Investor Insight Session #4 - PlanetA
From Lab to Pitch: How deep tech investors decide
GreenTech startups play by different rules: longer development cycles, hardware risk and markets that may not exist yet. On top of that, there’s one more question every founder has to answer: does the impact actually hold up? So how do investors decide whether to back a team at the earliest stage? At our next Investor Insight Session, Dr. Benedikt Buchspies from Planet A joins us at the JUNI Campus to share how a science-driven VC looks at early-stage GreenTech founders. Planet A is an early-stage European tech VC backing founders solving the world’s greatest challenges. The fund takes a scientific approach to identify breakthrough technologies across energy, resource mastery, neo-manufacturing and critical infrastructure. Benedikt is Principal for Technology Research and Science at Planet A. With his background as a scientist, he leads the fund’s technology and impact assessment, using methods like life cycle assessments to evaluate whether a technology can deliver real, measurable change, and builds those insights directly into investment decisions. In his input, Benedikt gives you an inside look at how Planet A evaluates startups and what it takes to convince a science-driven investor. Afterwards, there’s plenty of room for your questions: When is a GreenTech idea ready for a VC conversation? How much proof does the technology need? How do you show that your impact is real, not just a claim? And what makes a pitch stick, and what makes it fall flat? This session is especially for researchers, PhD candidates thinking about spinning out and founders preparing their first round in GreenTech, from energy and materials to circular economy and sustainable manufacturing. Working in a different field? You’re of course welcome to join too.
Agenda 11:30 Welcome to the JUNI Campus 12:00 How Planet A invests, with Dr. Benedikt Buchspies 12:30 Open Q&A 13:15 Snacks & Conversations 14:00 End
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