Emin Askerov
Cleantech FOAK Advisor

We had three to six months. After that, the full weight of corporate procedures would bear down on us, slowing our growth by a factor of ten. This wasn’t my first corporate scale-up rodeo. Our wind turbine manufacturing project, funded by a Russian state corporation, had a clear expectation: return to the fold quickly. And while we eventually did, we made sure at least our manufacturing unit stayed out of the mothership’s reach. Why? Because once you're back under full corpor

“How much is the hopium for the people?” Paraphrasing Ostap Bender from the “Golden Calph”, a satirical novel by Ilf and Petrov, about a trickster in post-revolutionary Russia, I wonder at the parallels between this charismatic fictional crook and the modern peddlers of hopium.  Hydrogen seems to be the latest addiction in the investment world. Just look at the data: hydrogen startups have pulled in over $1.4B in equity funding this year alone, with around half of that—$750M—

The Innovator's Dilemma is playing out in real-time

🔑 What are the 4 things crucial to your FOAK offtake and how to negotiate them? 🔑

Is Nuclear Energy A Big Boys Business? Not Exactly.

Does the Offtake pyramid work? In my case, it was a little different.

Northvolt grew fast—maybe too fast.

Corporations can spend on innovation—but rolling out a new product? That’s where things get ugly.

The latest shift away from EVs is a clear signal: legacy automakers don’t have the guts to fully embrace the electric future.

Well, guess what? The data tells a different story... Every time I talk about the rise of renewables, someone pops up to say they’ll destabilize the grid. With renewables now generating over 40% of Germany’s electricity, it’s time to check that narrative against the facts. One key metric for grid stability is SAIDI—the System Average Interruption Duration Index, which measures how much time the average customer is without power. And here’s the kicker: as Germany's share of re

Cleantech Scaleup? Here's Your Real Problem, And Two Things To Do About It.

What does it mean for scaleups? With lithium-ion batteries locking down short-term storage, investors are now flooding the long-duration energy storage market, raising $582.4 million in Q2 2024 alone, according to PitchBook Inc. Key players are pitching everything from thermal energy to compressed gas. Highview Power and Rondo Energy are leading the charge, but here’s the catch: as grids absorb more renewables, the actual need for long-duration storage may not be as big as we

Is Nuclear Better Than Renewables for Decarbonization? That’s the Wrong Question. Here is why.

Australia can now run its grid on close to 100% renewables. What are the takeaways for cleantech scaleups?

🎙️ Reflecting on the Latest Climate Insiders Podcast with Nadav Steinmitz 🌍

Why do some scaleups sink while others sail smoothly? 🌊 Three main pitfalls can capsize your venture if you’re not careful.

How to determine the right scale for your FOAK manufacturing plant? Here is a step-by-step guide.

Good news at last. But progress still slow.  Morrow Batteries, founded in 2014, has finally opened its first 1 GWh factory after ten years and $206 million in investment. The factory will produce LFP batteries—nothing revolutionary, but solid progress for an EU battery industry that's been starved for good news. Unlike the fast-paced, high-risk approach of Northvolt, Morrow is taking its time—slow, deliberate steps. This first 1 GWh plant seems to be more about testing produc

Investors think that hard tech climate scaleups lack generalist and financial expertise. While Founders agree only with the latter. Why? Source: https://planet-a.notion.site/BUILDING-AND-SCALING-CLIMATE-HARDWARE-A-PLAYBOOK-71e1b097041c49f69e31d4f3cb2de155 📖I’m reading the Building and Scaling Climate Hardware Playbook, and this picture struck me for two reasons. First, are the polarizing views of founders and investors. The gap is simply astonishing. Second, is the confidenc