Mountain ridges rising out of morning mist at sunrise

For deeptech category leaders raising Series A or B

An all‑star team on your round.

Tell us where you feel stuck. We place the right expert exactly there, for as long as you need, to create real transformation and make you the category leader you set out to be.

Results

$67M raised by founders we backed and supported.

Over eight years. 12 companies taken to Series A or B.

  • Entocycle
  • Anodyne Chemistries
  • New Iridium
  • Strong By Form
  • Hephaestus
  • Novobiom
  • Accelerate Health
12companies to Series A or B
98%of syndicate rounds oversubscribed
1 monthaverage time to fill a syndicate

What we see

Founders ask for more intros. The problem is rarely the numbers.

15 min

To see what is really in the way.

Most founders come to us with a funding problem and a wish for more intros. One conversation usually shows the real gap: the story, the vision, and how the founder shows up in the room. Investors feel it before they can name it.

The core

We don’t fix symptoms.

We work on story, vision, the human side and culture. We go to the root, so the whole company moves onto a different path, and the round follows.

Both sides

We have sat in your seat.

Everyone on the team has been an operator and an investor. We know how founders feel, what they want, and what keeps them stuck without them seeing it.

Why now

Series A and B is the new valley of death. We are the inflection point.

The valley All-Star here SeedSeries ASeries BGrowth StalledUnlocked
Illustrative. Where most deeptech companies stall, and where we step in.
16%

of 2024 startups with a $1M+ seed made it to a next round, down from 55%+ before 2021.

Crunchbase News, May 2026
2+ yrs

from seed to Series A, the longest gap in years. Series A now expects $2M to $4M ARR.

Crunchbase News, May 2026
−22%

fewer climate tech Series A deals in 2025.

Sightline Climate, Jan 2026
−18%

fewer climate deals overall while dollars rose 8%. Fewer, bigger checks, into category leaders.

Sightline Climate, Jan 2026

The All-Star standard

Four promises. Each one with proof.

Results

We are measured in closed rounds.

$67M raised by founders we backed. Every round in the receipts below is on public record.

Ferdinand Richter, leadership coach

Human touch

A senior person in your corner, every week.

We transform how teams relate to problems, to themselves and to their investors. Weekly, with a seat in the CEO Mastermind.

Yoann Berno in conversation on the Climate Insiders podcast

Expertise

We sit on the other side of the table.

47 investments. Co-founded Climentum Capital, which led Entocycle's $5M Series A.

Founders together on an Accelerate Health programme

Unlock

We find what caps your round and remove it.

Accelerate Health's deck scored 24 points higher after one rework.

We work with category leaders, or the ones we will help become one. Venture-backed deeptech companies raising Series A or B, typically €5M to €50M in equity or debt. Pre-seed? Start with VC Boom.

Your line-up

Pick your all‑stars.

À la carte. Bring in one expert or the full line-up, for exactly as long as you need them. No hiring, no ramp-up.

Yoann BernoFundraising lead

Yoann Berno

47 investments. Co-founder of Climentum Capital. Founder of Climate Insiders and VC Boom.

Ferdinand RichterLeadership coach

Ferdinand Richter

Work psychologist and former Ecosia country director. Keeps founders and teams strong under pressure.

Laura HodgkissComms and social

Laura Hodgkiss

Head of Comms at Food Impact Partners. Shapes the voice investors meet before the meeting.

Chief of Staff

Joann Jeong

Former Senior Manager at Vinted. Runs the pipeline, follow-ups and data room. Nothing drops.

Sera TajimaDecks and visuals

Sera Tajima

Product designer. A decade of design leadership at Zendesk, Webflow and BetterUp. Climate tech investor.

How it works

Pick your line-up. Unlock the stage. Stay to the close.

  1. 0

    Day 1

    Assessment

    Where the round is stuck, and your top three fixes.

  2. 1

    Week 1

    Pick your line-up

    Only the experts your round needs, for as long as you need them.

  3. 2

    Weeks 2 to 8

    Unlock

    Strategy, story, deck, data room, warm intros, leadership. Whatever caps the round.

  4. 3

    Until signed

    Close

    Term sheets, diligence and closing, with us beside you.

Yoann Berno recording the Climate Insiders podcast

Led by Yoann Berno

“I built this out of necessity. Nothing like it existed.”

Receipts

Real rounds. Real founders. Where we came in.

EntocycleSeries A

What we unlockedA lead investor and a syndicate for the Series A.

I don't think we would have been able to close our Series A without Yoann. His network in the Climate sector is unparalleled.

