Climactic VC Research
Investment Thesis
Climactic invests in visionary founders solving the planet's greatest challenges by battling climate change, achieving sustainability, and creating a more livable future. The firm focuses exclusively on early-stage venture investments in climate technology for enterprise and mobility sectors, combining deep operator expertise with genuine climate impact commitment.
Founded by experienced technologists who understand scale from companies like Lyft, Rubicon Project, Airtable, and BetterUp, Climactic brings 20+ years of combined technology leadership to climate tech investing. The firm's thesis centers on software-first climate solutions—applying cutting-edge AI, automation, and robotics to accelerate the transition to clean energy.
Investment Strategy
Climactic follows a software-first, enterprise-focused strategy targeting climate technology companies addressing energy, AI, automation, and robotics sectors. Rather than funding pure research or hardware-heavy plays, they invest in companies building commercially-viable, immediately-impactful solutions with path to scale.
The firm positions itself among the few VC firms led by experienced founder/operator GPs focused specifically on climate tech. This gives them unique insight into enterprise buying cycles, founder coaching, and practical go-to-market strategy—areas where many climate tech founders lack experience coming from academia, nonprofits, or research backgrounds.
Stage Focus
Climactic targets early-stage investments, primarily Seed and Series A rounds:
- Seed: $1.5M-$3M check sizes
- Series A: Selective participation
- Pre-Seed: Rare but considerate for exceptional founder talent
Check Size & AUM
- Fund I: $65M inaugural fund (closed December 2023)
- Check Size Range: $1.5M-$3M typical deployment
- Fund Status: Actively deploying from Fund I as of February 2026
- Target Ownership: 15-20% at seed stage
The fund is explicitly designed to support early-stage companies at critical inflection points—when they have working technology but need operational and strategic expertise to accelerate commercialization.
Lead Tendency
Climactic leads the majority of its investments, particularly in seed rounds. The firm takes active board participation and operational advisory roles with portfolio companies, not just passive capital provision.
Geographic Focus
Primary focus on US-based founders (SF Bay Area, NYC), with selective international investments in EU and Asia-Pacific. Strong presence in San Francisco (headquarters) and NYC (secondary office).
Recent Activity (2024-2026)
Portfolio Highlights
Climactic's portfolio spans 20+ companies across climate and cleantech:
Featured Investments:
- MuonSpace - Multi-modal Earth remote sensing satellite platform (climate monitoring as Mission-as-a-Service)
- Rubi Laboratories - Enzyme technologies manufacturing carbon-negative textiles from sequestered carbon
- WeaveGrid - EV charging optimization and renewable energy grid integration platform
- Copper - Electric home appliances with integrated batteries for household decarbonization
- EDEN - Data-driven software for home services industry enabling $9M+ in equipment sales
- Climate AI - Supply chain climate risk management via AI modeling
- Lightship - 100% electric recreational vehicles (RVs)
- NCX (Natural Capital Exchange) - Marketplace for forest carbon payments and monetization
- IronGrid - Modern insurance for hardware/renewable energy assets
- Actual HQ - Capital planning software for sustainability and resilience
- CapeZero - Tax credit and tax equity financing for clean energy developers
- Gritt Robotics - Physical AI for energy infrastructure development
- Orange Charger - Right-sized EV charging for multifamily homes
- Populus - Digital solutions for city street and mobility fleet management
- Renoster - Software platform for nature-based carbon offset verification/monitoring
- SINAI Technologies - Enterprise decarbonization software for emissions measurement and reduction
- Station A - Clean energy procurement and management platform for commercial real estate
Recent Notable Funding
- February 2025: EDEN raised $3.7M led by Climactic for home services digital sales enablement
- December 2025: Copper battery-powered induction range featured in CNBC reporting
- Throughout 2024-2025: Active deployment across energy, AI, automation, and robotics sectors
Historical Context
Climactic launched in December 2023 with the $65M Fund I announcement. Josh Felser (co-founder of Freestyle Capital) and Raj Kapoor (ex-Chief Strategy Officer at Lyft) began making climate tech investments 2.5 years before formal fund launch, identifying early opportunities in what they believed would become the most critical investment category of the decade.
