The Entrepreneurs for Impact Podcast: Transcripts
#114
$275M for Energy Storage Software – Kelcy Pegler, CEO of FlexGen
PODCAST INTRODUCTION
Chris Wedding:
My guest today is Kelcy Pegler, CEO of FlexGen, an energy storage software provider with over $250 million in investor capital raised to date. In addition, Kelcy is the Founding Partner at Charles Joy Ventures, former President of NRG Home Solar, former Executive Chairman of Sofdesk, busy parents, lots more.
02:04
In this episode, we talked about their new 420-megawatt hour battery project in California. How they maximize energy storage revenue via load shifting, peak shaving, and ancillary services. How they make money between software and design and integration. How they don't actually sell, but instead help their customers to buy their 10-gigawatt agreement with the world's largest battery manufacturer. The recent rapid growth from 30 to over 200 employees. What Parkinson's Law is and how to manage it. What you can learn from children's books like Elephant and Piggy. Wisdom from tennis legends and a whole lot more. Hope you enjoy it and please give Kelcy and FlexGen a shout-out on LinkedIn, Slack, or Twitter by sharing this podcast with your people. Thanks.
PODCAST INTERVIEW
Chris Wedding:
Kelcy Pegler, CEO of FlexGen, welcome to the podcast.
Kelcy Pegler:
Thanks for having me, Chris. I’m glad to be here.
Chris Wedding:
As listeners know, we like to start with a zinger or two and you've got a couple of great ones. If folks have checked you out, they will have seen a very recent headline. We're recording this on January 18th, so yesterday, an announcement around 420 megawatt hours of energy storage and the tech and software for a project in California, which I'm going to ask you to talk about here in a minute. Then going right alongside with that, $250 million raised in the last 18 months with the last being a hundred million dollars in a Series C in I think last July. So, big numbers, hallelujah and crazy that you're right in my backyard and I know so little about you guys. Hence the podcast, a way to meet my neighbors that I should already know. So, Kelcy, pick any of those. Tell us more about FlexGen and why these amazing headlines.
Kelcy Pegler:
FlexGen's a really interesting company. It's been in the battery storage space for about 12 years now. It would be fair to say that 10 of those years, the company was ahead of the market, and now in the last couple of years, the market fit for the capabilities that FlexGen has have really come into focus. So, the pace is picking up.
Chris Wedding:
I think listeners will hear energy storage, they'll totally get it, except they'll ask the question like, “All right, well, are you an OEM? Are you producing hardware? Are you producing the whole battery, the cells, the software?” I think the answer is more than just one of those. What exactly is you-all’s product within the growing storage space?
04:53
Kelcy Pegler:
So, to understand FlexGen, the first thing is to really understand what we are not. FlexGen does not manufacture any hardware, so our peer competitors do a good job of making batteries. We've really made a conscious decision to not focus on the manufacturing side of battery storage. We are a battery storage technology company. In the simplest statement, we turn batteries on and we keep them on.
What we really focus on is the engineering specifications and really bringing the battery storage components together and designing the best systems for the use case that fits our customers. Commissioning those systems, turning them on and then really the most valuable aspect of a battery storage system is post-commissioning. So, after you turn it on, what are you doing with it? And that's really where FlexGen shines.
We have a hybrid OS energy management system. Batteries at their core only do two things. They're really simple. You can charge them or you can discharge them and that is it. But as a result of charging and discharging batteries, you can do a lot of really nuanced and sophisticated revenue-generating capabilities like peak shaving and load shifting and all of these ancillary services. So, that's really where FlexGen has gained its reputation and track record of success.
We get the most out of the batteries, both on an everyday basis where our customers have plans to do something like cycle it once or twice a day to achieve whatever they're targeting. But I think more importantly, the past few years have shown those black swan events like a Texas freeze over and our batteries performed exceptionally throughout that entire event and beyond into some more recent weather events. Having your batteries able to react to those market conditions is really important for the grid, but really valuable for our customers and we're proud of the reputation we've gained there.
