#149 PFAS, Sustainable Semiconductors, Water Consumption, & More w/ Tobias Egle (M Ventures)

CleanTechies Podcast

Our guest today is Tobias Egle, an investor at M Ventures, the Corporate Venture arm of Merck.
Tobias joins us today to speak about deep tech investing, specifically around materials innovation and the decarbonization of electronics manufacturing. A topic that has been in the news a lot recently is PFAS, and given his work, he was able to speak about the issues with PFAS as well as how to get rid of it.
He also provided some advice to highly technical founders when it comes to team building and surrounding themselves with the right partners.
Enjoy the episode! 🌱🌎
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Topics:
**01:21 - Introduction and Background
**04:32 - Transitioning from Academia to Venture Capital
**07:48 - Getting into Venture Capital
**10:52 - Focus Areas of M Ventures
**17:05 - Decarbonizing Electronics and Life Sciences
**23:37 - Challenges of PFAS Removal
**31:45 - Gaps in Deep Tech Founders
**40:45 - The Impact of AI in Climate Solutions
**46:55 - Adaptation and Climate Resilience
**48:10 - Grid Resiliency and Renewable Integration
**51:40 - Transitioning from R&D to Product and Business Development
**53:00 - Designing for Manufacturability in Hard Tech
**56:26 - Sustainable Supply Chain in Electronics Manufacturing
**57:42 - Team Building and Hiring for Startups
**01:01:34 - Getting into VC and Starting a Company
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Links:
**Tobias Egle | M Ventures
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**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn
**@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X

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Chapters

1. Introduction and Background (00:01:21)

2. Transitioning from Academia to Venture Capital (00:04:32)

3. Getting into Venture Capital (00:07:48)

4. Focus Areas of M Ventures (00:10:52)

5. Decarbonizing Electronics and Life Sciences (00:17:05)

6. Challenges of PFAS Removal (00:23:37)

7. Gaps in Deep Tech Founders (00:31:45)

8. The Impact of AI in Climate Solutions (00:40:45)

9. Adaptation and Climate Resilience (00:46:55)

10. Grid Resiliency and Renewable Integration (00:48:10)

11. Transitioning from R&D to Product and Business Development (00:51:40)

12. Designing for Manufacturability in Hard Tech (00:53:00)

13. Sustainable Supply Chain in Electronics Manufacturing (00:56:26)

14. Team Building and Hiring for Startups (00:57:42)

15. Getting into VC and Starting a Company (01:01:34)