Investor Advisor with Claudio Colombo

Meet our featured investor, Claudio Colombo. He is the General Partner at NextSTEP, the venture capital arm of NextEnergy Group, where he focuses on pre-seed ClimateTech investments. Claudio works closely with early-stage founders building solutions across energy, circular economy, sustainable mobility, agritech, water, advanced materials, and industrial decarbonization. Passionate about innovation and sustainability, he is particularly interested in startups capable of driving scalable industrial transformation while creating measurable environmental impact.

1 – Tell us more about yourself

I’m Claudio Colombo, a ClimateTech investor and innovation operator focused on supporting early-stage startups tackling some of the world’s biggest environmental and industrial challenges.

I’m the General Partner of NextSTEP, the venture capital arm of NextEnergy Group, where we focus primarily on pre-seed ClimateTech investments across sectors such as energy, circular economy, sustainable mobility, water, agritech, advanced materials and industrial decarbonization.

Over the years, I’ve worked closely with founders, universities, accelerators, corporates and investors to help build a stronger ClimateTech ecosystem between Italy and the international market. Beyond investing, I’m deeply passionate about innovation and helping founders turn ambitious ideas into scalable businesses with measurable impact.

What excites me most about ClimateTech is that we are entering a period where sustainability is no longer just an ethical conversation, it is becoming one of the largest industrial and economic transformations of our generation.

2 – What do you usually want to see in a startup before you decide to look into it further?

At the pre-seed stage, I don’t expect perfection. What I look for is clarity of thinking, founder quality and evidence that the team deeply understands the problem they are solving.

One of the most important signals is whether founders are obsessed with the problem rather than attached only to the solution. Markets evolve, products pivot and technologies change, but founders who truly understand the pain point tend to adapt faster and build more resilient companies.

I also pay close attention to:

• Founder-market fit

• Speed of execution

• Ability to communicate clearly

• Early validation signals

• Technical or strategic defensibility

• Market timing

In ClimateTech specifically, I also evaluate whether the solution can realistically scale within existing industrial, regulatory and economic frameworks. Great technology alone is not enough, adoption matters.

3 – Based on your experience, what are some of the frequent mistakes that startups make in their first steps?

One of the most common mistakes is trying to appear bigger or more advanced than they actually are.

Investors understand that early-stage startups are imperfect. What matters more is honesty, clarity and self-awareness. Founders sometimes spend too much time creating the “perfect” pitch deck while avoiding difficult questions around distribution, customer validation, economics or execution risk.

Another frequent mistake is building in isolation without speaking enough with customers, industry players or potential users. Founders can become overly focused on technology and underestimate the importance of market adoption.

I also see many startups trying to raise capital too early before demonstrating enough conviction or traction. Fundraising should accelerate momentum, not create it from zero.

4 – How can startups in the Pre-Seed stage increase their chances of attracting investors’ interest?

Pre-seed investors invest primarily in people, vision and execution potential.

Founders can significantly increase their chances by showing:

• Strong understanding of the market

• Clear articulation of the problem

• Ability to execute quickly

• Evidence of learning velocity

• Focus and prioritization

Even small validation signals can make a big difference:

• Pilot customers

• Industry partnerships

• Technical prototypes

• User engagement

• Letters of intent

• Early revenues

Another key aspect is communication. The best founders are often able to explain highly complex problems in an extremely simple and compelling way.

Finally, founders should remember that fundraising is not only about capital. Investors look for long-term relationships. Authenticity, resilience, and coachability often matter more than polished presentations.

Thank you Claudio for the interview! Connect with Claudio on LinkedIn: Claudio Colombo