Cleantech

In Kyle’s notes cleantech surfaces as one of Village Capital’s five program sectors — fintech, education, health, agriculture/agtech, and energy/cleantech — each running a 12-company accelerator/development program with ~2 investments per sector. It is one of the two sectors Inder Takhar primarily covers at the firm (alongside fintech), per his June 2018 call. The reference is categorical rather than deeply developed: cleantech here denotes the energy/clean-energy slice of an impact-focused, sector-specialized venture portfolio spanning the US, LatAm, East Africa, and India.

Context: “Cleantech” (clean technology) refers to products and services that improve operational performance while reducing environmental impact — solar, wind, energy storage, efficiency, water, and related categories. The term was widely used in 2000s–2010s venture investing and has since largely been folded into or rebranded as Climate Tech, which frames the same space around decarbonization rather than resource efficiency.

Where this appears

• Village Capital — energy/cleantech is one of the firm’s five named accelerator sectors and one of Inder Takhar’s primary coverage areas.