Main Responsibilities of a Climate Venture Fellow at Early Stage Venture Capital Firm
Nick's role as a Climate Venture Fellow involves early-stage investing in the private markets, focusing on securing "that first hundred thousand to million dollars" for startups in the sustainability and climate sectors, spanning diverse areas like "micro mobility" and "food and agriculture". Beyond financial support, a critical aspect of the role is providing mentorship and guidance to founders, assisting with challenges such as business development, marketing, and team building to maximize startup success.
Early Stage Investing, Venture Capital, Climate Tech, Sustainability, Entrepreneurship
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Nick Rojas
Climate Venture Fellow
Early stage VC
UCLA
University of Michigan, Ross School of Business MBA, School for the Environment and Sustainability MS Sustainable Systems
Environmental & Related Sciences
Climate, Environment, Sustainability & Waste Management, Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Climate, Environment and Sustainability
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member, LGBTQ, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Early stage investing in the private markets focuses on providing the initial capital (hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars) for startups to develop their minimum viable product (MVP) and demonstrate market demand.
2. The role involves working across diverse sustainability and climate sectors (e.g., micro-mobility, energy, natural resources, waste reduction) requiring a broad understanding of these areas.
3. Beyond financial investment, the role includes supporting startups by providing guidance on areas like business development, co-founder acquisition, marketing, and team building to improve their chances of success. This highlights the importance of soft skills in addition to financial expertise
Transcript
What are your main responsibilities within your current role?
I'm currently looking for full-time work post-graduation. My summer internships and work during the school year have been focused on early-stage investing within the private markets.
There are several ways capital is deployed into companies in the private markets. At the large end, big banks loan hundreds of millions of dollars for capital projects.
On the medium side, funding might come from banks for small to medium-sized businesses, private equity funds, or late-stage startups. This includes the tens of millions of dollars that startups raise in later funding rounds.
My focus is on the very early stage of private capital markets. This involves bringing the first hundred thousand to million dollars to a startup to move its idea from the lab to the market. The goal is to create a minimum viable product, build a business case, and prove market demand.
I focus on this within the sustainability and climate sectors. Climate and sustainability touch many areas, including micro mobility, new energy sources, valuing natural resources, waste reduction, and food and agriculture.
To adequately invest in these early-stage startups, I need a deep understanding of these diverse pieces. Beyond material knowledge, soft skills are critical. This includes talking with founders to understand their pain points beyond just capital.
For example, if a founder is a brilliant scientist but has no business experience, we can help them find a co-founder with business acumen or assist them in areas like marketing. We can help them learn or hire their first marketing team member. It's about assisting them beyond just finance to make their company as successful as possible.