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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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Fertilizers emit more CO₂ than planes and ships combined. And nobody talks about it.
Hear Olivier Mussat, the CEO and founder of ATOME, about the role of fertilizers.
Emin Askerov
May 261 min read


Post-FOAK Is the New FOAK: A Strategic Review of the OCED’s First-of-a-Kind Project Playbook
A review of possibly the most comprehensive collection of real-world examples for getting cleantech from the lab to steel-in-the-ground scale. If you’re in the weeds of building a FOAK (First-of-a-Kind) project, or advising someone who is, this report deserves a place on your desk.
Emin Askerov
May 223 min read


The Energy Test Framework
A climate tech idea that needs more energy than it saves? That’s not innovation. That’s a waste.
Emin Askerov
May 212 min read


FOAK isn’t the finish line. It’s just the start.
Climeworks is back in the news—and not for the reason they’d like. Reports from Heimildin and others claim that their latest DAC (direct...
Emin Askerov
May 201 min read


Grants for FOAK
During my time scaling up climate tech, I wouldn’t touch government grants. Even when they could clearly reduce my capital costs, help to...
Emin Askerov
May 87 min read


Field Notes from the FOAK Frontlines – Via Separations
Everyone wants to decarbonize industry. Not many talk about what happens after the pilot works. Scaling hardware isn’t linear. It’s...
Emin Askerov
May 51 min read


FOAK Field Guide
A new, comprehensive guide to FOAK in cleantech
Emin Askerov
Apr 301 min read


Behind the Scenes
What am I working on?
Emin Askerov
Apr 231 min read


ChatGPT Profiled Me
Logging in to ChatGPT today, I was greeted with a suggestion to describe me based on all of the chats I had. I’ve been using ChatGPT for...
Emin Askerov
Apr 111 min read


Scaling Cleantech: Learn from Green Hydrogen’s Business Case Failure
Green hydrogen was supposed to be the next big thing—but where’s the business case?
Emin Askerov
Mar 202 min read


EPC for Your FOAK: Make or Break Decision
How to chose and EPC for your FOAK
Emin Askerov
Mar 182 min read


FOAK Expertise: The Missing Piece in Climate Scale-Up
Where do you get FOAK Expertise? From FOAK advisors, who have done a FOAK before. Meet the new branch of cleantech ecosystem - the FOAK assi
Emin Askerov
Mar 171 min read


FOAK and EPC: Yes or No?
When scaling from Demo to FOAK, one of the biggest decisions is whether to hire an EPC company or manage the build yourself
Emin Askerov
Mar 141 min read


FOAK Management - Simplifying the Chaos
Here is your 5-step framework to simplify your FOAK management structure.
Emin Askerov
Mar 134 min read


How Long Should Your Off-Take Be?
This week, I go briefly into the key factors behind determining the term of your off-take
Emin Askerov
Mar 32 min read


Negotiating Price in the Off-Take
In any type of off-take, price will be the central point of negotiations. There are many pricing options available - fixed, floating,...
Emin Askerov
Feb 278 min read


Three Steps to Building a FOAK
Your First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) project is where your climate tech startup is a startup no more. Investors, customers, and even your own team...
Emin Askerov
Feb 252 min read


The 4-step Framework for Building a Demo Project
The 4-step Framework for Building a Demo Project: Your Critical Step Between Pilot and FOAK
Emin Askerov
Feb 138 min read


Why Are Western Battery Startups Failing? 🪫
Investor's pressure to go big might have had a hand in it.
Emin Askerov
Feb 102 min read


The 5 Steps of The Pilot Stage
A Pilot is your first real-world test—where you prove that your technology works outside the lab.
Emin Askerov
Jan 303 min read
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