7 Lessons for Hard-Tech Startups | Vanessa Chan (Time100 List)

Roughly 70% of U.S. substations were built before modern digital technology. Now AI, renewables, batteries, and EVs are forcing a century-old grid to become something fundamentally different.Company bio:NovaTech Automation provides automation, monitoring, and control technology for electric utilities, with equipment in roughly 25% of U.S. substations. Founded in 1979, the family-owned company helps utilities modernize aging infrastructure while integrating increasingly complex power sources and loads.Guest bio:Conrad Oakey is CEO of NovaTech Automation and the second generation to lead the 45-year-old company. A Duke MBA, he has helped expand the business while navigating utility sales, acquisitions, succession, and technological change.Seven things you’ll learn in this episode:Why the grid must shift from “plan and predict” to “sense and respond.”Why 4% power-demand growth changes the economics of grid innovation.How to sell new technology into deeply risk-averse utilities.Why customer pull matters more than technically elegant innovation.How a $10K product can expand into a $100K integrated solution.Why buying an established business can beat starting from zero.Why NovaTech kills roughly 98 of every 100 product ideas.--Are you a VC- or PE-backed CEO building in energy, infrastructure, or climate tech?Join 45 CEOs and 45 investors and post-exit founders who help each other make better decisions on capital, strategy, scaling, and leadership.See if the CEO community is a fit → entrepreneursforimpact.comGet smarter on energy, infrastructure, and climate tech in 2 minutes.Join 40,000+ professionals getting practical insights on startups, investing, commercialization, strategy, and leadership.Get the free newsletter → entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comHelp more people find this podcast.If this episode was useful, take 20 seconds to follow the show or leave a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps bring these conversations to more entrepreneurs, investors, and executives.

Hiring mistakes can cripple a startup in energy, infrastructure, or industrial technology. This simple three-trait framework helps CEOs spot great team players and six dangerous hiring archetypes before they join the company.The Frramework:Adapted from Patrick Lencioni’s "The Ideal Team Player," this episode applies three traits to climate tech hiring: humble, hungry, and smart, meaning emotionally intelligent. Even talented candidates can fail when one of these traits is missing.Seven things you’ll learn in this episode:Why humble + hungry + smart is a powerful hiring filter.Why character can matter more than climate or energy expertise.How the Accidental Mess-Maker creates problems despite good intentions.Why the Lovable Slacker can quietly slow a fast-growing startup.How to recognize the ambitious, charismatic Skillful Politician.Why Bulldozers can deliver results while damaging the team around them.The one interview question that matters: Which virtue is missing?Read more here:https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com/p/which-climate-tech-character-did--Are you a VC- or PE-backed CEO building in energy, infrastructure, or climate tech?Join 45 CEOs and 45 investors and post-exit founders who help each other make better decisions on capital, strategy, scaling, and leadership.See if the CEO community is a fit → entrepreneursforimpact.comGet smarter on energy, infrastructure, and climate tech in 2 minutes.Join 40,000+ professionals getting practical insights on startups, investing, commercialization, strategy, and leadership.Get the free newsletter → entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comHelp more people find this podcast.If this episode was useful, take 20 seconds to follow the show or leave a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps bring these conversations to more entrepreneurs, investors, and executives.

What kills hard-tech startups usually isn’t the technology. It’s everything surrounding it: unit economics, supply chains, customers, workforce, financing, and the long road from demonstration to deployment.Guest bio:Dr. Vanessa Chan is an entrepreneur, engineer, angel investor, and educator who works at the intersection of technology, commercialization, and business. She previously served as Chief Commercialization Officer at the U.S. Department of Energy and now leads innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Pennsylvania’s Engineering program. She was also a partner at McKinsey & Company, where she co-led its innovation practice. TIME named her to its TIME100 Climate list of influential climate leaders in 2024. She holds three patents and, outside of work, runs her own pottery studio.Seven things you’ll learn in this episode:Technology readiness isn’t enough: founders also need to systematically reduce market, supply chain, workforce, regulatory, community, and economic risks.A startup doesn’t need to eliminate every risk before raising capital, but it needs data, explicit assumptions, and a credible plan for driving each major risk down.Commercialization ultimately comes down to three questions: Do customers want it, will they pay enough for it, and can you deliver it at a cost that lets the value chain make money?The hardest financing gap in hard tech often sits between development and demonstration, when first-of-a-kind projects remain expensive, but traditional capital wants proven economics.America’s capital providers may need new structures that spread risk across the first several deployments instead of waiting to finance the eighth or ninth project.Founders trained as technologists need to replace “technology push” with “market pull,” including talking to customers long before the technology is finished.Some of the best entrepreneurial training comes from getting comfortable without a rubric: observe problems, ask why, experiment, build networks, and learn how to find answers you were never taught.--Are you a VC- or PE-backed CEO building in energy, infrastructure, or climate tech?Join 45 CEOs and 45 investors and post-exit founders who help each other make better decisions on capital, strategy, scaling, and leadership.See if the CEO community is a fit → entrepreneursforimpact.comGet smarter on energy, infrastructure, and climate tech in 2 minutes.Join 40,000+ professionals getting practical insights on startups, investing, commercialization, strategy, and leadership.Get the free newsletter → entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comHelp more people find this podcast.If this episode was useful, take 20 seconds to follow the show or leave a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps bring these conversations to more entrepreneurs, investors, and executives.

