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Kyle Cherrick "builds and invests in new things in climate tech and sustainability." It's a good summation of a 15-year career focused on startups, from early-stage through the venture-funded (growth) stage and beyond, and industry leaders like First Solar, SunEdison, and Chint Power Systems.
Kyle is an entrepreneur and a climate investing aficionado, and lately he’s gained attention as lead investor for Climate Avengers, a venture capital community of more than 400 angel investors that he started in 2021 as a side project.
Kyle’s day job, and life’s work is as vice president of business development at Electrum and its affiliated company, Solar.com. He joined Los Angeles-based Electrum (formerly PickMySolar) in 2016 after it acquired his company, Solar Merchant.
Electrum is a managed, online bidding platform homeowners can use to find competitive offers on solar, battery storage, and electrification products, and Solar.com is an online marketplace that helps homeowners find, select and contract certified solar installers. After analysis through a proprietary algorithm, registrants can choose a bid, e-sign a contract directly with the installer and explore financing options.
In today's Tactical Tuesday, I'm sharing a conversation with Kyle who joined our exclusive Discord community, REsource Labs, for its first-ever Office Hours. The discussion centered around climate investing, and we had several community members participate in the call to provide color, questions, commentary, and counterpoints.
Office Hours is a great place to ask questions and get answers. Kyle takes questions and shares insights on the latest trends and topics in climate investing and clean tech.
Kyle learned from experience many founders are "banging their heads against the wall talking to generalist investors who didn't understand or believe in the climate tech market. Climate Avengers is here to support those founders."
He thinks the world needs to create more climate angels and grow investment in the climate space, especially in early-stage startups.
It's why Climate Avengers launched its first fund in 2021 and added a rolling fund last year, which enables it to back the most promising climate startups more quickly. The rolling fund writes checks in the $10,000 to $50,000 range and makes three to five investments a quarter.
"We know the climate clock is ticking and that good businesses out there need more capital to grow faster, hire more, and fund more pilots. They need to reach across that chasm to reach full viability, so I began researching and building out my own fund," he explained.
He's running the funds concurrently with his work at Electrum, which he said he enjoys. "I love it, but I also have a huge passion for angel investing in this space and know we need more capital," he added.
Kyle talks about many subjects in today's podcast, including carbon offsets. "The whole globe is becoming aware that we have to reduce carbon and understand the value of a carbon reduction offset. The value of those carbon offsets will increase significantly over time, to the point that it becomes like an asset one would invest in, which is a weird concept to consider. But it's good for the economy.
Kyle graduated in 2008 from the University of Arizona with a degree in marketing and entrepreneurship and earned an MBA in 2016 from Babson College.
There's much to hear in today's conversation, and I invite you to join us. Kyle is a repeat guest, and you can learn more from him in Suncast Episodes 95 and 96.
RESOURCES:
Connect with Kyle Cherrick on LinkedIn and Twitter
And, Join our community to participate in more live conversations like this one!
NOTEWORTHY QUOTEs:
“The general thesis is, the whole globe is becoming aware that we have to reduce carbon, and we have to understand the value of a carbon reduction, or offset, and so the value of those carbon offsets is going to increase significantly over time, to the point that it actually becomes like an asset that one would invest in.”
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ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:
Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.
Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 16-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.
You can connect with Nico Johnson on Twitter, LinkedIn or email.
If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.