Scaling Green-Tech

Rami El Geneidy, Technical Director at EnergyHub and exited co-founder of Kapacity.io, discusses energy flexibility, heat pump control, and the startup journey on Episode 23 of Scaling Green Tech, a podcast by Adopter.

El Geneidy traces how Kapacity.io grew from PhD research at the London-Loughborough Centre for Energy Demand Studies, through Conception X and Y Combinator, to acquisition by EnergyHub. Kapacity.io built technology to reduce energy costs and emissions from heat pumps in commercial and residential buildings. The company validated demand by selling building readiness surveys before the product existed, then built first for commercial real estate before pivoting to residential heat pumps when per-building integration barriers limited growth. To crack the conservative energy company market, Kapacity.io first released a consumer product that demonstrated real cost savings to homeowners - then used that proof to sell through energy companies. After five years, the founders accepted an acquisition by EnergyHub, where the two companies' visions for energy flexibility at scale aligned.

This episode is relevant for energy technology founders building hardware-adjacent software, PhD researchers considering the startup route through programmes like Conception X or Y Combinator, and climate tech operators navigating pivots, fundraising timing, and acquisition decisions.

Find out more about Adopter here: https://www.adopter.net/

Explore EnergyHub here: https://www.energyhub.com/

Dr Simon Thomas, Co-Founder and CEO of Paragraf, discusses scaling graphene from a Cambridge University invention to a commercial semiconductor foundry on Episode 22 of Scaling Green Tech, a podcast by Adopter.

Thomas traces Paragraf's eight-year journey from university spin-out to opening the world's first graphene foundry in Huntingdon, UK. The company's core breakthrough is the ability to deposit uniform, wafer-scale graphene directly onto substrates compatible with standard semiconductor manufacturing equipment - solving the "lab to fab" problem that has blocked graphene commercialisation since the material was first isolated at the University of Manchester in 2004. Paragraf has raised approximately $150 million in total across seed, Series A, Series B ($60 million led by New Science Ventures), and Series C ($55 million led by Mubadala), and has expanded internationally with operations in San Diego, Shanghai, and Abu Dhabi. Thomas argues that graphene devices could reduce the computing industry's share of global energy consumption from approximately 20% to under 2%, while also enabling new product categories in medical diagnostics and next-generation battery technology.

This episode is relevant for deep tech founders navigating multi-stage fundraising, semiconductor and advanced materials investors, climate technology founders building hardware companies, and anyone working on energy-efficient computing, point-of-care diagnostics, or graphene electronics.

Find out more about Adopter here: https://www.adopter.net/

Explore Paragraf here: https://www.paragraf.com

Theresa Hoffmann, CEO and Co-founder of Nanoplume, discusses bio-based aerogel insulation, deep tech commercialisation, and the realities of early-stage founding on Episode 21 of Scaling Green Tech, a podcast by Adopter.

Hoffmann explains how 80% of the insulation market remains dependent on petrochemical materials, despite the thermal insulation industry growing toward a $100 billion market by 2030. Nanoplume's answer is a bio-based nano-porous material that is three times as insulating, 60% lighter and thinner, and 100% biocompatible - and around 75% cheaper than silica aerogels and other super-insulating materials. Rather than targeting the built environment first, Hoffmann describes a deliberate beachhead strategy in pharmaceutical cold chain logistics, chosen for clearer economics and lower mechanical requirements, with a roadmap toward truck insulation, warehousing, and eventually buildings. The episode also covers co-founder dynamics, founder identity, and how to validate market assumptions through early customer case studies.

This episode is relevant for deep tech founders at pre-seed and seed stage, materials science entrepreneurs, cold chain and pharmaceutical logistics investors, built environment innovators, and anyone navigating co-founder relationships, accelerator programmes, or early-stage commercialisation strategy.

