In the latest Watts Up With Startups solo episode, Emin Askerov (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ask-emin-greentech/) unpacks the myth of the IP moat—why a shiny patent alone won’t keep competitors at bay and how real-world success hinges on operational know-how. From wind turbine failures to lithium-ion breakthroughs, this episode dives deep into: ⚙️ Why execution beats invention 🔬 Lessons from battery manufacturing 🌱 The truth about scaling cleantech 🚀 Whether you’re building in climate tech or scouting for investment, this one’s a must-listen. Stay updated - follow us and watch the hashtag #WattsUpWithStartups to learn about the next episodes! Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast on YouTube Music or Spotify and listen to energy transition startup success stories on the go! #WattsUpWithStartups #CleanTech #Innovation #IP #Scaling #BatteryTech #Startups #entrepreneurship Check out our website and social networks: NEAH Website https://neahub.net/ NEAH Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nea_hub/ NEAH LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/nea-hub

🏭 A startup… inside a silicon giant? That’s how Vianode began—then spun out, scaled up, and went independent. 🎙️ Hear the full story on Watt’s Up With Startups. How do you go from 10 kg of synthetic anode material in a lab to a FOAK (First-of-a-Kind) plant producing 2,000 tons per year? Emin Askerov (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ask-emin-greentech/) invited Andreas Forfang (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreasforfang/) from Vianode to tell you how. Tune in to Vianode’s scale-up journey — from a corporate R&D initiative inside a leading silicon manufacturer, Elkem, to an independent clean tech company tackling EV battery supply chain challenges. Key takeaways: 🔹 Lab → Pilot → Demo → FOAK: Why scaling in iterations reduced technology risk and built trust with clients and investors 🔹 The Catch-22 of scaling: You need commercial-scale validation to attract funding — but need funding to build at scale 🔹 Investor–client compromise: How Vianode balanced capital constraints with customer readiness 🔹 Strategic spin-out: Why Vianode separated from Elkem in 2021 to raise funds and develop its own operational model 💡 One of the most critical decisions? Building the demo facility inside an existing factory — a choice that reduced costs but came at the expense of replicability. 🎙️ Listen now to explore the engineering, strategy, and decision-making behind scaling up battery materials innovation. #BatteryTech #ScaleUpStrategy #SyntheticGraphite #FOAK #CleanTech #CorporateSpinout #EnergyTransition #WattUpPod #Vianode #elkem Check out our website and social networks: NEAH Website https://neahub.net/ NEAH Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nea_hub/ NEAH LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/nea-hub

What does it really take to turn a battery breakthrough into a factory? 💥 In the latest episode of WattsUpWithStartups, Emin Askerov (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ask-emin-greentech/) sits down with Ewout Lubberman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ewoutlubberman/) of LeydenJar (https://www.linkedin.com/company/leydenjar/) to unpack the rollercoaster of scaling up cutting-edge battery tech. 🔋 Here's what they dive into: – Customer buy-in: Do you need an off-take agreement, or is a solid sales funnel enough? – Tech scouts: Who they are and how they might help secure your first deals. – FOAK sizing: How LeydenJar decided how big to go with their first-of-a-kind plant. – The battery shakeout: Why the wave of bankruptcies may be just beginning. – Scale-up hiring: How talent needs shift as you move from startup to scale-up. If you're navigating the path from lab to launch in battery or cleantech, this episode is your roadmap. Tune in! Check out our website and social networks: NEAH Website https://neahub.net/ NEAH Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nea_hub/ NEAH LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/nea-hub

💥 De-Risking FOAK: Dancing on the Minefield Building a first-of-a-kind (FOAK) project is the ultimate test of resilience—where unproven technology meets market uncertainty, and investors demand answers to every imaginable risk. In the latest solo episode of Watt’s Up with Startups, host Emin Askerov shares firsthand insights from scaling high-stakes projects. From convincing skeptical committees to navigating billion-dollar decisions, he breaks down what it really takes to secure FOAK financing. And here’s a spoiler: it’s not just about raising money—it’s about mastering execution, de-risking technology, and proving commercial viability. This episode is a must-listen for anyone building the next gigafactory or launching a climate tech breakthrough! 🎧 Tune in now! #WattsUpWithStartups #ClimateTech #FOAK #ScaleUp #StartupSuccess #BatteryIndustry #RiskManagement

🚀 Three critical steps before scaling up🚀 Scaling up isn’t just about great tech—it is about nailing down the process, securing customers, and building a supply chain from scratch. It’s a wild ride, and for hardware startups, it’s nothing short of “production hell.” But how do you know when your startup is truly ready to go big? Tune into our new series of solo episodes in Watts Up With Startups where Emin Askerov breaks down the 3 critical steps to scaling up: ✅ Mapping your manufacturing process (because no battle plan survives first contact!) ✅ Securing your first customers (commitments = confidence) ✅ Aligning with your suppliers (without them, you’ve got nothing to ship) Want to know if your startup is scale-up ready or just daydreaming? Tune in for real-world lessons, pitfalls to avoid, and insights from Emin’s own journey scaling wind turbine production. 🎧 Ready to scale? This episode is your blueprint. Listen now! Check out our website and social networks: NEAH Website https://neahub.net/ NEAH Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nea_hub/ NEAH LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/nea-hub Emin Askerov LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ask-emin-greentech/ #StartupScaling #HardwareStartups #ManufacturingTips #ScalingUp #StartupJourney #FirstCustomers #SupplyChainManagement #StartupLessons #WattsUpWithStartups #RenewableEnergy #CleanTech #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #Innovation

