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Expert voices: Chante Harris on clearing climate tech bottlenecks

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Photo illustration of Chante Harris surrounded by abstract shapes.

Photo illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios. Photo: Courtesy of Chante Harris

Chante Harris spends most of her working hours thinking about bottlenecks: the challenges keeping climate tech founders from bringing their products to market.

Why she matters: Harris is a seasoned climate tech strategist and investor who's now working with both funders and founders to clear roadblocks that so often stop established startups from evolving into mature companies.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

What's been the big news in climate-tech this month?

  • Heirloom Carbon's announcements that not only are they closing the biggest offtake agreement for carbon removal, but they're also not going to work with oil and gas. It's a call out to other companies and other investors: if we're going to succeed, you have to show up.

What would you add to the narrative?

  • People are approaching bottlenecks from their own perspectives. We need to test, try new things — and then share the insights. This stuff doesn't have to be proprietary. You can make lots of money sharing insights by creating interest for your startup or your portfolio.

By contrast, what's going under-noticed?

  • There are different ways we can approach projects. Not everything needs to be first-of-a-kind or brand-new or $100 million.
  • If we look through an equity lens, there's opportunity to deploy at smaller scale in communities where there isn't room for the big infrastructure projects — and still with great returns.

One tip for climate founders or funders?

  • Understand your bottlenecks. We had a lot of space in the market we're coming out of to play. Now it's the efficiency of your capital: where are you going to have an impact?

Three fun things:

💼 First job: Working with my uncle, who was fire chief for the Newark Fire Department in New Jersey. It was a lot of spreadsheets — my first foray into organization.

👑 Proudest deal: I randomly had GameStop stock; I made a nice chunk of change off of that. In climate tech, Olokun Minerals, which upcycles brine waste and centers communities that rely on desalination.

🤦 Facepalm deal: A cannabis accelerator. An accelerator investment is silly — not everyone can do what Techstars has done.

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