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EMIN ASKEROV
Cleantech FOAK and Scale-up Consiglieri
My insights and blog
Dive into my latest thoughts on Greentech trends, startup strategies, and investment insights. Stay ahead in the green revolution.
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Too Many Customers For A Startup
Nothing tests a founder’s sanity like having too many “very interested” customers. It’s like speed dating with homework. A few days ago, I spoke with an early-stage founder whose product was attracting a lot of interest. On paper, it looked like a dream: inbound requests from consumer electronics, defence, industrial automation, and even a few overseas corporates. In reality, it was a trap. The team had five people, no sales function, and most of their time was devoted to dev
Emin Askerov
Nov 252 min read


Tesla Pivots to Korea
Why Tesla Pivots to Korea from China?
Emin Askerov
Nov 192 min read


Open for Business in the EU!
Is it easy to set up as a sole entrepreneur in France?
Emin Askerov
Nov 181 min read


The Coming AI Energy Bubble
Why AI power demand won't materialise at the scale imagined.
Emin Askerov
Nov 133 min read


Adapt or Mitigate?
Adaptation and mitigation are often viewed as competing for capital. In fact, they are not.
Emin Askerov
Nov 51 min read


EU versus the US and China
Three things could be done to improve Europe's competitiveness. Only one can be done fast.
Emin Askerov
Oct 221 min read


The defence sector might drive e-fuels just as it drove solar
The military has always been the earliest adopter of new tech.
Dirk Singer noted that today it’s also one of the biggest investors in e-fuels — not for climate goals, but for energy security.
Like solar panels in the 1990s, disruption often starts on the battlefield.
Emin Askerov
Oct 61 min read


DOE Cancels Climate Project Funding. Selectively.
I’ve seen this before—in Russia. Decisions made not for policy, not for strategy, but for unchecked power. Now I see this playing out in...
Emin Askerov
Oct 31 min read


From Gigafactories to Collaborative Ecosystems: Rethinking Battery Manufacturing in Europe
Airbus showed Europe can beat giants like Boeing through distributed collaboration. Could batteries follow the same path—moving from vertically integrated gigafactories to networks of “partners in success”?
Emin Askerov
Oct 13 min read


Three ways to use consultants productively, and why AI can’t replace them
I stumbled across Martin Gallardo’s post and decided that it would be worthwhile to rewrite my comment into a full post. The consulting...
Emin Askerov
Oct 12 min read


The Three Valleys of Death of Aviation Startups
Crossing one valley of death is hard enough for any startup. For aviation startups, there are three!
Emin Askerov
Sep 253 min read


Who Wins in France? The Boring Business Powers Ahead
A surprising revival of boring business amid the tech hype
Emin Askerov
Sep 241 min read


Climate Tech VC Fundraising: From Peak to Pause
Climate VC funding fell more than 3x from its peak in 2021
Emin Askerov
Sep 231 min read


A Pragmatic Climate Reset
Michael Liebreich’s recent provocation on the Pragmatic Climate Reset raises many important points. One that stood out to me is that the climate movement has lost credibility by clinging to maximalist narratives while failing to deliver practical benefits.
This inspired me to reflect on my own journey — ten years in climate tech yet still facing the gap between professional work and personal choices.
Emin Askerov
Sep 193 min read


Overcoming change inertia
Cleantech startups usually sell to mature industries, and these don't like new stuff. How can founders overcome change inertia? Ports, especially municipally owned ones, are notorious for resisting any change to how they operate. Here is a story from Polina Vasilenko on how to sell floating solar to municipal ports.
Emin Askerov
Aug 72 min read


Clean energy VC is no longer booming—but it is maturing.
Latest data on clean energy VC investments. Are we seen new bubble emerging?
Emin Askerov
Aug 52 min read


Electric Mobility: What We Own, What We Share, and What We Fear
What is the future of electric mobility?
Emin Askerov
Jul 314 min read


Why diverse teams are crucial for a scale-up
How diverse teams are really built.
Emin Askerov
Jul 242 min read


Corporate Governance Will Haunt You Later: A Founder’s Guide for Cleantech Scaleups
What founders sometimes fail to realise is that as you scale up, you will spend less and less time working on your product and more and more time with your investors.
Emin Askerov
Jul 173 min read


Two Essays on Climate Investment—And What They Overlook
Two different points of view on climate investment. Both wrong.
Emin Askerov
Jul 152 min read
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