In this episode of DeepTech Unleashed, host Christian Noske talks to Benoit Lemaignan, a key player in Europe’s battery industry who, as CEO and Co-Founder of @Verkor, has raised €2bn to support Verkor’s mission to fast-track low‑carbon battery production. Their discussion centres on the two critical yet contrasting phases every founder must face, crisis and expansion, through the prism of the battery industry.
Topics include:
The importance of European strategic autonomy
The investments Europe needs to make in fusion and hydrogen
Why Benoit is excited about SMRs and decarbonisation
What Europe has ‘forgotten’ about manufacturing in the age of outsourcing
The European mindset v the US mindset
The role of management boards in crisis spotting
Managing risk through doing things ‘one step at a time’
Revisiting traditional concepts of risk
The urge to push during an expansion phase
Changing speed during expansion can be as difficult as managing a crisis
The vision skill set vs the execution skill set
How humility and letting go are important to both phases
Chapters
00:00 Navigating Expansion and Crisis in Startups
02:39 The Vision Behind Vercor
05:42 The Importance of Electrification and Decarbonization
08:58 The European Startup Mindset and Innovation
12:15 Governance and Execution in New Ventures
14:50 Balancing Expansion and Crisis Management
18:49 The Role of Leadership in Crisis and Growth
23:32 Risk Management and Strategic Planning
27:24 Recruitment Challenges and Team Dynamics
30:34 The Rewards of Overcoming Challenges
34:53 Future Trends in Battery Technology and Decarbonization
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.