From Exiting His Company For $320 Million To Investing In Startups Solving Climate Change w/ Josh Felser

The Dealroom with Shamus Madan

In this episode, Shamus Madan converses with Josh Felser about his entrepreneurial journey, the importance of pioneering in new technologies, and the role of AI in climate tech. They delve into Felser's leadership style, transition from entrepreneurship to venture capitalism, and the significance of investing in Climate Tech. The episode also touches on circularity in industries, integrating sustainability, and the story behind Travis Kalanick's choice between Formspring and Uber. The episode concludes with an introduction to Climatic VC.

Today we have to talk about climate change. There’s more carbon dioxide in our air than at any time in human history. And it could end up being irreversible if corrective action isn’t taken. Today, Josh Felser joins the podcast to discuss his new firm, Climactic, investing in enterprise and mobility climate solutions. Prior to Climactic, Josh was the founder of Spinner, which he co-founded with his business partner Dave Samuel. It was one of the first online music and entertainment services that he sold to AOL for $320 Million. He also co-founded Crackle with Dave and sold that company to Sony for $65 Million. After being in the entrepreneurial world for a while he decided to launch his own fund Freestyle, investing in companies like Airtable and Patreon. He recently left to launch Climactic.

Twitter of Host (Shamus Madan): @mbitpodcast

Twitter of Guest (Josh Felser): @joshmedia

Learn more about Climactic here.

(0:00) Introduction of guest, Josh Felser, and his journey in entrepreneurship (7:21) The significance of being a pioneer in new technologies and AI's role in climate tech (13:19) Insights into Josh Felser's leadership style and the art of negotiation in business (16:22) Transitioning from entrepreneurship to venture capitalism: The dynamics and common mistakes (25:52) The importance of investing in Climate Tech and introduction to promising startups (37:28) Discussion on circularity in industries and its role in combating climate change (40:27) Reflections on integrating sustainability into all aspects of business and personal regrets (41:52) Travis Kalanick's choice between Formspring and Uber, and fear of lawsuits in business ventures (43:59) Introduction to Climatic VC and what they look for in startups (44:47) Wrapping up the episode with Josh Felser