Jessica Burley (Planet A): Funding the Physical World in Europe

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🌊 Hardware Is Hard. That’s the Point.

What it really takes to fund, build, and scale climate hardware in Europe

We’re joined by Jessica Burley, Investor at Planet A Ventures, one of Europe’s leading climate and deep tech VCs pioneering a science-based approach to venture capital.

In this episode, we dive into why climate hardware is fundamentally different from software — and unpack what it really takes for founders and investors to scale atoms (not just bits) without breaking the cap table.

From capital stacks and bankability to team composition and customer urgency, this is a grounded, insider conversation for anyone building or backing climate infrastructure.

In our conversation, we covered:

→ Why hardware isn’t broken — but VCs need a new playbook

→ The real reason climate hardware fails (hint: it’s not the science)

→ How to structure a capital stack beyond pure equity

→ What “bankability” actually means for first-of-a-kind plants

→ Why sustainability alone doesn’t close customers

→ Where climate hardware is quietly becoming profitable right now