by Winter Wilson | Joules Accelerator | October 11, 2023
As a dual-degree student getting his Master of Environmental Management at Duke and Mba at UNC Kenan-Flagler, Lewis Demyan had been passionate about exploring the climate venture capital sector. Without experience in the world of climate technology, though, he had one question: where should he start?
“At the time, I was asking about what sort of career paths there were in the earlier-stage innovation side of climate tech,” Demyan said. “I was just beginning to understand the layout of venture capital, accelerators, incubators and the whole space in general.”
When an advisor recommended he take a look at Joules Accelerator, Demyan set up a meeting with the team. Even though Joules Accelerator was not a venture capital fund, Demyan saw an opportunity to learn more about the climate tech sector in an adjacent space. The conversation turned into an internship offer, and the internship turned into a project that explored venture capital investment opportunities for the accelerator.
“I was exploring this climate tech/venture capital space and trying to make sense of it,” said Demyan. “This was the first real application of what I was learning from my own research, readings, and podcasts. For me, this was a great way to apply all that and really think through what it would take to build out a venture fund.”
Over just ten weeks, Demyan modeled out what Joules Accelerator would look like if it had made investments in startups that had gone through the program. Joules, for context, is a certified nonprofit and does not take equity in its startups. Demyan also learned more generally about what companies in the climate technology sector make good investments. But the application of his classroom learning was not the only value add for Demyan.
“Outside of the work itself, a huge value add for me was just the network and getting to talk to some of the startups,” he said.
This network connected Demyan to Blue Bear Capital, where he landed an internship for the following semester. At Blue Bear Capital, Lewis explored market mapping, startup engagement and gained exposure to deal flow and more. To add to his already impressive resume, Demyan is also currently taking a summer internship at NextEra in Florida.
When Lewis looked back at his time at Joules, he had an answer for what type of students might be attracted to the internship program.
“I think anyone who is interested in the slightest bit with earlier stage climate technology, whether they’re thinking of starting a company or want to work for a startup company after school, or they want to kind of want to work in the venture space, or work for an incubator, I would really encourage them to work with Joules for a lot of reasons, but primarily the exposure to that space” said Demyan. “As you go to more events, you start to know the people in this space, whether its founders, or folks at Joules or VCs, everybody kind of knows each other, it’s a small world! Working with Joules got me started in that world.’
Are you or someone you know interested in internships in the climate technology and clean energy startup space? Learn more and apply now at joulesaccelerator.com/internships