The world looked bleak for startups in the spring. According to figures from Crunchbase, venture capital deals were down 44 percent from March to June compared with last year. Seed-stage deals took the biggest hit, down nearly 60 percent. But Series B deals also took a hit. The funding environment was challenging for startups at any stage of funding.

Deals are finally coming back. Obviously, travel startups won’t be a hot category for a long time. But what about those in the "climatetech" and cleantech space? Are they insulated? And what does the reorientation tell us about who’s still all-in on the category?

We’re joined by Abe Yokell, managing partner and co-founder of Congruent Ventures. He and Shayle dig into a wide range of venture capital trends, including:

  • COVID-19 impacts on the climatetech venture revolution. We’ll check back in on what we talked about last time, given the new state of the world.
  • The rise of the tech company mega-climate-fund
  • Public market madness. What, if anything, does this say about exit prospects for climatetech startups?
  • Hot sectors: Where is the smart tech talent going?

The Interchange is brought to you by Fluence, a global leader in battery-based energy storage technology and services. From commercializing the first grid-connected battery systems in 2008 to the multi-gigawatt fleet being deployed for customers globally today, the Fluence team is ensuring that storage is the cornerstone of the electric future. Learn more.