Big projects routinely blow their budgets, schedules, and sometimes the companies building them. But research across 16,000+ projects reveals surprisingly consistent rules for getting them right.In this solo episode, I translate lessons from How Big Things Get Done by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner into practical strategies for entrepreneurs building factories, energy projects, infrastructure, and other capital-intensive businesses.Seven lessons for entrepreneurs:Assume your forecast is too optimistic. Compare your project with what actually happened on similar projects, not just your own projections.Plan slowly so you can build quickly. Mistakes are cheap on paper and brutally expensive once construction starts.Don’t innovate everywhere at once. A breakthrough project can combine mostly proven components with a small amount of genuinely novel technology.Find your LEGO brick. Standardization, repetition, and modularity can dramatically reduce cost, complexity, and execution risk.Hire people with scars. Your first commercial project should not also be your contractor’s first attempt at building one.Shrink the window of vulnerability. Every extra month creates more exposure to inflation, tariffs, elections, supply chains, and other surprises.Align incentives before construction begins. Structure contracts so everyone wins when the project succeeds, rather than profiting from delays and change orders.Read about all 15 tips here:https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com/p/15-rules-for-building-big-projects--Are you a VC- or PE-backed CEO building in energy, infrastructure, or climate tech?Join 45 CEOs and 45 investors and post-exit founders who help each other make better decisions on capital, strategy, scaling, and leadership.See if the CEO community is a fit → entrepreneursforimpact.comGet smarter on energy, infrastructure, and climate tech in 2 minutes.Join 40,000+ professionals getting practical insights on startups, investing, commercialization, strategy, and leadership.Get the free newsletter → entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comHelp more people find this podcast.If this episode was useful, take 20 seconds to follow the show or leave a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps bring these conversations to more entrepreneurs, investors, and executives.

Nitrogen fertilizer feeds billions of people. But producing it consumes staggering amounts of energy. Switch Bioworks is engineering microbes that could replace industrial fertilizer with biological alternatives at a fraction of the cost.Company bio:Switch Bioworks is a biofertilizer company engineering programmable microbes that colonize plant roots and then switch from growth to producing ammonia, giving crops access to nitrogen without relying entirely on conventional fertilizer. Initially targeting the roughly 100 million acres of U.S. corn, Switch has raised nearly $24 million in venture capital plus roughly $5 million in grants and is developing technology that could eventually extend to phosphorus and other biological applications.Guest bio:Tim Schnabel is the founder and CEO of Switch Bioworks, which grew out of his Stanford PhD research into genetically engineering plant-root microbes to produce fertilizer. A scientist-turned-entrepreneur and lifelong plant obsessive, Tim has spent roughly a decade working on biological alternatives to the century-old Haber-Bosch process while learning how to translate deep science into a venture-scale business.Seven things you’ll learn in this episodeHow engineered microbes can replace conventional nitrogen fertilizer by turning plant roots into miniature fertilizer factories.Why Switch’s microbes must grow first and produce ammonia second, and how a genetic switch makes that possible.How a few grams of microbes could replace tens of pounds of fertilizer, potentially driving production costs toward $1 per acre at scale.Why winning over risk-conscious farmers requires multiple seasons of field data and proof from neighboring farms, not just better science.How deep-tech founders navigate the catch-22 of needing commercial traction to fund R&D before the technology is fully proven.Why Switch’s programmable biology could eventually move beyond nitrogen to unlock phosphorus already trapped in agricultural soils.Why Tim believes “ferocious networking,” no-regrets decisions, and mindfulness are essential tools for surviving the long journey from scientist to CEO.--Are you a VC- or PE-backed CEO building in energy, infrastructure, or climate tech?Join 45 CEOs and 45 investors and post-exit founders who help each other make better decisions on capital, strategy, scaling, and leadership.See if the CEO community is a fit → entrepreneursforimpact.comGet smarter on energy, infrastructure, and climate tech in 2 minutes.Join 40,000+ professionals getting practical insights on startups, investing, commercialization, strategy, and leadership.Get the free newsletter → entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comHelp more people find this podcast.If this episode was useful, take 20 seconds to follow the show or leave a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps bring these conversations to more entrepreneurs, investors, and executives.

