Global Energy Transition: BP Ventures Principal Looks to the Future of Climate Tech
With a passion for energy transition and a strong foundation in corporate venture investment, Grace Chan combines her extensive network, strategic deal-making expertise, and resilient approach to navigate uncertainty and maximize portfolio impact for long-term success. Grace Chan is currently the Principal at bp Ventures.
Connect with Grace:
LinkedIn: Grace Chan
Websites: bp Ventures | www.bp.com//bp-ventures.html
🌟 Resources & Links
- Explore past episodes: Forging the Future Episodes
- Learn about Softeq: softeq.com
Stay inspired and ahead of the curve by subscribing to Forging the Future. Share your thoughts on this episode with the hashtag #ForgingTheFuture or tag us online!
🎧 Episode Highlights
- [00:00] Podcast Begins
- [01:42] What About Houston? Energy innovation beyond oil & gas industries
- [03:06] Bioenergy Explained: Ethanol from corn, sugar, & avocado pits
- [06:38] Hurdles for Energy Investments: Capital, incentivization, & expectations
- [11:28] BP Alignment vs BP Ventures Interests: What startups are getting funded?
- [14:24] Advice for Founders? How to get an investment from bp Ventures
- [18:50] Investor Learning Moments: Work-life balance & investment alignment
- [24:31] Sustainable Solutions & Collaboration: The future of energy involves teamwork
🔑 Key Takeaways
- Eyes on BioEnergy: Grace has been focused on bioenergy for the past year and a half of her career, and has seen incredible innovations in using natural materials like avocado pits and sugar cane to produce ethanol for fuel.
- What’s the Hurdle? For clean energy investments, Grace often finds the biggest hurdles to be expectation of risk and return. She compares the investor and startup relationship to two people dating, “We both think we can get more, so we won’t settle.”
- Strategy with BP: At BP Ventures, Grace focuses on strategic alignment with BP in each of their investments. From hydrogen to ethanol, automobiles to aviation, Grace explains, “We’re looking for technology that can inform our strategy…be a new vertical for BP.”
👤 Guest Spotlight
Grace Chan:
With a passion for energy transition and a strong foundation in corporate venture investment, Grace Chan combines her extensive network, strategic deal-making expertise, and resilient approach to navigate uncertainty and maximize portfolio impact for long-term success. Grace Chan is currently the Principal at bp Ventures.
You maybe interested in:
