Carolin Funk
PartnerBlue Bear Capital
Dr. Carolin Funk has worked on the energy transition over the course of the past 20 years across university research, government agencies, large corporations, early-stage ventures, and VC. Carolin is a Partner at Blue Bear Capital, investing at the intersection of climate tech and digital enterprise transformation. Blue Bear is a venture capital and early growth equity firm driving the expansion of digital technologies into multibillion-dollar verticals across the energy, infrastructure, and climate industries. Blue Bear's portfolio covers operational AI, IoT, and cybersecurity technologies deployed with enterprise customers to drive connectivity and efficiency across the world's most critical industries.
Before joining Blue Bear, Carolin served as COO of Caban Systems and FreeWire Technologies, energy storage businesses based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before FreeWire, Carolin was the Manager and then Director of Venture Technology at Siemens, where her focus areas included product innovation for smart grid, autonomous machines, big data, and AI. Carolin began her career in Germany as a Research Associate at the Technical University of Berlin and Project Director at the Germany Energy Agency. Carolin holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the Technical University of Berlin.
Carolin Funk’s Session(s):
1:40 pm–2:25 pm | Thu, March 21, 2024
VC Funding: An Investor’s Perspective on Raising Capital in the EV Space
In the EV space, it’s easy to start a business but more challenging to be successful. You can’t pick up the paper without reading a negative article on EVs. How do you ignore the present day and look to the future to find innovative business models positioned for success?
In this panel, you’ll hear various investors’ views on raising capital in the EV space, including those investing in software and hardware at different funding stages. They’ll share the trends they’re seeing that can help position your business for success and external factors (like the upcoming election) that could impact investment decisions. Don’t miss this critical conversation for any business owner raising capital.