hey, I'm Yoann

I help deeptech founders raise the round and become the category leader.

Eight years on the investor side. 47 investments. Now I sit on your side of the table. When you are stuck before or during a Series A or B, I bring the right people to the exact problem, and we fix it together.

Want to chat? →Read what founders say

Yoann Berno recording the Climate Insiders podcast — on the mic, Climate Insiders podcast

Yoann's details

Based in: New York, USA (EST) and Lisbon, Portugal (WEST)
From: France
Before: Software engineer, climate VC
Now: Climate Insiders, VC Boom
Investing in: Deeptech category leaders
Ask me about: Your round, your story, your investors

Mood: very bullish on the grid, fusion, critical minerals, moonshots

By the numbers

47investments made from the investor side

$67Mraised by founders we backed and supported

98%of our syndicate rounds oversubscribed

21K+founders and investors read the newsletter

42%open rate, every week

4.9/5from 74 ratings on my Maven course

LinkedIn Top VoiceSubstack Bestseller#1 Climate Tech podcast in Europe

the long version, short

How I ended up on your side

I started as a software engineer in Silicon Valley. Then I built a cleantech business in Kenya.

Then I switched seats. I joined a VC fund in Berlin, then co-founded Climentum Capital, a €150M climate tech fund. In five years I built a portfolio of 30+ startups. When Keiran at Entocycle raised his Series A, I helped him close it, with Climentum leading the round.

Along the way I started writing everything down. That became Climate Insiders: a newsletter, a podcast, and a community of people who actually build this stuff.

All-Star is what I wish every founder had: someone who has seen hundreds of rounds from the inside, plus the right expert for the exact thing that is blocking you.

Yoann

Silicon ValleySoftware engineer
KenyaBuilt a cleantech business
BerlinJoined a VC fundThe other side of the table.
Climentum CapitalCo-founded a €150M climate tech fund30+ startups in five years.
EverywhereClimate InsidersNewsletter, podcast, 92K+ on LinkedIn.
Today, New York and LisbonAll-StarYour round, with an all-star team behind it.

my voice

What I stand for

Scores and rankings from Favikon, the platform that ranks creators. The rest is what I put on my profile.

Yoann's interests

I care about: Sustainability, environmental awareness, biodiversity
I write about: Climate tech, venture capital, climate entrepreneurs
Creators I look up to: Justin Welsh, Lubomila Jordanova, Elena Doms
Brands that inspire me: Patagonia, Stripe, Notpla

Favikon says

99.1/100Authority score

100/100Authenticity score

#1Environment and Energy on LinkedIn, United States
#1Climate Tech on LinkedIn, worldwide
#3Climate Tech, all platforms, worldwide
160+creator badges

See my Favikon spotlight →

Most influential climate voices in the US, by Favikon score

1Yoann BernoFounder, Climate Insiders99.1
2Scott StrazikCEO, GE Vernova97.4
3Kate BrandtChief Sustainability Officer, Google96.7
4Melanie NakagawaChief Sustainability Officer, Microsoft95.6
5Kara HurstChief Sustainability Officer, Amazon95.4
6Jennifer MorrisCEO, The Nature Conservancy95.3

a newsletter guy, ahead of the CSOs of Google, Microsoft and Amazon. still pinching myself.

Yoann's Top 8

KeiranEntocycle

ManouAnodyne Chemistries

Chern-HooiNew Iridium

CimberleyAccelerate Health

AndresStrong By Form

JackHephaestus Fusion

FrancescaFounder member

ThomasFounder member

Founders I backed, advised or brought into the room.

the comments section

Founders, in their own words

Six founders I worked with on their rounds. Not a script, not an agency. Their words.

Keiran WhitakerFounder, Entocycle

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

$5M Series A

Andres MitnikFounder, Strong By Form

“Within a span of less than two months, he confirmed the investment and promptly connected us with some of the top investors in the industry. Available, strategic, and empathetic.”