Find out more about Adopter here: https://www.adopter.net/

Explore Nanoplume here: https://www.nanoplume.com/

Connect with Theresa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresa-hoffmann/

Martin SFP Bryant, Founder of PreSeed Now, discusses what investors and journalists look for from early-stage startups on Episode 20 of Scaling Green Tech, a podcast by Adopter.

Bryant draws on nearly 17 years as a technology journalist - including covering ElevenLabs before the launch of ChatGPT - to explain what separates pre-seed startups that attract backing from those that stall. He argues that the strongest founders compress their value proposition into a one-to-two sentence "micro-pitch," citing Stripe's early line ("take payments on your website with a single line of code") as an example of a pitch that immediately communicates both the product and its scale potential. The conversation covers why climate tech companies lose traction when they lead with environmental impact rather than economic value, how the contraction of the tech media landscape has changed founder media strategy, and what Bryant looks for when selecting startups to profile on PreSeed Now from a pipeline of hundreds.

This episode is relevant for pre-seed and seed-stage founders preparing to raise investment. It is also useful for climate technology companies refining how they communicate value to investors, customers, and the media. Matt Jaworski hosts.

Find out more about Adopter here: https://www.adopter.net/

Explore PreSeed Now here: https://preseednow.com/

Paul Domjan, Founder and Chief Policy and Global Affairs Officer at ENODA, discusses grid infrastructure modernisation and the energy trilemma on Episode 19 of Scaling Green Tech, a podcast by Adopter.

Paul argues that the electricity grid designed by Nikola Tesla, George Westinghouse, and William Stanley 138 years ago was built for one-directional power flow from large centralised generators to passive consumers - a model fundamentally incompatible with distributed renewable energy that flows in both directions. He traces how this infrastructure gap manifests as renewable curtailment, harmonic distortion, and voltage instability, particularly at the distribution level where the grid meets homes and businesses. In Poland, more than 90% of renewable curtailment results from system balancing limitations rather than grid capacity constraints. ENODA's response is the Prime Exchanger, a device that replaces the distribution transformer serving 60 to 120 homes with digitally controlled infrastructure capable of managing voltage, correcting harmonics, and enabling reverse power flow in real time.

This episode is relevant for energy technology founders, grid infrastructure innovators and policymakers looking for the inside scoop on what the energy transition looks like today and in the future.

Find out more about Adopter here: https://www.adopter.net/ 

Explore ENODA here: https://www.enoda.com/ 

In Episode 18 of Scaling Green-Tech, Katherine Keddie and Matt Jaworski are joined by Cam Ross, CEO of Green Angel Ventures, one of the UK’s leading early-stage climate tech investors.

Cam breaks down how Green Angel evaluates over a thousand companies each year to find those with the potential to deliver both strong financial returns and meaningful climate impact. They explore what makes a great pitch, why founders matter so much at the earliest stages, and how angel networks can help startups navigate the rigours of growth.

The conversation also dives into the realities of scaling climate solutions in capital-intensive and highly regulated industries, and why truly investable climate tech must stand on its own two feet - even if regulation changes. Cam shares top insights on the current funding environment and what founders should focus on when raising capital in 2026.

If you’re looking for the inside scoop on raising capital, straight from the investors themselves, this episode’s for you.

Find out more about Adopter here.

Discover Green Angel Ventures here.

Explore the EIS Climate Change Fund here - currently open to investment.

In this episode of Scaling Green-Tech, Katherine Keddie and Matt Jaworski speak with Amandeep Kalra, Co-Founder and CEO of GreenFlip, about what it really takes to decarbonise homes at scale - and why leading with sustainability alone often misses the mark.

Amandeep discusses his journey founding GreenFlip, which helps investors identify the homes that deliver the highest ROI from energy upgrades. They explore why comfort, cost, and value are far more powerful drivers of change than carbon targets, and how reframing retrofit as an infrastructure investment can unlock capital, improve tenant outcomes, and future-proof housing stock.

The conversation also dives into building a company in public, learning through deep customer discovery, and selling before the product is fully built. Along the way, Amandeep offers candid advice for founders in climate tech, property, and retrofit on messaging, hiring, and scaling in a tougher market environment.

