This is the firm-defining post for Capitol Stack—why we invest in system-fluent founders and how we do it.

We back insider founders building climate infrastructure from within. The ones who already know where the wires are buried.

Capitol Stack: Backing Founders Who Know Where the Wires Are Buried

First-of-a-kind (FOAK) deployments are the graveyard of good climate tech. Venture doesn't want to touch them. Banks say come back later. And startups get stranded in the messy middle. Let's talk about how to close the gap.

Everyone loves a shiny pilot—but few fund the messy, expensive first commercial projects. Here’s how to bridge the FOAK gap.

Bridging the FOAK Gap: Why First Projects Stall—and How to Fund Them

Founders with proprietary climate datasets — from sensor logs to building meta-data — gain a defensibility edge that’s nearly impossible to replicate. In this post, we explore how bits beat moats.

Data isn’t the new oil — it’s the new asymmetry. Especially in climate, where unique, structured data sets create compounding advantages.

The Data Advantage: When Bits Beat Moats

While VCs chase hype cycles and prompt whisperers, the founders solving real climate bottlenecks are domain-heavy, IP-rich, and fluent in how systems actually work. Deep-tech talent isn’t niche—it’s the new alpha.

In climate tech, generalists talk in prompts—insiders build with sensor logs, PhD stacks, and hard-won systems fluency. Here’s why deep-tech talent is still the most mispriced asset class.

The Deep Tech Talent Stack: Why Domain Fluency Beats Generalist Hype

Smart founders use federal grants, catalytic capital, and concessionary debt to reduce dilution, de-risk pilots, and scale faster. Here's how to make the mix work.

Blended finance isn't just for NGOs. It's a cap table superpower for climate founders who know how to splice it right.

Capital Without Dilution: Blended Finance for Climate Tech

Even the best tech can die in procurement if you miss the org chart. Here’s how climate founders win complex sales—by mapping influence, budget, and decision velocity.

In regulated markets, it’s never one person buying. Climate founders must learn how to sell to entire committees.

Buying Committees Are Your Real Customer

In climate, community isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the foundation: a trusted network that accelerates pilots, deepens credibility, and helps carry the emotional and operational weight of solving complex systems.

In climate, community isn’t fluff — it’s your operating system. Support, trust, reach, and resilience all begin with who’s around the table.

Building the Community Stack

The best climate startups don’t start with invention — they start with customers in pain. Urgency, not elegance, drives adoption.

In climate tech, the best startups don’t start with invention — they start with pain. Adoption beats innovation every time.

Customer First, Not Tech First

Smart climate capital goes beyond checks. It unlocks momentum, shortens sales cycles, and structures deals suited for the messy realities of hardtech and policy-heavy innovation.

In climate, not all capital is created equal. The right money doesn't just fund — it multiplies.

Capital Is Not a Commodity

The best founders in climate aren’t pivoting in from tech. They’re insiders building systems they used to operate. Their edge isn’t just code. It’s knowing where the system breaks — and how to fix it.

Code isn't just software. It's regulatory fluency, insider knowledge, and embedded judgment — the kind you can't fake or outsource.

Capitol Stack Blog

Capitol Stack: Backing Founders Who Know Where the Wires Are Buried

More from the Blog

Bridging the FOAK Gap: Why First Projects Stall—and How to Fund Them

The Data Advantage: When Bits Beat Moats

The Deep Tech Talent Stack: Why Domain Fluency Beats Generalist Hype

Historical Posts

Bridging the FOAK Gap: Why First Projects Stall—and How to Fund Them

The Data Advantage: When Bits Beat Moats

The Deep Tech Talent Stack: Why Domain Fluency Beats Generalist Hype

Capital Without Dilution: Blended Finance for Climate Tech

Buying Committees Are Your Real Customer

Building the Community Stack

Customer First, Not Tech First

Capital Is Not a Commodity

Code Is More Than Code