### Welcome to the European VC Podcast!
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In this episode, we are thrilled to have Julia Padberg and René Savelsberg, partners at SET Ventures, on the show. Julia’s mission is to reduce the climate impact of the energy sector through digital innovation, while René brings over 25 years of experience in technology investing and energy transition.
In this conversation, you’ll learn:
– The origin story of SET Ventures and how they got their name
– The evolution of the climate VC landscape and where it’s headed
– How SET Ventures survived and thrived through the CleanTech wipeout in the early days
– The importance of culture and firm-building in attracting and retaining talent
Listen now to gain insights from these European VC experts!
*Keywords and Tags:* european, euvc, investing, julia, padberg, podcast, rene, savelsberg, set, spreaker, startup, tech, theeuropeanvc, vc, venture, venturecapital
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*This transcript has been edited for clarity and flow.*
**Host:** Hi and welcome back to the European VC Podcast, the go-to podcast for everything European VC. If you love the show, share it with your friends and join our newsletter at [eu.vc](https://eu.vc). Today, we’re happy to welcome Julia and René, partners at SET Ventures. Welcome!
**René:** Thank you, it’s great to be here.
**Host:** Before we dive in, I want to learn more about SET Ventures. Can you share with our listeners how SET Ventures came to be?
**René:** Certainly! I co-founded SET Ventures in 2007 with the mission to invest in technology companies focusing on both deep tech and energy transition. I truly believe in the power of digital innovation to reduce the climate impact of the energy sector. Prior to starting SET Ventures, I had 25+ years of experience in technology investing, corporate venturing, and venture capital.
**Host:** That’s impressive! Now, let’s talk about the early days of SET Ventures. The first round of funds that invested in cleantech didn’t perform well. How did SET Ventures come out stronger from that period?
**René:** It’s a relevant question indeed. When we started SET Ventures in 2007, we didn’t have in-depth knowledge of the energy sector. However, we saw the renewable generation sector moving towards cost reductions and increased efficiency. As a VC with limited resources, investing in such spaces would be challenging. So, we decided to focus on the critical path of digital innovation in the energy sector and transforming the business models. Our early investment in a UK-based company called AlertMe validated our strategy.
**Host:** That’s fascinating! It’s clear that your foresight and focus on digital innovation in the energy sector paid off. Thank you both for sharing the story behind SET Ventures.
*Listen to the full podcast episode for more insights from Julia and René.*
*Source: [Spreaker](https://www.spreaker.com/user/euvc/euvc-rene-julia-master-v1)*
Source:
Today we are happy to welcome Julia Padberg and René Savelsberg, partner and managing partner at SET Ventures. Julia’s mission is to reduce the climate impact of the energy sector through digital innovation, together with industry-leading entrepreneurs. René co-founded SET Ventures in 2007. He has 25+ years of experience in technology investing in both deeptech and in energy transition with a background in corporate venturing and venture capital.
In this episode you’ll learn:
– The origin story of SET Ventures, where they got their name from
– How the climate VC landscape has evolved over time and where we are headed
– What allowed SET to survive – even thrive – through the big CleanTech wipeout in the early days
– Culture & firm building and it’s importance to building and retaining talent
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