If you’re building in housing, retrofit, or climate tech - or grappling with how to turn impact into real-world adoption - this episode is for you.

Find out more about Adopter here.

Find out more about GreenFlip here.

Follow Amandeep on LinkedIn here. 

In this episode of the Scaling Green-Tech podcast, Katherine Keddie and Matt Jaworski speak with Federico Cristoforoni, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Net Zero Insights, to unpack the findings from his newly released ‘The State of Climate Tech 2025’ report.

Federico shares what the data reveals about the climate tech ecosystem today - including the shift from hype to fundamentals and growing investor selectivity. Together, they explore which technologies are closest to scale, how AI is being applied across climate solutions, why adaptation is quietly gaining momentum, and what’s really happening across key geographies, from the US to India and beyond.

They also dig into the hard truths facing founders right now: longer fundraising cycles, fewer grants, tougher commercial expectations, and the growing importance of positioning climate solutions around cost, performance, and resilience - not just impact.

If you’re a climate tech founder, investor, or operator trying to understand where the market is headed next, this one’s for you.

Find out more about Adopter here.

Read The State of Climate Tech 2025 report here. 

In this special episode of Scaling Green-Tech, Katherine Keddie sits down with Simon Zadek, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Morphosis, a Swiss-based adaptation solutions investment business. Morphosis exists to bridge the gap between public ambition and private action, catalysing scalable, inclusive, and market-based solutions that help societies adapt in a climate-impacted world. 

A globally recognised leader in sustainability economics, Simon unpacks the thinking behind Morphosis and the launch of its landmark report ‘The Rise of the Adaptation Economy: Investing in Adaptation and Resilience in a World Beyond 1.5C’. Developed in partnership with FGV EASP, Itaúsa Institute, The Paulson Institute and Basilinna, the report and associated technical papers provide a first-of-a-kind integrated policy framework to unlock private capital and scale transformative adaptation solutions.

Drawing on insights from the report, Simon dissects the multi-trillion dollar opportunity in the adaptation economy, and discusses how innovative frameworks, private capital, and technology can ensure inclusive delivery of goods and services in a climate-impacted world. He details how governments, investors, and innovators can collaborate to engineer new markets for essentials such as food, water, and health that serve low and middle-income households in climate-vulnerable areas. From water desalination to decentralised infrastructure, Simon illustrates how emerging adaptation solutions can become the backbone of thriving, resilient economies.

If you’re interested in where the next wave of climate innovation and investment will emerge - and what it takes to turn adaptation into opportunity - this episode is for you.

Find out more about Adopter here: https://www.adopter.net. 

Learn about Morphosis’ work here: https://www.morphosis.solutions/. 

Read the report and suite of associated technical papers here: https://www.morphosis.solutions/adaptation-economy.

In this episode of Scaling Green-Tech, Katherine Keddie speaks with Katherine Foster, Innovative Finance Lead at EIT Food and World Economic Forum Fellow, about what it really takes to build systems-level innovation.

A pioneering Swiss-Canadian leader in digital sustainable finance and systems change, Katherine brings over 35 years of experience spanning diplomacy, technology, and climate innovation. She shares her personal theory of change - including how to design for complexity rather than control it.

Together, they explore the evolution of blended finance, the integration of KPI-linked instruments and layered data frameworks, and why “value” must expand beyond profit to include nature and people in decision making.

Katherine also reflects on her work advancing digital and finance innovation for integrated innovation from resilient agri-food systems to water. She addresses her work on data and AI - as tools for innovation, but also on issues of governance and embedded risks.  She also highlights the importance of embedding local and contextual expertise at every level and stage of innovation. 

If you’re working on systems innovation at the intersection of climate finance, water and food systems, this conversation offers a grounded, big-picture perspective on how to move from pilots to integrated approaches for scalable impact.

Find out more about Adopter here: https://www.adopter.net.