Creative Capital to Fund the Transition with Andrea Woodside and Marisa Sweeney

To celebrate International Women's Day we're shining the spotlight on our incredible special ops team. For the past two years, our all-female Special Ops team has been deploying flexible non-dilutive financing to companies trying to reach that next stage of scale. S2G's Andrea Woodside and Marisa Sweeney break down what a special opportunity is, the role this type of funding plays in today's funding environment, and who should reach out to them (any asset-oriented climate company) and when (as soon as possible). If you are an entrepreneur looking for funding for an infrastructure-oriented company, this episode is for you!

Key Takeaways:

• The state of climate funding today: Billions of dollars have gone into climate tech, much of it to clean energy technologies, enabling them to transition from early-stage venture to later-stage capital. There is currently a funding gap for capital-intensive climate companies that are at a point where VC is too expensive, but banks or other institutional investors may not have enough creativity or flexibility to structure solutions

• The mission of Special Ops: The team is working to deploy non-dilutive capital to scale developers and other asset-oriented businesses efficiently.

• What the team is looking for: They’re looking at credit and infrastructure-oriented investment opportunities. The special ops team is focused on downside protection, so opportunities with cash flows, collateral, and contracts that offer confidence around cashflow visibility are a good fit.

• How this funding pairs with venture and growth equity funding: It’s not a replacement, but it can help reduce the amount of corporate equity a company needs.

• S2G’s philosophy around fit-for-purpose capital: Examples of this approach in action

• FOAKS: While they are not the focus of Special Ops, Marisa, and Andrea have some insights for companies looking to fund FOAK projects.

• Who should reach out and when: Even if your company is pretty early stage, if you think this type of funding might be applicable at some point, Marisa and Andrea are happy to chat!

Resources:

Women in Climate Investing & Finance

Financing Pathways for Climate Tech: Looking Beyond Corporate Equity

Financing Pathways for Climate Tech: The Role of Alternative Financing

Spring Lane Developer U