Unicorns? The next green energy startup will be a dragon

What are the most important areas in green energy right now? Head of Wind Ventures Brian Walsh discusses decarbonisation, solar and wind energy, energy storage, and unlocking value pools through intelligence and technology.

Brian also predicts the emergence of a “dragon” in climate tech – a company driven by the urgency to address climate change with a valuation of US$12 billion or more.

“I might categorise this as a once in a century opportunity where the world’s largest sector – that being energy – has to transform. It’s about decarbonisation,” says Brian.

“You’ve got this consensus that human derived CO2 emissions globally are causing impacts on the world that we do not like. And because of that, we’ve now quantified what we have to do, which is to limit the heat above pre-industrial times to 1.5 degrees celsius.”

As Brian explains, knowing bad things happen if we don’t to reduce CO2 emissions by 40 percent globally has helped policymakers as well as the global venture capital community and global entrepreneurs rally behind green tech like decarbonisation.

Brian Walsh, head of Wind Ventures, was in conversation with Maria Luíza Filgueiras, reporter for Valor Econômico, on Venture at Web Summit Rio 2023.

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Stylised black and white image of birds taking flight from trees with a wind turbine to the side: Web Summit