Issue #6 | October 2025
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Why sustainability marketing fails (and how to fix it)
You’re able to reduce the cost of energy storage and create more economically efficient adoption… [and] provide backup power, operational reliability, and peak shaving… there’s a really good ROI for adopting energy storage.
A tidal wave of retired EV batteries is approaching, and climate founders who can turn them into bankable storage will own the opportunity. By 2030, estimates suggest ~1,000 GWh of batteries will retire annually, while today only ~2 GWh of repurposing capacity exists. This gap is market failure waiting to be solved.
That’s where second-life solutions come in. In our latest podcast episode, I sat down with Nick Nesbitt, founder of Mapleview Energy, who’s building commercial-scale energy storage from these retired packs. His approach doesn’t lean on green credentials, it leans on economics, modular design, and consultative trust. It’s a playbook that transforms “waste” into reliable, revenue-generating infrastructure.
The perception problem
The biggest challenge for climate tech isn't always the technology, it's how we position it in the market.
Most sustainability startups lead with environmental virtue. Mapleview flips that script:
Lead with economic efficiency: Repurposed EV batteries deliver reliable storage at a lower cost.
Make reliability the hook: Backup power and demand-charge reduction matter more to operators than “carbon impact.”
Let sustainability be proof, not pitch: Using existing resources shows operational intelligence, not virtue signalling.
The takeaway: Don’t just say your solution makes smart business sense — show it. Use customer data, performance modelling, and cost savings to make your impact measurable and your value undeniable.
From the archives: when simplicity sells big
What made it work? Instead of layering on technical specs or overexplaining, Nike stripped everything down to a universal call to action. The brand stopped trying to be all things to all people and embraced clarity, turning simplicity itself into its greatest strength.
The climate marketing lesson: Don’t bury your solution in complexity or climate jargon. Position it with a crisp, compelling promise—like cutting costs, guaranteeing uptime, or unlocking hidden capacity. Simplicity builds more confidence (and adoption) than lofty environmental language ever could.
Case study: the chicken-and-egg challenge of hardware startups
Nick shared a revealing glimpse into the rollercoaster of building a climate tech hardware startup:
Last week, my CTO quit on me… we finished our lab tests… I unlocked two grants… and then I had one of the best energy offtake conversations at the end of the week.
This perfectly illustrates the challenge facing hardware-focused climate startups: you need to develop technology before you can sell it, but you need market validation to secure the funding to build it.
Mapleview's approach to breaking this cycle:
Using accelerator programs strategically to advance technology readiness
Building relationships with potential customers by analyzing their energy data
Creating "design partnerships" that could evolve into commercial pilots
Securing grants to bridge funding gaps while developing the technology
The principle: For climate hardware startups, the path to market requires parallel tracks of technology development and relationship building, not sequential stages.
Three practical takeaways from Mapleview’s playbook
1. Lead with economics, not ethics: Nick approaches potential customers with a focus on reducing energy costs and improving operational reliability—benefits that directly impact their bottom line. The environmental advantage is presented as a bonus, not the primary value proposition.
2. Know your numbers by hand: Despite the availability of AI tools, Nick models his business economics manually to ensure he understands every input and output. As he puts it: "I want to understand intimately the inputs and outputs of the business, and not rely on AI for that, especially at this early stage."
3. Take a consultative sales approach: Rather than pushing a product, Mapleview takes potential customers through a methodical process: "Introducing yourself first, learning about their pain points, taking this consultative approach, signing an NDA, getting some energy data, modelling out the energy data, building a report..."
What's working now: the second-life value proposition
The most effective positioning for circular economy solutions isn't just about saving the planet, it's about unlocking hidden value in existing resources.
Here’s the market math:
The strategy: Demand for energy storage is surging. A massive supply of underutilized batteries is on the way. The founders who can capture this stranded value—not just recycle it—will own the category.
Listen to the full conversation
For more insights on building a hardware-focused climate tech startup and navigating the circular economy, check out my full interview with Nick on The Capitalist Hippie podcast.
In the episode, he also covers:
How he strategically used multiple accelerator programs to advance his technology
The surprising market segments showing the most promise for commercial-scale battery storage
His approach to maintaining focus as a solo founder riding the startup rollercoaster