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Startups that are not well-suited to venture capital but are hesitant to pursue debt financing can always return to a staple of early-stage financing: angel investors. In several ways, venture capital and angel investing appear similar, but their goals often differ.

The use cases for philanthropic capital and the available sources are crucial yet underdiscussed aspects of financing the energy transition. The word most frequently mentioned in discussions of philanthropic capital for this piece was catalyst. Whether the capital is intended to support a company as it scales up or to leverage existing technology in a new space, it should not be viewed by the recipient as an end in itself.

The role that venture capital will play in developing early-stage clean energy technologies is likely to mirror its scale in developing AI, internet companies, and social media platforms. While many of the hallmarks of VC remain the same, including long-shot bets, radical new technologies, and high potential returns, many of the challenges are new.

COP30 has two weeks for parties to discuss and deliver on adaptation. As the IPCC notes, climate change is progressing more rapidly than we can adapt. With the summit starting next Monday in Brazil, it is worth recalling that the GGA framework was initially proposed by Latin America, specifically by Argentina, and later adopted by the Parties at COP28.