Donald Kendall from New Climate Ventures

Donald Kendall from New Climate Ventures

Author: collide. March 31, 2026 Duration: 54:56

Venture capital in the energy transition is getting more complicated, but Donald R. Kendall Jr., General Partner at New Climate Ventures, says the multi-trillion dollar opportunity isn't going anywhere. We get into how they find picks and shovels plays in crowded markets, what $100 oil means for climate startups, why management teams matter more than technology, and what it actually takes to get a first-of-a-kind project financed.

Click here to watch a video of this episode.

Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.
Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.
Apply today at collide.io


Click here to view the episode transcript.

0:00 New Climate Ventures and Investment Thesis
8:00 Data Centers, Cooling, and Energy Independence
10:00 $100 Oil and What It Means for the Energy Transition
14:00 SAF, Carbon Alternatives, and Portfolio Companies
21:00 Don's Background in Project Finance and Early Renewables
26:00 SolarCity, Financial Engineering, and Residential Solar
32:00 What Makes a Fundable Team
38:00 The State of Venture Capital for Climate
42:00 Why Invest in Climate Over AI
43:00 Houston's Role in the Energy Transition
49:00 Most Exciting Technologies Right Now
51:00 Wildlife Conservation and Closing

https://twitter.com/collide_ai

https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io

https://www.facebook.com/collide.io

https://www.instagram.com/collide.io

https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io

https://bsky.app/profile/collide-ai.bsky.social

https://www.linkedin.com/company/collideai


They say everything's bigger in Texas, including the challenges and opportunities presented by climate change. That's precisely why Houston has become a surprising epicenter for the global energy transition. In H-Town, the fourth largest city in the United States, a new wave of entrepreneurs is converging, partnering with established industry titans to forge the technologies that will slash emissions and power a low-carbon future. This is the landscape explored in Energytech Startups, a podcast from collide. that goes straight to the source. Hosts Nada Ahmed and Jason Ethier sit down with the very people driving this change-the founders, investors, and innovators who are building companies at the intersection of energy and technology. Each conversation digs into the real work: the engineering breakthroughs, the complex business models, and the hard-won lessons from the front lines of a sector undergoing massive transformation. It’s a direct line to the strategies and stories shaping the future of energy, making this podcast an essential listen for anyone curious about the business and investment dynamics behind building a sustainable world. You’ll hear frank discussions about funding, scaling, and the practical realities of bringing a transformative idea to market, all set against the backdrop of a city historically known for oil and gas now betting big on its own reinvention.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 87

Energytech Startups
Podcast Episodes
Alma Energy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:32
Hermann explains how Alma Energy is advancing direct lithium extraction with cleaner, more efficient processes powered by AI, and why these innovations matter for the energy transition. He also discusses the challenges a…
How UnicornForms Revolutionizes Document Management [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:53
Patrick shares how his company, UnicornForms, is transforming frustrating processes like DMV paperwork and education enrollment into seamless digital experiences through smarter document management. We dive into how AI s…
Is OceanBit the Future of Carbon-Free Energy? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:13
OceanBit is harnessing ocean thermal energy to deliver 24/7 renewable power while simultaneously providing cooling for data centers, reducing costs in high-density computing environments. Founder Nathaniel explains how A…
Dsider's Game-Changing Tool for Energy Founders [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:46
Sujatha explains how Dsider uses technoeconomic analysis to help cleantech and hard-tech startups make better decisions by evaluating projects through both technical and financial lenses. Through a role-play with Jason a…
Inside Latin America's Climate Tech Boom with Benjamin Zehr [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:52
Benjamin explores the opportunities and challenges of building energy tech startups across Latin America and the Caribbean, and how Reciprocal is bridging the gap between the global North and the region through a venture…
Why Erik Rambech’s CCS Tool is a Game Changer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:43
Erik shares his journey from working at DNV to founding Endrava, where he’s building digital tools to accelerate industrial decarbonization. Drawing on more than a decade in climate tech, he discusses CapturMap, a platfo…
Secrets Behind HEXASpec's Award-Winning Tech [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:13
Fresh off their win at the Rice Lily Pitch Competition, Sean and Chen-Yang share how they went from PhD students at Rice University to founders of HEXASpec, tackling energy efficiency and emissions through advanced heat…
Sage Geosystems [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:52
Cindy shares how Sage Geosystems is applying decades of oil and gas expertise to develop subsurface pumped hydro storage, a breakthrough approach to large-scale, sustainable energy storage. Drawing on more than 35 years…
Liquid-Charge [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:04
Liquid-Charge is redefining EV mobility with emissions-free liquid fuels that extend vehicle range without relying on costly charging infrastructure. Founder Jared shares his journey from writing a science fiction novel…
ENP Technologies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:41
Pranav shares the inspiration behind Unique and how ENP Technologies is using blockchain and AI to close critical gaps in equipment data management, driving greater efficiency and transparency across the energy sector. H…