Climatetech investor and co-founder of PLANETech, Shani Zansko Photo: Bar Cohen
Shani Zansko is a ClimateTech investor and co-founder of PLANETech. In recent years, Zanesco has been working through several channels in order to make Israel a hub for climate tech technologies. She has led investments amounting to tens of millions of dollars in the climate field in recent years through her activities with international investors, serves as a director and is active in several startups in the field, and promotes the building of new climatetech companies.
In a conversation on “Another podcast for startups”, Zansko says: “There needs to be a change in mindset, we are in a difficult climate. There are customers who crave technological solutions and there are countless problems to solve. I think I know how it can be done. I come from foreign relations and business development. I lived in the USA.” and in the Netherlands, where the goal was always to promote Israel. I wanted to work with scientists and entrepreneurs and that’s how I got to the point where I’m surrounded by people who solve problems of all kinds, in recent years I’ve developed an inexhaustible curiosity to research this topic. I want to save the world with the help of Israeli technologies.” She adds and says: “I spent all day around entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs and got infected with this bug. One day I realized that if everyone is starting a company, then I want to too,” she built an organization that is entirely aimed at promoting Israeli innovation through business opportunities and connections with entrepreneurs and international investors.
Alongside its investment activity, ZANSCO is one of the founding team of PLANETech, a non-profit organization, the first and only one in Israel that has been working for two years to build the Israeli climate tech industry. Planetech is a focal point for startup entrepreneurs, investors, corporations and government functions to unite and put together the best Israeli solutions to the climate crisis and mobilize the “traditional” Israeli high-tech for the task and the opportunity – this by making knowledge, opportunities, and cross-sectoral action accessible in the State of Israel. A year and a half later, she set out on her own and founded Isratech Ventures.
So a moment before, we will explain what the climate crisis is anyway?
“The climate crisis is a political economic crisis. And a health crisis both on a physical and mental level. The climate crisis is due to changes in the climate. Climate, a collection of meteorological characteristics that affect the weather: temperatures, precipitation, cloudiness. At the local level, we have local characteristics such as for example Proximity or distance from the sea. For example, proximity to the sea, and in practice Tel Avivians sweat more every year, because they are closer to the sea and there is more moisture in the air. Today there is an extreme of weather. Global warming is due to an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. We produce the damage. The whole crisis It was created because we produce greenhouse gases in an amount that is not natural. Materials that are in a state of gas accumulation. They absorb or reflect red sub-radiation and this is what causes the greenhouse effect.”
What is it made of?
“There are two elements here that are happening at the same time. There is a clear connection between an increase in the temperature of the globe as a result of greenhouse gases starting with the industrial revolution. The burning of fossil fuels. For all the heavy industry and the other changes that the world has undergone in the agricultural aspect, every issue of deforestation. And on the other hand, we did not take care of the land In the right way. They violate the natural order. Not only are they harmful industrially but also environmentally. The processes involved are also a social, economic, political matter, also related to our diet.”
What happened that now everyone is talking about the climate crisis?
“There are several milestones. 2015 with the Paris Agreement – the countries of the world realized that these patterns of the climate are no longer what we thought were going to be. Most of the countries of the world committed to reach zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 or by 2050. In 2018, many countries came out with a statement that it is possible To make the Earth warm. In reality, today we understand that we cannot keep warming, we must find ways to cool the globe.”
These statements have economic manifestations, mainly for the business sector and startups and investors. How does this affect the economy?
“This affects crazy regulation that is happening in all kinds of countries in the world. 340 billion dollars intended to incentivize businesses that manage to reduce carbon emissions or measure the carbon footprint of your activity. If you reduce, you will receive incentives, so there is a whole event of measurement here. The corporations are also actually part of the business You have to understand that there is an interesting financial game here, nowadays every business has to check the climatic risks of the business as well. All this transition, there is also a financial risk in it. There is a physical risk as soon as the temperature rises, there is a different price for electricity, for fuel, for storing employees – there is Risks to the business itself. Here I think there is a consciousness event here. For example, the prices of goods change following the oil prices. In the big companies, you see this. These organizations need to adopt technologies in the field. There is a serious problem. If I am an airline company, it is not enough that I plant a forest somewhere . I need to adopt technologies that from the beginning succeed in reducing carbon and the damages. For every action I take, which is harmful, I have to take positive actions, but there is no longer anywhere to plant trees. The companies are successful and continue to pollute, and there is a lot of criticism for this.”
The human force is also changing its face, many people are starting to consider a job change and want to work in a job that contributes and helps the world.
“We see migration from Facebook companies, to engineers and entrepreneurs who want to move to climate because they want more meaning. And that’s what they want to do. There are also reports from LinkedIn and other places, most of the jobs that will be in the coming years will be in climate. I believe in technology. At Plantech, we did a mapping of What solutions can be found through technology. Every solution we look at helps to deal with the changes that are happening or to reduce emissions in advance.”
Many entrepreneurs are looking to integrate, but are there any difficulties that still have no solutions?
“There are a number of issues that preoccupy this world and certainly not all of them have a solution yet. For example, the built environment, where we travel, live and live, clean energy systems. Transportation and how to move around in space, green construction, low-carbon construction. Water systems that are more environmentally friendly.
The second part is materials and production. Invention of new materials. invent new material. New bags, new plastic, material that has plastic but is not as harmful as it and is biodegradable. There is a tremendous opportunity here for that. The circular economy, how we recycle, cooperative economy. There are amazing companies that take waste and turn it into acid. The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries.
The third area, all land uses. Agriculture that has climatic use, everything related to soil health. We need to restore the soil to its natural properties. You throw chemicals and exterminate an entire field, you don’t treat a specific pest, you first neutralize and in the end there is a midbor phenomenon. The land loses, and the extermination kills everything and it gets less carbon. Today there is a startup that knows how to return the land to its natural state and brings it back to life. Alternative proteins also fall into this field. There are other alternatives for food that don’t necessarily use the soil, the animals live on the soil.
Fourth field – natural environment – external weather change, biological diversity. In Israel we have companies that specialize in bees for example. Make it possible to create a living ecosystem and the fifth area is financial management risk, there are a lot of opportunities here. We see givers. There is a Bill and Melinda Gates fund that invests in this and many other funds.”
On the one hand, we made drips and cherry tomatoes, and on the other hand, in this matter, we are not leaders, why?
“I think we can do it. There is money in the world and the world knows how to look at Israel as a seeker of solutions. I am in contact with Bill Gates, and with other funds that want to invest in Israel. One out of every 7 startups established in the last year are in this field. I expect it to grow. People the most good ones that you can imagine and come from cyber, SaaS, and want to do something with meaning or became parents and want to save the world, are now establishing such companies. Now there are new opportunities. Global funds know how to work with Israel. In the research institutes in Israel, we have amazing solutions that are just waiting for entrepreneurs to come and commercialize them.”
What next? Where are we headed is this going?
“There needs to be a change in mind-set. I suggest that every entrepreneur establish has all the necessary climate for a startup to stand up today. There are customers who are eager to receive many reviews, and there are countless problems to solve. When we talk about entrepreneurship we need to solve real problems and they affect our world. It is also A business opportunity and also helps to save the world. Investments will only increase and the time has come and we will join the trend.”
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