Eric Rubenstein from New Climate Ventures

Eric Rubenstein from New Climate Ventures

Author: collide. April 14, 2026 Duration: 1:11:20

Eric Rubenstein, managing partner at New Climate Ventures, joins Jason and Nada live from Ceraweek to make the case that what we're calling an energy transition is actually a new industrial revolution. He breaks down why data centers are only the fifth biggest driver of power demand, how his 35-company portfolio is shifting toward localized production and supply chain resilience, and what founders absolutely need to nail before walking up to an investor at a conference.


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.


00:00 - Intro and Ceraweek impressions

07:11 - What is actually driving power demand growth

13:41 - The all-of-the-above energy reality

19:12 - NCV fund thesis and origin

22:28 - Portfolio breakdown and data center exposure

25:07 - Upcycling waste into value

28:30 - How the portfolio informs investment strategy

34:19 - Is venture capital broken for hard tech?

37:01 - The missing middle and how startups are bridging it

40:11 - Industrial customers funding their own first commercial plants

45:38 - Raising fund two and what LPs want

48:45 - How NCV communicates with investors

56:37 - What founders should know before approaching investors

01:01:09 - Talking valuation with investors


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
Daniel Basaldua [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:05
In this episode, we sit down with Daniel Basaldua, founder and CEO of Euphree Electric Bikes, to talk about how he’s reimagining urban mobility through the most comfortable commuter-style e-bikes on the market. Daniel sh…
Zimri Hinshaw [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:14
In this episode, we sit down with Zimri Hinshaw, founder and CEO of Bucha Bio, to explore how the company is using biotechnology to create novel biomaterials that replace animal leather and fossil fuel–based materials. Z…
Grace Chan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:30
In this episode, we sit down with Grace Chan, Venture Principal for New Markets at bp ventures, to discuss how corporate venture capital is shaping the global energy transition. Grace shares how bp ventures approaches in…
Trevor Best [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:59
In this episode, we sit down with Trevor Best, serial entrepreneur and CEO of Syzygy Plasmonics, to explore how his company is reinventing chemical refining with light-driven reactors powered by renewable electricity. Sp…
Eric Rubenstein [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:41
In this episode, we talk with Eric Rubenstein, Managing Partner at New Climate Ventures, about investing in early-stage technologies focused on carbon reduction and avoidance. Eric shares how NCV approaches company stage…
Moji Karimi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:16
In this episode, we sit down with Moji Karimi, CEO and co-founder of Cemvita, to discuss how nature-inspired technologies and synthetic biology can tackle some of the hardest climate challenges. A self-described carbon-n…