Chris Wedding:
You mentioned the software you all provide to your batteries. Do they tend to be in front of the meter, utility scale, behind the meter, industrial, commercial, or both?
Kelcy Pegler:
Through the legacy of FlexGen, we've done all types of projects. The Inflation Reduction Act has really put an emphasis on the front of the meter large scale utility projects. So, that's where we're spending most of our time and effort today.
Chris Wedding:
How about regions? You mentioned ancillary markets, which some of our listeners will understand, others will not understand as well. Maybe define ancillary services and then how that determines where your software is most valuable, I suppose.
Kelcy Pegler:
So, the easiest way to understand a battery storage capability is to think about the simple fact that in most of America, we have surplus energy in the morning and that energy is very inexpensive. On the other side of the day, in the afternoon, California calls it the duck curve, let's call it 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. we have a shortage of energy and that energy is expensive. So, at its core, a battery can be charged in the morning with the inexpensive surplus energy and then discharged in that afternoon when there's a premium. A battery storage owner can benefit from the arbitrage opportunity that exists there.
08:23
Beyond that core functionality, there are all types of things that make the grid work well. ERCOT, for instance, just issued a fast frequency response service, which is a nuanced grid requirement for a battery storage participant where it helps the grid function properly and keeps both the renewable energy sources, which are intermittent and the fossil fuel sources, which are not functioning together and making the grid a little more reliable and sustainable.
Chris Wedding:
ERCOT, so Texas basically being a great market. I wonder, other deregulated markets in the US may be your major concentration, is that correct?
Kelcy Pegler:
We're active in all of the US’s markets. I think like many things in the power segments, both Texas and California are on the forefront of early adoption. We have a big contract with the Midwest Utility Alliance, which has a really impressive amount of solar power. Their grid regulator has asked them to make sure that they can offset that intermittency of the solar power and battery storage is a big commitment over the next few years for them. So, we're really seeing all different types of use cases across the US.
Chris Wedding:
How about your revenue model, is this like a SaaS software product? Is this no cost? Do you share the revenue you create through ancillary services? What's that look like? Kelcy Pegler:
We are a printer and ink business in that we get paid to turn the batteries on, so the design, engineering and commissioning work that we do. Then there's a software as a service reoccurring revenue with the hybrid OS system in the keep the batteries on segment of our business. So, we have two revenue streams.
Kelcy Pegler:
Got it and how do you actually sell? I mean, who actually buys or makes a decision to say yes to you?
Kelcy Pegler:
It's funny. Earlier in my career, I was in the residential solar space and you would generate a lead, you would create a proposal and you would sell it that day. In battery storage, it's a much longer measured tail of an opportunity. I would say we aren't selling as much as we're helping people buy. Really, the customers of FlexGen have an idea of what they're looking for and then we're coming in really as the expert and the easy button for them to take action on their battery storage pursuits. So, different customers have different focus points and priorities, but it's our job to help them through that.
In most of the cases in the couple of years, look back here, we've been instrumental in helping them get their investment committee and their regulators, and we really view our relationship with our customers as a partnership.
Chris Wedding:
Would you characterize that upfront part as more like an owner's rep or more like a project developer?
Kelcy Pegler:
It depends. Some customers we provide turnkey services where we provide all of the hardware, all of the commissioning, we do everything. You hire FlexGen and they do all of the procurement, all of the construction and all of the commissioning. Then in other cases, we are working as a smaller scope within a larger project. Southern California Edison is a good example where Ameresco is the contractor and we're the technology provider and we've partnered together. There's a little bit in between all throughout different customers.
12:06
Chris Wedding:
How about the software side of things? What makes you-all software better, I suppose? I guess how do you show that to prospects that are saying, “Well, here are X number of software providers,”? I mean, there weren't that many, but anyway, other providers, what makes your software better, not being the expert in software, let's say?