Keiran WhitakerFounder, Entocycle

Where we came in

  • Fundraising advisory
  • Investor access
  • Round closing
Entocycle insect farming technology
$5MSeries A. Led by Climentum Capital, with Lowercarbon Capital

Source: AgFunderNews

Human touch

The CEO Mastermind.

A closed circle of founders who have raised, or are raising, a Series A or B. The CEO who closed last quarter helps the one raising this quarter.

Hot seatBring your hardest problem. Leave with answers from CEOs who solved it.
Real numbersTerms, valuations and investor behaviour, shared in confidence.
Warm doorsMembers open doors for each other: investors, hires, customers.

Monthly and off the record. Included while we work together. The agenda is shaped by the members.

A small group in conversation around a dinner table in warm light
Francesca BailieuKeiran WhitakerSera TajimaThomas PreissCimberley GrossJohannes FiegenbaumAndres MitnikAgneta RosenbergChern-Hooi LimMoritz FeklistManou DaviesJack ZamattioYou

Founder members

Where we move the needle

Six places founders feel the lift.

Faster closing

Weeks, not quarters.

Syndicates we lead, filled
Strong By Form, investment confirmed
02 mo4 mo6 mo

Source: Climate Insiders syndicate data, average 1 month. Strong By Form founder, under 2 months.

Higher closing rate

Rounds that fill.

98%of our syndicate rounds oversubscribed

Source: Climate Insiders syndicate data.

More intros

The right rooms, warm.

“Ties to every major fund”
“Top investors in the industry”
“Introductions to amazing VCs”
“A golden ticket to all major funds”

5 of the 6 founders on this page credit investor access.

Smarter round dynamics

One big raise becomes four.

Illustrative. Staged closes at rising valuations: less dilution, cash keeps flowing.

Milestones funded

Capital tied to the next proof point.

$5MEntocycle: commercial rollout of insect-farm automation
$2.65MNew Iridium: pilot facility for its chemical platform
$6.2MAnodyne: scaling carbon utilisation chemistry

Sources: AgFunderNews, GlobeNewswire, Fort Capital.

Leadership

Founding teams that stay together.

With Ferdinand Richter, work psychologist, in every engagement.

Outreach runs on VC Boom, our own platform. #1 Product of the Day on Product Hunt.

$148M+raised by founders using it
1,603founders on the platform
47,000+investor profiles for matching
+24deck score lift, Accelerate Health

Pricing

À la carte. No success fees.

Pick from the line-up

  • Fundraising strategy and outreach, with Yoann
  • Leadership coaching, Ferdinand Richter
  • Comms and social, Laura Hodgkiss
  • Chief of Staff, Joann Jeong
  • Decks and visuals, Sera Tajima
  • VC Boom, set up and run for you
  • A seat in the CEO Mastermind

The alternative

Full-time hires. Months of recruiting, and salaries that run long after the round closes.

All-Star costs a fraction of full-time hires and is built to deliver ten times the value. One fixed fee for what you pick, agreed in writing. Never a percentage of what you raise.

Book your assessment

FAQ

Straight answers.

What is All-Star?

All-Star is the Series A and B program by Climate Insiders. An all-star bench of senior experts, led by Yoann Berno, that you staff à la carte: fundraising, leadership, story, design or operations, only where your company feels stuck, for as long as you need them.

Who is it for?

Category leaders in climate, energy, industry, materials, food and deeptech, or the ones we will help become one. Venture-backed and raising a Series A or B, typically €5M to €50M in equity, debt or both.

Do you raise the money for us?

No. You raise it and stay in charge. We prepare you, run the machinery around you and open doors where the fit is real. We are not a broker or placement agent and never take a cut of what you raise.

How much does it cost?

You pick the experts and the time frame. We agree one fixed fee in writing before we start, a fraction of full-time hires. No success fees, never a percentage of what you raise.

Can you guarantee a close?

No one honest can. We commit to the work: a strategy that holds up, diligence-ready materials, a targeted pipeline and senior people in your corner every week.

Will Yoann be involved?

Yes. Yoann leads every All-Star engagement, runs the weekly session and joins the calls that matter. That is why we take a handful of companies at a time.

What is the CEO Mastermind?

A closed, monthly circle of founders who have raised or are raising a Series A or B. Hot seats on real problems, real numbers shared in confidence, and warm introductions between members. Included while we work together.

What happens after I apply?

You pick a 30 minute slot straight away. On the call you get an honest read and a clear yes or no. If yes, you get a written plan and fixed fee within 48 hours.

Book your assessment

Get your all‑star team.

  1. Tell us about the round
  2. Pick a time with Yoann
  3. Leave with your top three fixes

Two minutes. Confidential. NDA on request.

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ALL-STARby Climate Insiders

Results. Human touch. Expertise. Unlock.

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