Benevolent Disruptors

In this episode, Chris Corbishley speaks with Jodok Betschart, co-founder and CEO of Cloover, one of BNVT Capital’s earliest investments. Cloover has announced a $1.2B financing commitment to scale a new kind of software-led renewable energy infrastructure across Europe. The conversation covers Cloover’s breakout year, including around 8x revenue growth while remaining profitable, and why energy independence is becoming a critical consumer need as grids strain and household costs rise.

Jodok explains Cloover’s mission to connect 1 billion people to renewable energy by making installations accessible through simple monthly payments and by empowering local SME installers, not replacing them. Chris and Jodok explore why climate and energy investing is regaining momentum, why many climate tech startups fail when software-style expectations collide with physical infrastructure, and how Cloover’s asset-light platform model reduces risk while accelerating adoption.

Key Takeaways

  1. Why Cloover’s mission is energy independence at mass-market affordability
  2. How local installers sit at the centre of the energy transition
  3. What has shifted to unlock more institutional capital for clean energy in Europe
  4. Why many climate tech startups fail when venture logic meets infrastructure reality
  5. How an asset-light platform model enables faster, lower-risk scaling
  6. Why culture, commitment, and execution matter as much as technology

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What is Benevolent Disruptors?

"Benevolent Disruptors” is a podcast series, co-hosted by the Managing Partners of BNVT Capital, Rory Mounsey-Heysham and Chris Corbishley. In this series we interview leading founders, investors, allocators, and regulators on the role of business and technology in society.

As individuals, business and governments grapple with the implications of a rapidly evolving technological landscape, Benevolent Disruptors provides a more optimistic view on how technology changes lives. We learn from the inspirational stories of those building big businesses tackling our most pressing challenges.