Legendary venture capitalist Brad Feld, co-founder of Foundry Group and Techstars and author of Give First, explains how founders can use resilience, mentorship, long-term thinking, and non-transactional relationships to build stronger startups and startup communities, especially in climate tech and turbulent markets.This podcast was so important when we recorded it last year that I'm republishing it now. Company bio:Foundry Group is a venture capital firm that invests in technology startups and venture funds across the U.S. Techstars is a global startup accelerator and entrepreneurial network built around mentorship, founder development, and the philosophy of “Give First.”Speaker bio:Brad Feld is a legendary venture capitalist, entrepreneur, author, and longtime startup mentor who has spent four decades investing in and advising 4,000+ founders. His book, Give First, explores how non-transactional generosity can strengthen founders, relationships, and startup communities.Seven things entrepreneurs will learn in this episode:Why the best founders treat startup near-death experiences as “type 2 fun” and keep adapting when conditions turn against themWhy “Give First” means helping without negotiating the return upfront, not giving endlessly or ignoring your own needsHow to distinguish mentors, advisors, coaches, and investors, and why confusing those roles creates bad expectationsWhy healthy boundaries make generosity more sustainable for both founders and mentorsHow reputation and relationship capital compound over decades, often producing opportunities you could never have engineered transactionallyWhy failed startups still create valuable learning, talent, and technology that can compound across an entrepreneurial ecosystemWhy climate innovation needs positive-sum founder communities that share knowledge and support each other through shifting markets, politics, and funding cycles--Join our confidential CEO community.Private CEO group for VC/PE-backed climate tech founders navigating capital, strategy, and scale. Capped at 45 CEOs and 45 Mentors (investors and post-exit CEOs), representing $40B in enterprise value or investment capital.→ entrepreneursforimpact.com Join 40,000 professionals who get our free newsletter.Climate tech finance, strategy, leadership. 2-min read.→ entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comLeave a 20-second podcast review.If you found it valuable, be a climate community builder and rate, review, or follow the podcast on Apple and Spotify. It helps push more capital and talent toward scalable climate solutions.

Climate tech is scaling fast. But the data shows huge gaps in industrial decarbonization, carbon removal, energy storage, and the capital needed to turn breakthrough technologies into profitable businesses.Company bio:Speed & Scale is a climate action initiative built around measurable objectives and key results (OKRs) for reaching net-zero emissions, originating from John Doerr’s Speed & Scale framework. https://speedandscale.comIts Climate Tech Map, developed with partners including Breakthrough Energy, Elemental Impact, Energy Innovation, McKinsey Sustainability, and Stanford’s Doerr School, organizes thousands of climate technologies into a navigable roadmap of decarbonization opportunities.https://climatetechmap.comGuest bios:Ryan Panchadsaram is co-author of Speed & Scale and an investor at Doerr Capital, where his work spans climate technology investing, philanthropy, and climate strategy; his earlier career includes entrepreneurship and public-sector leadership. Quinn is Director of Research at Speed & Scale, and an investor at Doerr Capital, where she helps translate complex climate, technology, and market data into actionable frameworks for investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and professionals entering climate tech.Seven things you’ll learn in this episode:Why steel, cement, and food may offer more climate-tech whitespace than the crowded energy sector.Why climate technologies need a green discount, not just cost parity.How deep tech founders can prove their path from expensive prototype to profitable scale.Why manufacturing talent often needs to join a climate startup earlier than founders expect.Why long-duration energy storage is emerging as a major investment opportunity.Where climate capital is surging—and where promising technologies are still starved for funding.Why successful leaders should spend more time creating than consuming.--Join our confidential CEO community.Private CEO group for VC/PE-backed climate tech founders navigating capital, strategy, and scale. Capped at 45 CEOs.→ entrepreneursforimpact.com Join 40,000 professionals who get our newsletter.Climate tech finance, strategy, leadership. 2-min read.→ entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comLeave a podcast review.If you got value, take 30 seconds and do the community a favor. It helps push more capital and talent toward scalable climate solutions.