Kelcy Pegler:
Well, first we're so early. I've spent some time recently trying to figure out how early are we in battery storage and the best facts that I could share is that ERCOT, which is the most attached market in the US has 5% of battery storage systems commissioned and 95% of battery storage systems in some type of approval process. The other markets across the US have no more than a 2% attachment rate, 2% commissioned and 98% in their approval processes. So that's how early we are in the space.
Chris Wedding:
Wow.
Kelcy Pegler:
And as a company like ours, you say a lot of things that you believe to be true and in a spirit of authenticity, you hope they are. You say, “We have best in class software, our performance speaks for itself.” We're now in a position where there's enough third-party analysis of the space and there's enough public information about the grid and how it performs that we're really proud that our systems are the best performing systems in the US.
Look, the black swan events get the most attention. So, the Texas freeze over got a lot of people looking at it, looking into it, who were the winners, who were the others? And we're really proud to have seen our customer systems perform at a 99.7% uptime throughout that event. We are making sure that our customers know that, although we don't have to tell anyone anymore. Anybody that is earnestly considering battery storage understands the time and score of the space.
Chris Wedding:
Let's go back in time a little bit. You mentioned how early you all are. So, let's go to the origin a little bit, 12 years ago, why during North Carolina, and then we're going to flash forward to yesterday, to the 420-megawatt hours. So, going back in time, why Durham, why 12 years ago?
Kelcy Pegler:
I think Durham, as it’ll make you happy as being from North Carolina, it is, I guess arguably, but on this podcast, I could probably say inarguably, the smartest city in the country. Look, there's a lot of purpose-filled, really, really smart people in that market. The work that was done for the 10 years ahead of the space is not something that could have been manufactured overnight. It took 10 years of bruises and bumps and learnings and resulted in the connective tissue of all of these experiences that have really provided for the capabilities that FlexGen is benefiting from today.
15:14
Chris Wedding:
Was there a connection to, I don't know, the universities here, maybe the founder came out of that, out of one of those or just grew up here maybe?
Kelcy Pegler:
Yeah, Pasi Taimela should probably take all the credit for us, he's our Chief Innovation Officer and at this point, the de facto Founder. He's been with the business since it started and he is of all of the people or variables, the most responsible person for the business being in Durham and we're happy for that.
Chris Wedding:
That's cool. Let's flash forward now to yesterday. So, a big announcement, 420 megawatt hours for several projects in California. Tell us about how that came about. Kelcy Pegler:
This is another one of those overnight success years in the making. Middle River Power and FlexGen have been talking about these projects for a significant amount of time, doing the groundwork and doing everything needed to make sure that the use case matched the technology and solutions that were being provided. We're really thrilled to be part of this project scope.
Chris Wedding:
What will your batteries facilitate there?
Kelcy Pegler:
So, these are peaker plants that the battery storage system will be using the interconnection from the peaker plants, moving us from fossil fuels to a more sustainable, renewable intelligent power opportunity.
Chris Wedding:
So, like a real time energy transition story perhaps on the same site, same interconnects, is that fair?
Kelcy Pegler:
Yeah, and look, it's a big project. It's several hundred million dollars and bankability really mattered. So, connecting some of the early points we've discussed here, being capitalized the way that we are was a really important attribute for this project. We understood, the management team inflection, that the size and scope of these projects is going to be increasing. And found it to be really important to be the most bankable technology provider in the battery storage space, which we're happy to say.
Then last year we signed a massive 10-gigawatt procurement agreement with CATL, world's largest battery manufacturer. So, the combination of being really bankable and having battery capacity for these substantially sized projects, I think made the fit between Middle River Power and FlexGen so comfortable.
Chris Wedding:
You mentioned this, but just to stress it, this 10-year or 12-year overnight success as a company, I mean, clearly not done, just early days for FlexGen despite the massive headlines. I think a great reminder for folks listening is like, “Oh, well, I'm early days in a startup,” or, “I want to launch a startup,” it doesn't happen overnight. Many things happen before the headlines appear, so thanks for stressing that.
