#62 - David Ferguson - EDF - From Pilot to Scale: How Corporates Work with Startups

#62 - David Ferguson - EDF - From Pilot to Scale: How Corporates Work with Startups

Author: Hugo Rauch December 14, 2025 Duration: 26:52

🌊 David Ferguson on pilot-to-scale partnerships.

Why corporate-startup partnerships fail and how to design the ones that actually work.

We’re joined by David Ferguson, Head of Innovation (UK) at EDF, a 20-year energy veteran working at the intersection of climate, technology, and large-scale infrastructure.

In this episode, we dive into why corporates love pilots but struggle to scale them, and unpack what it really takes for startups and big utilities to build collaborations that survive beyond the proof of concept.

In our conversation, we covered:

→ Why most climate pilots die before reaching scale

→ How to design a trial that stands on its own (not a fake path to procurement)

→ The four real ways corporates can work with startups, beyond selling

→ Culture clash: speed, risk, incentives, and decision-making

→ Why corporates need startups as much as startups need corporates

→ What EDF actually wants from climate startups right now

→ Why flexibility and long-duration storage are the next big battlegrounds



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newwavenewsletter.substack.com

Hugo Rauch hosts New Wave, a podcast that lives at the intersection of business ambition and scientific reality. This isn't about distant predictions or abstract science; it's a grounded exploration of the technologies and companies being built right now to address our environmental future. Each episode focuses on the practical journey, dissecting the models, the breakthroughs, and the hard decisions that define the climate tech landscape. You'll hear from founders, researchers, and investors who are actively shaping this space, getting into the specifics of what works, what doesn't, and why. The conversations move beyond hype to examine the tangible mechanics of creating viable solutions, from energy storage and sustainable materials to carbon removal and regenerative agriculture. It’s for anyone who thinks about the climate challenge not just as a crisis, but as a complex and urgent field of innovation. By tuning into this podcast, you gain a clearer understanding of the economic forces and scientific principles driving the next generation of environmental solutions. New Wave connects the dots between the lab, the boardroom, and the impact we need to see in the world, offering a sober yet optimistic look at where substantive progress is truly being made.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 95

New Wave.
Podcast Episodes
#12 - Yair Reem - Extantia - The Death of the Green Premium [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:45
Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.***This week, we’re joined by Yair Reem, Partner at Extantia Capital, to break down why the green premium is dead, and what’s next for climate-tech startups. In this episode, we…
#9 - Marion Schuppe - makesense - Can a Nonprofit Run a Venture Fund? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:49
Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.***While traditional VC prioritizes financial returns, makesense invest is proving that social and environmental impact can be at the core of investing, without sacrificing perfo…
#6 - August Solliv - Impact Supporters - What Cleantech 1.0 Got Wrong [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:33
Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.***August Solliv, a former climate VC, and author of the newsletter Impact Supporters joins the podcast to dive into the learnings from the first wave of cleantech startups and w…