Universe Partners

Join Shani Zanescu, Founder & General Partner of Universe Partners and board members Cameron Geiger (former SVP Supply Chains, Walmart and COO at SMEs) and Laura Segafredo (former Blackrock and a Senior Economist) for a discussion on what does the current panic around Harmuz actually reveals.

It’s no longer about a systemic shift. We are the systemic shift.

This episode starts with a familiar flashpoint, Strait of Hormuz- but quickly reframes the narrative. This isn’t just about oil. It’s about food, fertilizers, and the fragile architecture of the systems we’ve built around both.

Because the real issue isn’t supply chains. It’s decision-making.

We’ve engineered a world of choke points - whether it’s Hormuz, the Suez Canal, or the Strait of Malacca. Different geographies, same pattern: too many eggs in too few baskets. And every time disruption hits, we act surprised - like the system didn’t behave exactly as designed.

But this isn’t just geopolitics. It’s portfolio theory applied poorly to the real world.

We’ve spent decades optimizing financial systems for diversification: indexing, risk distribution, redundancy. Yet when it comes to physical systems - food, energy, logistics - we’ve done the opposite. Hyper-efficiency. Maximum concentration. Minimum resilience. And now we’re paying for it. BIG TIME.

From a venture lens, the signal is clear: what do we prioritise? Seem as if at least over 50% of bottlenecks sit in maritime and physical infrastructure. At the same time, capital and attention have been disproportionately captured by digital and AI - while the material world, the one that actually feeds and fuels us, remains under-innovated.

Take food systems. Entire global supply chains depend on fossil-fuel-based fertilizers. One input. One dependency. One point of failure.
We wouldn’t build a portfolio like that -so why did we build a civilization that way?

And then there’s insurance - the silent engine of the global economy. When war risk premiums spike 500% overnight, it doesn’t just reflect risk -it creates it. Decisions made by insurers ripple across trade, pricing, and access. Suddenly, the cost of moving physical goods isn’t just higher—it’s structurally unstable.

Which raises a bigger question:
If resilience reduces risk, why isn’t it priced that way?

What’s missing is a new decision architecture. Not more data! We’re drowning in dashboards - but the ability, incentives, and authority to act on it in real time. Decision rights exist. What’s lacking is the system around them.

And that’s where the opportunity is.

Because every gap - every bottleneck, every mispriced risk, every outdated policy is an entry point for innovation. Not just technological, but systemic: incentives, governance, and the rules of the game itself.

At Universe Partners, the thesis is simple: don’t just play the game better, change the game entirely. Build for diversification. Price resilience properly. Align incentives with long-term stability.

This isn’t a future problem. It’s a present design flaw.

And the question isn’t whether disruption is coming.
It’s whether we’ll finally build systems that can absorb it.

From internet blackouts to supply chain risks, the future belongs to systems built to endure. Resilience is no longer optional — it’s a measurable, strategic commodity powering investment, growth, and thriving at the intersection of physical and digital risks and solutions.

This is a part of the new Colliding Galaxies series also published on Medium by Shani Zanescu and Universe Partners - brining curated insights from the frontlines where systems, markets & technology collide.

From economic shocks and extreme weather to geopolitical shifts, tech breakthroughs and society, highlighting solutions & the multi-trillion-dollar opportunity: Resilience Tech.

In this episode, we dive into why resilience is becoming a global commodity: something measurable, investable, and increasingly essential for financial markets. Laura explains that markets are ultimately emotional human systems, and those emotions are driving a new wave of products designed for a world shaped by shocks: resilience bonds, KPI-linked loans, and tools that turn future stability into real market value.

We look at how extreme weather is already influencing portfolios, businesses, and communities - not as a distant issue, but as daily lived experience. From wildfire smoke drifting into New York to the question of whether a company will survive the next 20 years, resilience is quickly moving from “fuzzy concept” to hard financial necessity.

We also touch on the massive data challenge behind all of this, from security analytics to power- and water-strained data centers that make the case for resilience even stronger. Add in the coming generational wealth transfer, and you get new motivations and new emotional drivers reshaping how people participate in markets.

Finally, we explore where the opportunities lie—for insurers, tech startups, municipalities, and homeowners—and how AI may accelerate the ability to measure, price, and trade resilience at scale.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Resilience and Its Economic Perspective

02:46 Laura's Journey Economics

05:42 The Role of Capital in Transitions

08:32 Understanding Risks and Market Reactions

11:10 The Importance of Resilience in Business

14:17 Resilience as a Commodity

17:05 The Future of Insurance and Resilience Bonds

19:56 The Impact of AI on Resilience and Investment

22:52 Generational Wealth Transfer and

25:40 Opportunities in Resilience Technologies

28:32 Conclusion: Embracing Change and Innovation

TARIFFS. Here, we said it. But is today’s turmoil really about tariffs — or just the latest trigger in a much deeper story? Whether it’s geopolitical power plays, a pandemic, or another global curveball, the root issues stay the same.

In this episode of Universe Partners, we dig into what’s actually at stake — and why the solution isn’t reaction, it’s resilience.

We break down the three forces shaping America’s future:
💡 Supply Chain & Industrial Resilience
⚡ Energy & Infrastructure
🧠 Talent & Workforce

…and everything in between.

Chapters

00:00 Intro: Navigating a New Era of Resilience

02:50 Understanding Business & Social Vulnerabilities

05:29 The Importance of Corporate Resilience Strategies

08:21 Risk Management and Resilience Tech

11:27 Adapting to Change: Workforce and Talent

14:09The Role of Energy and Infrastructure

16:50 Globalization vs. Localization

19:37 Embracing Change and Innovation

22:36 The Future of Resilience in Business + what's next?

