Building Resilience, Embracing Optimism, and Revolutionizing Climate Tech with Sophie Purdom

Sophie Purdom has built her career in the climate tech industry, helping to bridge the gap between environmentalism and business. As the co-founder of CTVC and the founder and managing partner of Planeteer Capital, Sophie’s work focuses on educating, enabling, and orchestrating significant change within the world of venture capital and companies tackling the climate crisis.

This week, Barrett talks with Sophie about a wide range of topics from the personal to the professional. They dive into the desire to make an impact with their careers, the importance of establishing meaningful relationships and partnerships, and the evolution of climate tech. Sophie shares her perspective on the various sectors influenced by the climate crisis and the importance of the right skillset for founders in the industry. Emphasizing the compounding effects of incremental actions and the significance of aiming for long-term relevance, Barrett and Sohpie explore the intersection between personal values, the journey of entrepreneurship, and the collective endeavor to move toward a sustainable future.

In this episode:

00:00 - Intro
02:19 - Sophie's unique path to climate tech
04:56 - The intersection of business and environmentalism
05:35 - The power of curiosity and diverse interests
09:45 - Aligning capitalism with environmental goals
12:17 - Sophie's approach to building a sustainable future
17:05 - Navigating challenges and opportunities in climate tech
37:26 - Community building and the value of networks
42:39 - Reflecting on personal wellbeing and professional goals
49:49 - The personal cost of sacrifice and finding balance
52:00 - The early days of CTVC
54:20 - Exploring business, leadership, and impact
01:07:02 - Navigating the climate tech landscape
01:18:32 - Envisioning the future and personal growth

Key Takeaways

Opportunities are everywhere. Focusing on others and generosity will foster deeper connections and reveal those opportunities in unexpected ways.
Sustainable business growth hinges on the consistency and quality of what you build, not just the brand you represent.
Building relationships is a non-linear process that requires genuine interaction and nurturing over time. This approach leads to a “network effect” that results in more impactful collaborations.
Founders in climate tech need to be strategic about their financial journey and understand the “capital stack” in order to successfully innovate and scale.
Incremental acts of bravery and risk-taking are key to building resilience and will help you tackle bigger risks with confidence over time.

Quotes

“I think you gotta put your little oxygen mask on first, and you would only do that if you believe that you, being the best version of yourself, will then be able to go have manifold more impact and compounding impact than a short sprint where you're not caring for yourself.” ~ Sophie Purdom

“I think founders underappreciate that it is an expected core competency of them to essentially be strategic financial professionals.” ~ Sophie Purdom

“Maybe you make a friend and maybe that person pulls you into another network that you might not have been a part of, and it kind of starts to snowball from there. The founder from your first check introduces you to your fifth check. And your fifth check is the one that really kind of spikes.” ~ Sophie Purdom

“We were taught to over-optimize on optionality, which I see as kind of accruing these chips that you can hypothetically cash in in the hypothetical life game or maybe the career game at a point in the future. That has so many assumptions around it.” ~ Sophie Purdom

Links