18:17
Let's look at the customer theme here. So, going back in time again to convincing the first customers to say yes. Let's say you hadn't raised $250 million yet, your software was good, but maybe not as validated by third parties to be best in class as others or as you'd like it to be. How did you get the first host, users, buyers, owners, et cetera, to get to a yes, Kelcy?
Kelcy Pegler:
I think FlexGen existed doing in the field science projects for many years. Anybody that would do battery storage, we were happy to engage with them and take on those projects and we did all types of different use cases. Some still applicable today directly, and some you just had the learnings from those experiences and they were able to flow over into the use cases that have evolved since.
Chris Wedding:
Let's go back in your timeline a little bit. So, this is not your first role as CEO, not your first startup. You've created your own startup with an exit. You've been on boards of startups. You've worked on behalf of, or president of divisions of large companies. Tell us two or three lessons you think that you're bringing from either the startup or the NRG style that you think will make FlexGen have a smoother path to success.
Kelcy Pegler:
I like to think I've been on all the sides of the table that you can be on and it's interesting I think on a continuum, on one side of it you have the true startup and on the other side of it you have the really sophisticated corporation. There's goods and bads of both sides and ultimately, I think what you're looking for is balance. So, the best attributes of a startup is being able to move quickly, autonomy of decisions, just overall nimbleness. That's an absolute requisite for you to survive and possibly thrive in a startup environment.
With a large-scale sophisticated business, you have so much more discipline embedded in the business, which inherently slows you down, but you have so much more data to drive your perspective and your decision-making. That level of sophistication and data-driven perspective, it's just impossible on the other side of that continuum in the startup side.
So really, personally and professionally, you try and seek the balance. You don't want to slow yourself down to the point where you're not able to take advantage of new market opportunities and watch others disrupt, but you also don't want to be making decisions forever based on instinct or gut. You really want to have a balance of data-driven insight with the right pace and cadence of the business. So, I don't know if that's the answer you’re looking for, but a little bit of both is really what I've found to be the right balance.
Chris Wedding:
Yeah, it's a bit like a Japanese koan of what's the sound of one hand clapping, right? It's like, well, be nimble and disciplined. Be quick to change, but also have systems to keep you on track. How about the broader team? I mean, clearly, you've been a team builder in these various roles, lots of team to build. As the industry grows and with this kind of capital that you all have, just tell us what your team consists of now, types of folks perhaps, disciplines, the kind of personalities maybe that you're after. I think plenty of folks listening are listening because they might want to come work for companies I interview on this podcast.
22:25
Kelcy Pegler:
We’ve really built out a great executive team over the last two years. I joined FlexGen in February of 2021 and the business was small, it was about 30 people. We're crossing over the 200 person mark now and we'll have a big year of growth ahead of us, but ultimately, what you're trying to instill in a business like ours is accountability. I think to the previous theme of entrepreneurial startup pace versus corporate sophistication, the commonality that's necessary for any bit of success is accountability. So, for me, it's a real self-awareness of the few things that I happen to be good at and the many things that I am not. Making sure that I'm surrounded with people that are really passionate and purposeful and driven by the accountabilities that they have.
We are complimentary to each other. All in the last year we've hired a new CFO, we've built out the innovation role which Pasi has gone into, a new CTO, Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel. So, we've really built out the people to deliver on these really ambitious pursuits that we have.
Chris Wedding:
Cool. With lots of growth, I'm sure folks would be paying attention to you-all’s jobs or career page, let's say, looking for new opportunities. Let's move from FlexGen to Kelcy in the podcast. Maybe one of those transitional questions, which covers both is, tell us one or two things that you really believe in strongly? That is intentionally very open ended, that may relate to business, it may not relate to business.