Seed, 10 investors

Chern-Hooi LimCEO, New Iridium

“Our Seed success story is closely tied to Climate Insiders and his exceptional network within the Climate Tech domain.”

$2.65M Seed

Cimberley GrossManaging Director, Accelerate Health

“I tried the usual LinkedIn outreach, DM by DM, no result and super frustrating. This helped me reframe my background as the moat.”

$1.2M Seed

Manou DaviesCTO, Anodyne Chemistries

“Grateful for Yoann's patience to help fine tune our pitch and introductions to amazing VCs!”

$6.2M Seed

Jack ZamattioFounder, Hephaestus Fusion

“His extensive network in the Climate sector is like a golden ticket to all major funds.”

Pre-seed closed

and from people who took my climate VC course ↓

Helena Tyszka PowellCourse student

“Tangible tools shared generously; worth months of research.”

Michele MorabitoCo-founder, Climate Angel Fund

“Real-life case studies help put oneself in investor's shoes.”

Kenan HodzicVP Engineering

“Incredibly comprehensive and accessible introduction to climate investing.”

Some of the founders I backed:

how I fundraise

An art, and a science

Most founders run a raise like a campaign. I run it like a craft. Every piece has to fit, so that when it clicks, the momentum is hard to stop.

the rule of the game

Venture is a power law.

In every space, one company ends up with most of the money. Once the signalling investors are in, everyone else wants in. That company becomes the category leader. My job is to make it yours.

Illustrative

The usual raise

A deck built over a weekend
Spray the investor list, hope for replies
The founder carries it all alone
Stop, start, burn out between rounds

The All-Star way

Story, vision and positioning first
Stress tested for market readiness before any intro
Five crafts, one plan
Always on, tracked weekly, never overwhelming

a Japanese blade is folded again and again until it is perfect. we treat your company's foundations the same way.

Five crafts. One click.

tap a piece ↓

click.

YoannStory, strategy, the whole raise

I work on your story, vision and positioning. I stress test your market readiness, then build the blend: material, data room and outreach system. Weeks feel monitored and controlled, never overwhelming. Fundraising is always on, and big wins take time. Eight years of doing this taught me the flow.

Unlocks: a story investors repeat for you

SeraDeck and materials

Sera turns that story into a boutique-level deck that makes investors, customers, partners and hires stop. Your slides are your shop window. If you aim for the moon, you need to look the part.

Unlocks: a deck that already looks like the category leader

FerdinandLeadership and mindset

Ferdinand stress tests your mindset and helps you lead from authenticity, alignment and flow, not bravado. World-class VCs feel that difference. So do customers and future hires. This is work at the culture level.

Unlocks: a founder people want to back

JoannOperations and data

Joann makes sure you never drop the ball. Think chief of chiefs of staff: processes, follow-ups, and the human and AI mechanics that keep output high, week in, week out. A raise is a long run.

Unlocks: a raise that runs like clockwork

LauraVoice and reach

Laura makes your voice heard and grows your reach. We cracked this for our own brands, 200K+ followers across five platforms, and the same method works for company voices.

Unlocks: investors who already know your name

★

YouThe category leader

The last piece is you. When every piece fits, the round stops feeling like a grind. Signalling investors lean in, others follow, and momentum starts to build on its own.

Unlocks: momentum

start here

A 6-week sprint

123456

The heavy lifting: story, deck, data room, outreach system, leadership and voice. About 80% of the foundation in place.

then

Always on

We keep supporting, so the seeds we plant keep delivering, round after round.

together we play like an orchestra. Eight years of fine tuning, one composition, compounding rewards. Book your assessment →

so, what is All-Star?

Your round, with an all-star team behind it.

For deeptech companies raising a Series A or B that want to lead their category. Tell me where you are stuck. We start with the 6-week sprint and bring in exactly the crafts you need. One fixed fee. No success fees.

Book your assessment → or read the full program

from my notebook