Welcome to The Climate Pioneers Show.
Each season we focus on a different area of climate technology, exploring the highs and lows of building and scaling climate start-ups.
We feature founder stories from the front line, fundraising advice from impact investors, and tips about how to build and support a team of A-players to save the planet.
Hosted by Cherry Swayne, founder of Above & Beyond Recruitment, angel investor and climate talent specialist.
Happy listening!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to The Climate Pioneers Show.
Each season we focus on a different area of climate technology, exploring the highs and lows of building and scaling climate start-ups.
We feature founder stories from the front line, fundraising advice from impact investors, and tips about how to build and support a team of A-players to save the planet.
Hosted by Cherry Swayne, founder of Above & Beyond Recruitment, angel investor and climate talent specialist.
Happy listening!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Thomas Farquhar is the CCO at Heatio, a UK-based clean technology company founded in 2020, focused on developing innovative solutions for home energy management to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions in residential properties.
Their mission is to accelerate the transition to sustainable home heating by making it easier and more cost-effective for homeowners to adopt low-carbon technologies.
Heatio secured £2 million in funding last year, has built partnerships with major energy providers and property developers across the UK and has been recognised as one of the most promising climate tech startups in the UK.
1:25 - An intro to Heatio and the problem they are working to solve
3:36 - How did you meet your co-founder and come to form Heatio?
4:37 - How has the clean tech and home energy market changed in the last 20 years?
5:46 - What is holding UK homeowners back from adopting clean energy into their homes, compared to other countries?
7:19 - What have countries with higher adoption rates done well?
9:00 - Common myths to bust about heat pumps.
12:06 - How did Heatio choose which segments of the market to approach and how to commercialise?
13:12 - Is Heatio’s communication and education content for B2B or also for the end-user residential customers?
14:38 - What early wins did you get from a commercial or customer perspective?
16:01 - How did you find the fundraising experience last year? What were the main objections you faced and learnings that came from your time fundraising?
19:42 - What did the first round of money unlock for you post-raise?
20:13 - How did the team develop post-raise? How was the recruitment process and what challenges did you face?
21:34 - What is important to Heatio when hiring and where does company culture fit into that?
22:32 - How did you assess talent to know who had the strength to work in a startup?
23:30 - What did the growth phase of the company teach you about scaling? What might you do differently?
25:18 - What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced since starting Heatio?
26:04 - As a founder, how do you protect yourself against what can be extreme highs and lows?
27:26 - What are you excited about for the rest of the year and the future of Heatio?
28:09 - Are you encouraged by the current government’s commitments to renewable energy?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.