Wildfires. Hurricanes. Supply chains in chaos. Communities at risk.

"Any time we're talking about reducing risks and improving productivity and efficiency we're talking in business terms across all different subjects, not just climate tech" - Cam

The escalating reality of extreme weather isn’t just about disaster response—it’s aboutpreparedness, resilience, and building smarter systems that can withstand the storm. So, what doesde-risking actually look like? How do we rethink everything fromsupply chains todisaster response,finance, and thebuilt environment?

In this episode, I, Shani Zanescu, Founder & Managing Partner ofUniverse Partners, sat down withCameron Geiger, former SVP of Supply Chain atWalmartand a current Universe Partner, to discuss bold ideas and real-world case studies that highlight how businesses, communities, and systems can adapt to today’s extreme weather challenges and beyond.

In this episode we discuss:

🔥Lessons from disaster zones – Insights from LA wildfires, Hurricanes Katrina, Helen, Milton, and more.
🏢Corporate crisis response – Centralized vs. distributed networks, disaster centers, and optimizing available resources.
🌍Insurance, finance & the unbanked – critical areas to consider as well as who gets to rebuild and how, who doesn’t, and why it matters.
📡Telecom & critical infrastructures – Keeping authorities and communities connected when it matters most.
🏗️The built world – Designing for resilience with new developments and retrofits.
🤝Public-private partnerships – Why collaboration is non-negotiable.
⚡From climate tech to resilience tech – shifting investments in climate tech to focusing on adaptation and resilience.

Plus, for founders, we spotted at least20 venture-worthy ideas during our chat in this episode. So, if you’re building something, let us know!

#GlobalResilience #DeriskingTheFuture #UniversePartners #Wildfires #ExtremeWeatherEvents

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Cam Geiger's Journey

04:18 Understanding Supply Chain Resilience

08:41 Case Studies of Disaster Response

13:39 The Role of Distributed Networks in Crisis

18:23 Technological Innovations for Disaster Management

21:32 Insurance and Financial Challenges Post-Disaster

26:04 Involuntary Migration and Rebuilding Efforts

28:03 Building Resilience in Communities

28:57 Infrastructure and Climate Adaptation

32:14 The Importance of Climate Resilience

33:23 Investment Opportunities & trends in Climate Tech

36:03 Managing Supply Chains During Disasters

40:36 Empowering Frontline Responders

43:12 Optimism Amidst Chaos

45:08 Wishes & ideas for a Resilient Future

In this episode, we dive into the powerful convergence of climate technologies, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation—shaping the future of industries and accelerating the growth of climate tech. We explore how software is empowering the abundance of the already existing hardware solutions to be more efficient, scalable, and adaptable.

We also discuss the critical shift from asking "why" to asking "how," urging companies to invest in technology that offers flexibility and resilience. Early engagement with customers, especially large corporations and utilities, is key to developing climate tech solutions that solve real problems and prove their worth.

From financing options like debt and subsidies to AI’s role in creating scalable solutions, we unpack how convergence across sectors is fueling innovation. We highlight how technology is tackling business model challenges while generating financial returns, and why the urgency of climate action makes now the time to invest in sustainable solutions.

The episode wraps with a look at how future unicorns may emerge from climate tech and the human elements driving the transition to a low-carbon world.

Join Jan Lozek, Founder & Managing Partner @ Future Energy Ventures, and myself, Shani Zanescu, Founder & Managing Partner @ Universe Partners - for this conversation on how digital innovation and climate tech are paving the way for a more sustainable and economically viable future.

In this episode, we explore why even $300M, the largest climate tech fund in Europe, isn’t considered a large enough fund for decarbonizing the economy? We also delve into the investment strategies and tools that World Fund uses to identify and support innovative minds in the climate tech sector.

We examine Europe’s leadership in climate regulations and how it contrasts with the US approach. Furthermore, we address the critical role of climate tech investments in mitigating the projected 19% annual loss in global GDP due to climate change, reminding us that the world is interconnected, especially in the realm of climate innovation and investment. Some remarkable examples of such innovation mentioned in this episodes are Planet A Foods (sustainable, future-oriented products free from any highly-limited resources such as cocoa or palm oil), and Cylib (recovers most raw materials during the recycling process, delivering a lithium-ion battery recycling efficiency of 90%).

Join us as we, Danjiel Visevic (General Partner & Co-Founder @ World Fund) and Shani Zanescu (Founder & Managing Partner @ Universe Partners) share valuable insights and best practices for founders, investors, and anyone curious about the climate tech landscape and of course - the climate tech capital stack.

In this episode, I’m thrilled to be joined by Shaun Abrahamson, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Third Sphere, one of the top climate VC firms, proudly investing since 2013 in the ‘bad logo, bad demo’ stages of incredible companies. 

In our conversation, we explore various turning points in financial markets and in companies’ journeys, providing concrete tools for mastering those crucible moments and of course - the capital stack.

This episode is packed with takeaways for anyone navigating the complex (yet fun!) world of climate tech and deep-tech, and covering things like

Anyways, join us.

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Welcome to Universe Partners: The Podcast, where we transition from the ‘why’ to the ‘how', and discuss the ways financing, innovation, and collaboration can accelerate deep-tech and first-of-a-kind technologies for global resilience amidst the rapid changes in our economy, climate, technology, geopolitics, and society.

I’m ⁠Shani Zanescu⁠, a climate tech investor and a founder at heart (and of a few ventures, spanning both for-profit and non-profit sectors). I invite you to join this episode, follow for more, share with a friend, and become...a Universe Partner.

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