🌍 2024 in Review: Lessons from Climate Tech’s Most Defining Year This year, climate tech had it all—big wins, hard lessons, and game-changing moments. But as the dust settles, one question lingers: Are we finally learning how to scale? In this special episode of #WattsUpWithStartups, we reflect on the highs, the lows, and the surprises that shaped 2024. From the rise of FOAK projects to the shifts in investor behavior and the lessons every founder must heed, this year has been nothing short of transformative. 🔍 What went wrong? What went right? And what’s next for climate tech in 2025? 🎧 Tune in for insights, reflections, and a look ahead that you won’t want to miss. Catch the episode now! ________ 1) Epitaphs on climate tech companies in 2024: https://www.askerov.pro/post/arrival-what-happened https://www.askerov.pro/post/halloween-horror-story-the-rise-and-fall-of-redflow https://www.askerov.pro/post/universal-hydrogen-a-20-min-or-100m-lesson 2) CTVC article on climate tech finance in 2024: https://www.ctvc.co/a-slimming-stack-of-86bn-in-dry-powder-for-climate-2/ 3) On the “missing middle” in climate tech financing https://www.askerov.pro/post/navigating-the-capital-stack-from-lab-to-noak 4) Podcast Episode 6 with Duke Oh, JR Energy Solution: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1wyEtF60GMWSDtkm247eRh?si=9frKaNY0SMWRS_dBOb2_Ng 5) My best post on scaling battery manufacturing: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ask-emin-greentech_batterymanufacturing-cleantech-innovation-activity-7249331066287644672-bPNH 6) Why SMR’s are the Fad of the year: https://www.askerov.pro/post/_____ 7) “The Innovator’s Dilemma” book review: https://www.askerov.pro/post/facing-the-innovator-s-dilemma 8) Climate Insiders Podcast on Hydrogen: https://open.spotify.com/episode/08dEn1yNXNoHMBujtwbMRp?si=ymD5RUYpTROEEkYBffAuwA 9) My review of the Climate Insiders podcast: https://www.askerov.pro/post/be05694d 10) My dedicated blog section to Scaling Up Climate Tech: https://www.askerov.pro/blog/categories/scale-up 11) New Energy Advancement Hub website: https://neahub.net/ #ClimateTech #ScaleUp #FOAK #EnergyTransition #startup #podcast #greenenergy

Join us for the new episode of Watt’s Up With Startups with Emin Askerov (https://www.linkedin.com/in/emin-askerov-8b592846/) — now available as a podcast on Spotify. In this episode, Emin invited Jonathan Stokely (https://www.linkedin.com/in/stokelyj/), co-founder of Coventure (https://coventure.io/). Take a peek outside the startup box – in this episode, Emin talks with an investor and accelerator founder. What is the role of accelerators in startup growth? How do they select startups to work with? And why is having a kid likely to make you care more about climate change? In this episode: 🚀 Accelerators can offer conflicting advice and be inefficient during scaling-up 👥 Scaling up = building processes and operations. Why is investing in the right people vital for this? 💰 Can founders protect their shares from dilution – and is it even worth it? Hear from Jonathan Stokely, co-founder of Coventure, an investor and founder who is now taking the startup accelerator to the next level. Strategic thinker with a passion for operations who manages cross-divisionally from engineering, finance, sales, and marketing to C-suite. Jonathan solves problems using data, KPIs, and OKRs and implements valuable processes to save time and money, and grow organizations. Check out Episode #11 to see startups from an investment & acceleration perspective and gain insights into securing support and financing. Stay updated - follow us and watch the hashtag #WattsUpWithStartups to learn about the next episodes! Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast on YouTube Music or Spotify and listen to energy transition startup success stories on the go! #WattsUpWithStartups #NEAH_events #GreenGeeksTalk #EnergyTransition #StartupGrowth #Accelerators #VentureCapital #Sustainability #StartupSuccess #Innovation #CleanTech #EnergyInnovation #Entrepreneurship #Investing

Join us for the new episode of Watt’s Up With Startups with Emin Askerov — now available as a podcast on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/4F270jZ8ZdGIzJjs4pIe06?si=e9793d83a3c14f87) and YouTube (https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZWnvmqHFxpiVyB68D9RbObEvUhSX-yTG&si=erqu39pqrw8SR_nH)! In this episode, Emin invited James Hannah (https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-hannah-15348331/), Managing Director, US at Parity (https://www.paritygo.com/). It’s no secret that heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are among the biggest energy consumers. However, with constant monitoring and control, significant cost savings and energy waste reduction are within reach. Enter Parity, a startup operating in the U.S. and Canada that’s so confident in its solution that it guarantees utility cost savings. This confidence stems from refining its product and focusing on a specific market: multi-family dwellings. Join us to learn how Parity grew by mastering the sale of a complex software product, chose focus over scaling, and how they’re now preparing for expansion. Learn from James Hannah, Managing Director, US at Parity. His career has been concentrated on accelerating the adoption of clean energy solutions within the real estate sector, especially for multifamily investors and property managers. He’s worked closely with many of the largest real estate companies in the country and has advised governments, utilities, and other stakeholders on energy-related policy matters. James holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Here are a few key takeaways: - Simplify complex solutions to boost sales - Focus on customer ROI – and outperform competitors - Scale down (!) for faster growth - Educate investors about your market’s potential - Perfect your core product before scaling up - Startup advice: Keep your value proposition clear and focused #WattsUpWithStartups #NEAH_events #GreenGeeksTalk #HVACOptimization #EnergyEfficiency #SaaS #SmartBuildings #TechInnovation #EnergyManagement #StartupGrowth #SustainableSolutions #RemoteMonitoring #BuildingAutomation #CustomerROI #CleanTech #ParitySolutions #SmartTech #GreenEnergy