STEP 1:
Explore the Problem Landscape

Step 1 is all about diving headfirst into the "problem landscape." Think of it as putting on your detective hat and zooming out to see the big picture of global climate and energy challenges. The goal? To shift your focus from overwhelming societal issues—like rising greenhouse gases or extreme weather events—to specific, solvable problems that you, as an entrepreneur, can tackle. It’s like going from “climate change is bad” to “how can I reduce methane leaks in natural gas pipelines?” This step sets the stage for everything else by helping you identify where your skills and passions can make the biggest impact.

Why is this step so critical? Because climate change is a beast of a problem, and you need a structured approach to avoid getting lost in the chaos. This step gives you the tools to analyze the issues systematically, breaking them down into manageable pieces. For example, you’ll explore how greenhouse gases are driving global warming and how that’s triggering everything from wildfires to floods. But it’s not just doom and gloom—this step also highlights opportunities for innovation, like creating solutions to adapt to or mitigate these impacts. It’s about finding that sweet spot where your entrepreneurial drive meets a pressing need.

You also estimate the Climate Total Addressable Market (Climate TAM) for each problem segment, which measures the maximum potential impact on the climate. Metrics like emissions reductions, warming avoided, or economic losses prevented help determine whether solving a problem will matter. A large Climate TAM signals significant opportunities for impact, ensuring entrepreneurs focus on challenges with meaningful planetary benefits.

By the end of this step, entrepreneurs will have a clear understanding of the problem they aim to solve, why it matters, and how it aligns with their skills and motivations. This clarity not only fuels the next stages of venture creation but also increases the likelihood of developing solutions that are both impactful and scalable.