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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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EU versus the US and China
Three things could be done to improve Europe's competitiveness. Only one can be done fast.
Emin Askerov
9 hours ago1 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


Sustainable aviation - what holds it back?
Image is AI-generated. Scaling up sustainable aircraft is like scaling up nuclear power—a comparable challenge in terms of regulatory...
Emin Askerov
Jul 91 min read


Opportunity costs of climate technologies. It's not what you think.
Why pay more to achieve less? Really, why? Yet, you see this everywhere in climatetech. How come? A reduction in man-made CO2 emissions...
Emin Askerov
Jun 301 min read


The FOAK Impact: the First Two Questions to Ask a Would-be Scaleup.
Cleantech scaleup climate impact assessment framework.
Emin Askerov
Jun 266 min read


Make Transformers (Even) More Boring
The humble transformer is at the heart of the electric grid. And for decades, it’s been a tailor-made marvel. Engineers loved the craft,...
Emin Askerov
Jun 182 min read


EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy: A promising map, but still no compass
My full breakdown is now live:
What’s working, what’s missing, and what scaleups, especially in cleantech and manufacturing, can do today without waiting for Brussels.
Emin Askerov
Jun 123 min read
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