Kelcy Pegler:
For one, I've come to really believe in Parkinson's Law.
Chris Wedding:
It's a great law.
Kelcy Pegler:
That [crosstalk – 00:24:25] time allotted and seeing that true in all phases of work and personal life. I've three kids under 10 and you want to see if any of these laws are true, you try them out on a seven-year-old and you can tell immediately if they're true or not. But I really have come to learn that Parkinson's Law can be applied to pretty much everything, personal and business.
Chris Wedding:
Kelcy, just to make sure folks got that, I think I was giving you a big old plus one as you defined Parkinson's Law. Maybe just define it again with an example.
Kelcy Pegler:
Well, work expands the time allotted. I forget where I read this. I should figure it out, but somebody did a science experiment with Parkinson's Law and what they did, and I didn't make up the seven-year-olds, it's actually true. If you want to test something on humans, a seven-year-old's perfect because they're not contrived enough to figure out what you're actually solving for, and they're innocent enough just to do their best, whatever you're asking them to do.
What they did was they brought in a group of seven-year-olds, they put a minute on the clock and a bunch of peaches. They said, “Put these peaches in those baskets with the clock running,” and whatever it was, I’m directionally speaking. The first group, they had 30 peaches and, three, two, one, the 30th peach gets in the basket. Then they bring in another set of seven-year-olds and they say, “Here, same thing, go put these peaches in the basket.” This time they put 50 peaches and lo and behold, three, two, one, the 50th peach makes it into the basket.
26:03
Then you get to a hundred peaches and the kids are now, instead of casually walking around, sprinting and getting the peaches into the basket. Of course, you'll bump up against human limitations at some point, but the elasticity of getting those peaches into a basket is really remarkable. So, we see it in all types of things across business and whatnot, but it's an observation that I've not been able to get away from.
Chris Wedding:
That's a great one. I'm a huge fan of Parkinson's Law. I think it relates to time boxing, putting your to-do list on a calendar with an allotted time to say it gets done or it doesn't, but I'm moving on. I've never heard the peach research, which is a great one. All right, cool. That's a jewel. Is there another one, Kelcy, a strong belief you want to share?
Kelcy Pegler:
I guess on the other side of that is just we, humans, are just perpetually underestimating the pace of new technology adoption. You look at cell phones, you look at washer and dryer, there's a chart that has become pretty famous, the pace of adoption of disrupting technologies throughout time. I don't know that we've ever been able to accurately project how quickly new technologies are adopted. I think we're seeing that in real time now with electric vehicles. We're certainly seeing it with the demand on battery storage, the theme of this open AI artificial or machine learning. This stuff is coming quickly and I think it's going to be hard for us to wrap our heads around how impactful and how quickly the impact will be of each of those categories.
Chris Wedding:
Yeah, I was listening to a podcast today called Impact Theory and he was talking about a similar idea. We underestimate what's possible really and given the example of the time between the first flight and landing a human being on the moon I think he said 64 years. I'm sure some listener will correct me if I'm wrong. But anyway, yeah, we underestimate what's possible. That's a good one. How about looking backwards again, Kelcy, talking to your younger self, what advice might you provide to that person to be more effective, happier, et cetera, on this journey?
Kelcy Pegler:
I am and always have been a pretty high-strung guy. I think now given some time and some experiences, I would tell my younger self to be a little more patient, patient in the macros and impatient in the micros. So, be as active as you can, do everything that's possible in front of you, but just really understand that impact takes time. You're not always going to see the immediate results in that day or in that week, but the things that you're doing will ultimately be pointing to the macro influence and outcomes that you're driving towards.
Chris Wedding:
I think that distinction is a good one. Patience in the macro really, impatient at the micro level, the day to day, the instant to instant because in a way it’s oxymoronic to think about an entrepreneur who’s patient, right? We’re as impatient as they come.