Climate CEOs are expected to project confidence. But acting invincible can make investors, employees, and customers trust you less.This minisode explores the "vulnerability paradox" and why selective candor can be a leadership advantage.Confidence and vulnerability aren’t opposites — CEOs need to project conviction, especially during fundraising, layoffs, missed milestones, and difficult customer negotiations. But pretending everything is perfect can undermine credibility.People connect through shared struggle — Investors, employees, and customers respond to leaders who acknowledge that building companies is messy. The perfectly scripted founder story rarely feels believable.Share challenges selectively — Vulnerability doesn’t mean telling everyone everything. Share the right mistakes, lessons, and unresolved challenges with the right audience.Replace perfection with learning — “Here’s what we’re learning” can build more trust than pretending everything is going according to plan.Candor can be commercially valuable — Trust matters in fundraising, hiring, partnerships, and enterprise sales. Sometimes admitting uncertainty strengthens the relationship instead of weakening it.The core lesson — Strong CEOs don’t need to look invincible. They need to know when confidence builds trust, and when honesty builds more.👉 Get the written summary:https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com/p/climate-ceos-stop-acting-invincible--1️⃣ Join our confidential CEO community.Private CEO group for VC/PE-backed climate tech founders navigating capital, strategy, and scale. Capped at 45 CEOs.→ entrepreneursforimpact.com2️⃣ Join 40,000 professionals who get our newsletter.Climate tech finance, strategy, leadership. 2-min read.→ entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com3️⃣ Leave a podcast review.If you got value, take 30 seconds and do the community a favor. It helps push more capital and talent toward scalable climate solutions.

What if America could add gigawatts of nuclear power without building new nuclear plants? Alva Energy is upgrading existing reactors to produce 20–30% more power, potentially adding 200–300 megawatts per plant in just 3–5 years.Company bio:Alva Energy is developing technology to increase the output of existing nuclear power plants by upgrading their nuclear steam systems and adding a second turbine generator. The company is already working exclusively with six operating reactors, and estimates projects could add roughly 200–300 MW for around $1B, less than one-fifth the cost of new nuclear construction.Speaker bio:James Krellenstein is the co-founder and CEO of Alva Energy. A physicist by training and the son of a nuclear engineer and energy economist, James combines nuclear technology, project finance, and first-principles thinking. Alva has raised a $32M Series A led by former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger with Playground Global.Five lessons for entrepreneurs:Look for billion-dollar opportunities hiding in plain sight – Alva’s core nuclear uprate approach had already been demonstrated in Sweden. The opportunity came from understanding why it hadn’t scaled in the US—and redesigning around that bottleneck.Go to the source material – James traces part of Alva’s technical insight to reading a 15,000-page nuclear engineering filing. Secondary summaries are convenient; sometimes the best opportunities are buried several layers deeper.Design the financing alongside the technology – Alva separates its venture-backed TopCo from individual project companies that can use project debt and equity. The goal is to make nuclear upgrades financeable like other infrastructure assets.Don’t let venture capital’s obsession with speed destroy execution – Demand grew faster than Alva expected, reaching engineering exclusivity with six reactors in under two years. James has deliberately tapped the brakes when necessary because nuclear engineering quality matters more than locking up TAM.Align incentives around getting projects built – Instead of relying on traditional time-and-materials contracts that can reward higher project costs, Alva uses fixed-price structures and invests alongside project investors. Everyone benefits from bringing projects online faster and cheaper.--1️⃣ Join our confidential CEO community.Private CEO group for VC/PE-backed climate tech founders navigating capital, strategy, and scale. Capped at 45 CEOs.→ entrepreneursforimpact.com2️⃣ Join 40,000 professionals who get our newsletter.Climate tech finance, strategy, leadership. 2-min read.→ entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com3️⃣ Leave a podcast review.If you got value, take 30 seconds and do the community a favor. It helps push more capital and talent toward scalable climate solutions.

Most hiring mistakes don’t happen because CEOs can’t recognize talent. They happen because interviews reward candidates who are good at interviewing.This minisode explores a more rigorous method for hiring executives (topgrading), and how climate CEOs can uncover performance patterns before making an expensive mistake.Look for patterns, not polish — Walk through a candidate’s career job by job to understand what they accomplished, where they struggled, why they left, and what patterns repeat.Ask the same questions about every role — What were you hired to do? What did you accomplish? What were the low points? Why did you leave? Consistency makes comparisons easier and exposes gaps.Use the Threat of Reference Check — Ask candidates what each former boss will say about their performance. Knowing you may verify the answer tends to produce more candid responses.Test for startup fit, not just executive credentials — A successful Fortune 500 executive may struggle when the job requires getting into the weeds during a funding round, factory scale-up, or major customer deployment.Spend more time before the hire — A rigorous interview process takes longer upfront. But that cost is tiny compared with losing six months to the wrong executive and starting the search again.The core lesson — Your goal isn’t to hire the best interviewer. It’s to find evidence that someone has repeatedly produced the results you need in environments similar to yours.👉 Get the written summary:https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com/p/the-climate-ceos-method-for-hiring--1️⃣ Join our confidential CEO community.Private CEO group for VC/PE-backed climate tech founders navigating capital, strategy, and scale. Capped at 45 CEOs.→ entrepreneursforimpact.com2️⃣ Join 40,000 professionals who get our newsletter.Climate tech finance, strategy, leadership. 2-min read.→ entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com3️⃣ Leave a podcast review.If you got value, take 30 seconds and do the community a favor. It helps push more capital and talent toward scalable climate solutions.