Team & Expertise
Core Investment Team
Raj Kapoor - Co-founder & Managing Partner
- Former Chief Strategy Officer at Lyft
- Deep experience in transportation/mobility transformation
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajil
Josh Felser - Co-founder & Managing Partner
- Co-founder of Freestyle Capital
- Serial entrepreneur (founded Spinner, co-founded Crackle)
- Deep operator experience and founder coaching expertise
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshfelser
Peter Sun - Investor
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-sun
Haley Hughes - Chief of Staff
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haley-hughes-/
Strategic Partners
Paul Hawken - Strategic Partner
- Bestselling author and renowned climate activist
- Established environmental thought leader
Van Jones - Special Advisor
- TV host, author, entrepreneur, and change-maker
- Influential voice in climate and social justice
Decision Process & Governance
The fund operates as a partnership between two co-founders with complementary expertise:
- Raj Kapoor brings operational and mobility sector expertise
- Josh Felser brings founder experience and general tech background
Decisions appear to be made collaboratively by the managing partners with input from the broader investment team. The firm takes active roles on portfolio company boards and in operational guidance.
Decision Timeline
Not explicitly stated, but given early-stage focus and active board participation, appears to follow typical seed-stage timelines of 3-8 weeks from initial meeting to commitment.
Warm Introductions
The firm has built substantial networks through Climate Draft (co-founded initiative to migrate top tech talent to climate companies), Climate Week events, and established VC relationships. Warm introductions likely preferred but direct outreach considered for exceptional opportunities.
Founder Preferences
Climactic explicitly seeks:
- "Savvy enterprise and mobility climate tech founders"
- Open-minded, self-aware teams hungry for impact
- Founders craving growth and raising early-stage funding
- Teams with enterprise experience or founder backgrounds
- Experienced operators capable of learning and personal growth
The firm places significant emphasis on founder psychology and personal development, viewing CEO growth as critical to company success.
Anti-Thesis
- Pure research plays or long-term R&D heavy approaches
- Hardware-only solutions without software differentiation
- Consumer-facing (non-B2B) climate plays
- Founders from academia without commercial mindset
- Late-stage companies (Series B+)
Geographic & Sector Specialization
Though software-first, the firm explicitly serves:
- Energy Sector: Grid management, EV charging, renewable integration
- Mobility Sector: Electric transportation, logistics electrification
- Enterprise Software: Decarbonization tracking, compliance, supply chain
- AI/Automation: Climate modeling, infrastructure optimization, robotics
- Textiles & Fashion: Carbon-negative manufacturing (Rubi)
- Real Estate & Buildings: Home services, commercial building decarbonization
Operational Support & Value-Add
Climactic differentiates itself through:
- Founder Coaching: Deep work on CEO personal development
- Market Access: Bridge between Silicon Valley tech talent and climate tech
- Operational Playbooks: Best practices from Lyft, Airtable, BetterUp, Rubicon Project
- Talent Networks: Climate Draft initiative to recruit tech talent
- Government Relations: Building relationships with government/policy for portfolio companies
- Go-to-Market Expertise: Strategy, product, sales, marketing guidance
Market View
Climactic's thesis explicitly anticipates an "M&A boom in climate tech" where enterprise and government acquirers will rapidly consolidate leading climate technology companies. This positions portfolio companies as prime acquisition targets—a key value proposition to founders.
The firm believes most climate tech opportunities exist in immediate commercialization rather than long-term R&D, reflected in their software-first, enterprise-focused strategy.
Investor Base
Climactic is backed by a sophisticated mix of institutional and individual investors demonstrating strong climate and tech conviction:
Institutional Investors:
- Brown Advisory
- HG Ventures
- Mayfield
- MIO Partners
- NfX
- Stepstone
Individual Investors:
- Alison Pincus
- Chris Larsen
- Chris Sacca
- Ev Williams
- Jeff Clavier
- Mark Pincus
- Mike Schroepfer (Meta)
- Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn, Greylock)
- Stephen Simon
This investor base signals strong validation from top-tier VCs and founders, many with substantial climate and energy holdings.
Media & Thought Leadership
Climactic maintains active media presence through:
- Climactic Podcast - Deep conversations with climate leaders and portfolio founders
- Blog & Content - Strategic insights on climate tech investing
- Events: Climate Week NY, Climate Week SF, proprietary Climate Salon events
- Market Intelligence: Climate AI Market analysis and mapping tools
Partners regularly quoted in TechCrunch, Axios, WSJ on climate tech trends.
Conclusion
Climactic represents a rare convergence of founder expertise, operator mindset, and explicit climate commitment. With 20+ years of combined tech leadership and $65M fund deployed intentionally across climate tech, the firm is positioned to become a dominant early-stage climate tech investor. The focus on software-first, enterprise-oriented solutions positions portfolio companies for rapid commercialization and likely acquisition by major corporates building climate capabilities. For founders with demonstrated operating capability, Climactic offers not just capital but strategic partnership with experienced technologists who have built and scaled multi-billion dollar companies.