I’m also smiling because you started off saying you’re very high strung, and as I watch you and as folks listen to you, I think they would think the opposite. I smile because my wife's like, she's like, “I don't know how you do it.” She's like, “I talk to lots of friends and neighbors, they’re like, ‘Oh man, Chris is just so relaxed and chill.’” She's like, “They have no idea what a type A, overachiever, the duck legs under the pond, kind of go, go, go.” Anyway, you project a calm air, Kelcy, despite the high strung-ness, which I can relate to.
30:04
Kelcy Pegler:
Well, I guess I'll say thank you.
Chris Wedding:
I think that's the response. Yeah. Let's go to habits and routines, whether it's daily, weekly, yearly, I know we're in January, there's a lot of folks thinking about habits and routines, things that keep you healthy, sane and focused.
Kelcy Pegler:
You just try to outnumber your good habits to your bad habits by a couple multiples. I don't know, I try and be active. As I said, I have three kids under 10, so that is some embedded activity, no matter if you want it or not. I try and exercise. Well, I am high-strung and part of the way that I can be a little bit more measured and calm is by spending a little bit of that steam in the gym or running or doing some form of activity. Yeah, I'm a proponent of trying to stay active.
Chris Wedding:
Is that like, you go to the gym before work and after the kids get off to school? Is it before the kids get up? What's that look like?
Kelcy Pegler:
It's in the morning usually. COVID changed the world a bit, so I travel a lot. I live in Florida. We have a headquarters in North Carolina, I'm there quite a bit. I'm with customers wherever they may be. I try not to schedule any reoccurring meetings on Mondays. I take a lot of calls on long walks.
Chris Wedding:
Nice.
Kelcy Pegler:
Throw the AirPods in, do some calls. Sometimes you find you walk for three or four hours, wondering why you're exhausted by the time you get to dinner. Just go with the flow. When you travel, you have to make the concerted effort, you’re either working out or you're not. So, you make the decision and then you stick to it, or at least you try to.
Chris Wedding:
I like that. When you're walking, does there tend to be one location, maybe where your office would be or home would be in South Florida, or is it wherever? I'm curious what your surroundings are when you're walking, let's say.
Kelcy Pegler:
Well, I'm outside wherever I may be. I do have a loop that I do in South Florida and there's like a two-and-a-half-mile loop or there's a five-and-a-half-mile loop. It depends at what period you are in that call that determines which one you stick to.
Chris Wedding:
Nice. Folks on the call with you may not know that you're striking hundred million dollar deals while doing your five-mile loop. Great little secret.
Kelcy Pegler:
It's funny because younger in your career, you romanticize all of these things that people and businesses do. I remember when my career started, I was wondering like, who are the people and the businesses that are doing these things that I thought were so impressive? When I think back to what my mind's eye saw, I would think that they were in some crystal palace office, on the 140th floor, sky rise, this and that.
33:13
Given enough time and given enough experiences, you realize it's just people, all of this. Whether it's fundraising or winning a major contract with a customer or doing a big procurement deal, it's people. You don't have to be sitting in your office with your headset and everything comprised in a world where it's described, you find that a lot of people who are most successful are getting it done wherever they are, whatever they're doing. Yes, I've done quite a bit of fundraising walking one of those loops.
Chris Wedding:
Amazing. Well, I think there’s good research saying that we actually think better when we're moving. I mean, look, maybe it's as simple as there is more blood, more oxygen getting to our brain. Yeah, I like what you said, at the core, we are still people versus just titles, which is why this podcast for the last third talks about the person, not just the title. I can also relate that on many calls, I am say watching a red-shouldered hawk kill something out my window in the woods here. No analogy to how to do business just a nature reference.
Kelcy Pegler:
All right.
Chris Wedding:
How about recommendations, Kelcy, books, podcasts, tools, quotes, maybe tell us a couple of these things that listeners may pick up.
