      79 Listeners

      Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change by Michael Liebreich, Bryony Worthington

      Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change

      81 Listeners

      Volts by David Roberts

      Volts

      647 Listeners

      Catalyst with Shayle Kann by Latitude Media

      Catalyst with Shayle Kann

      284 Listeners

      The Green Blueprint by Latitude Media

      The Green Blueprint

      203 Listeners

      Zero: The Climate Race by Bloomberg

      Zero: The Climate Race

      228 Listeners

      Shift Key with Robinson Meyer and Jesse Jenkins by Heatmap News

      Shift Key with Robinson Meyer and Jesse Jenkins

      119 Listeners

      Open Circuit by Latitude Media

      Open Circuit

      140 Listeners