TED leader’s $300M ‘valley of death’ fund might be just what later-stage climate tech needs

TED Countdown, the climate action initiative of the popular TED Talks, has launched a $300 million "valley of death" fund to support later-stage climate technology startups. The fund aims to bridge the gap between early-stage funding and commercialization, which is often referred to as the "valley of death" for many promising technologies. The goal of the fund is to send a strong signal to other investors that there are viable, later-stage climate tech startups that are ready for larger-scale investments. By providing this much-needed capital, the fund hopes to accelerate the commercialization and deployment of these technologies, which are crucial in the fight against climate change. The fund will focus on areas such as renewable energy, carbon capture, sustainable agriculture, and energy storage, among others. It will provide both financial and strategic support to help these startups scale and overcome the challenges they often face in the later stages of development.