Kelcy Pegler:
The quote that I've been really focused on this year, and as my team can all say ad nauseum at this point, is an Arthur Ashe quote of, start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can. I think it's a great quote especially in a growth business like ours that we're beyond the startup phase, but working towards some of those sophistications that a larger company would have. You can fall into a trap of, we'll do that when we hire this next person or we'll do that when we get this third-party resource plugged in or we'll do that when, and you really have to resist that. You got to do it as Arthur Ashe says, where you are with what you have.
Chris Wedding:
This is the first time that Arthur Ashe has been quoted on the podcast, so thanks for that.
Kelcy Pegler:
All right.
Chris Wedding:
That's a good one.
Kelcy Pegler:
With the little kids, I'm a decade into kids’ books. Elephant and Piggy, I've said to a lot of people, I've gotten a lot of business principles out of Elephant and Piggy. I think that actually matches the whole comparison of startup versus corporate. Got a lot of miles out of Elephant and Piggy over the years.
35:53
Chris Wedding:
That's amazing. Again, first time a children's book has made it onto the recommended reading list.
Kelcy Pegler:
Okay.
Chris Wedding:
Perfect. I don't recall reading Elephant and Piggy, maybe the kids that are now 11 and 17, maybe I missed that opportunity. Hey, let's close, Kelcy. Final words, maybe it's about the sector, your company, call to action, folks you want to hear from. What you got?
Kelcy Pegler:
I think my goal overall is to get everybody more comfortable with what battery storage is. The people who are our potential customers know what battery storage is and they're spending real time, money and effort on it. As somebody that's spent my career now in this grid transition, I would encourage everybody who's purposeful and has that hustle gene to consider battery storage. My why is to do something good, to do something cool, and to have a huge impact and I can't imagine a better space than the battery storage space to do that.
We're literally transitioning a grid from yesteryear, mainly fossil fuel driven to the grid of tomorrow with a lot of great renewable energy capabilities. But battery storage is sitting squarely in the middle of that transition, so it is good, it is cool and it's making a huge impact. I encourage everybody to consider a role or an opportunity within the battery storage space. Our whole industry is growing. We're certainly part of that. We'll have a lot of roles being filled this year, so give it a think.
Chris Wedding:
Well, yes and I think those stats you mentioned earlier around, let's call it, 2-5% of batteries in a given state are commissioned. The other 95-98% are in the queue in some process of development, which speaks to, what's the tidal wave of energy storage that's coming? Cool, Kelcy. Hey, rooting for the success of FlexGen, the grid needs it. Kelcy Pegler:
Thank you, Chris.
Chris Wedding:
Hey there, it's Chris again. If you want more intel on climate tech startups and investors, please join the thousands of other founders, investors and world changers who have subscribed to our Substack newsletter at entrepreneursforimpact.com. Also, I'd really appreciate it if you took 90 seconds to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or give us a five-star rating on Spotify. This feedback is the number one way to draw more attention to the inspiring climate CEOs and investors I get to interview here. All right, until next time, keep on fighting the good fights.
ABOUT OUR PODCAST
We talk about #ClimateTech #Startups #VentureCapital #Productivity and #Leadership.
And we’ve become one of the top 3% most popular podcasts in the world.
Why do climate innovators love us?
Because of our inspiring guests — dozens of climate tech CEOs, founders, and investors that are raising or investing tens of millions of dollars and removing millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere.
Why should you listen?
To start, grow, and invest in businesses with impact, meaning, and profit.
Learn about our guests’ career paths, founder stories, business strategies, investment criteria, growth challenges, hard-earned wisdom, productivity habits, life hacks, favorite books, and lots more.
Who is the host?
Dr. Chris Wedding is a 4x founder, 4x Board member, climate CEO peer group leader and coach, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, podcast host, newsletter author, occasional monk, Japanophile, ax throwing champ, father of three, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃
Learn more here:
Climate CEO peer group community: www.entrepreneursforimpact.com
2-minute newsletter: https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com
DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): https://t.ly/QCcl5