S9: E4. Building the World's Thermometer ft. Camilla Taylor (SatVu)

Camilla Taylor is CFO of SatVu. She holds a degree in Biological Sciences from Oxford University, a master's in Environmental Economics, and an MBA from Columbia and London Business Schools. This academic background provides the ideal foundation for her work at the intersection of environmental sustainability and financial strategy.

Camilla’s extensive experience of securing funding and scaling companies has prepared her well for this role, overseeing financial operations and assisting in closing a fundraise of £20 million for the business in 2024. SatVu’s mission is to become the "world’s thermometer from space”, by launching high-res thermal imaging satellites that collect thermal data that enables monitoring of energy efficiency, and climate change mitigation efforts.

1:56 - Intro to SatVu

4:29 - Camilla’s career journey into climate

7:22 - Camilla’s move from investor into an operator / CFO role

8:29 - How Camilla’s academic and investor background has helped her as an operator

10:31 - How Camilla came to meet the team at SatVu

13:30 - Are there common themes seen across scaling startups?

16:40 - At what point should a startup to bring in a CFO?

20:17 - What are some of the main financial mistakes in startups? What can be done to avoid these?

25:23 - What was the key to SatVu’s fundraising success? And what are investors looking for?

28:39 - What challenges and risks has SatVu faced?

30:34 - What was the impact of the satellite loss across the business in 2023?

32:17 - How did the satellite loss impact investor confidence?

33:54 - What stood out about how SatVu’s leadership handled the satellite failure?

34:40 - SatVu’s plans for the future

36:37 - SatVu’s work alongside conflict of interest and international data access

37:40 - Where to find out more about SatVu and watch their satellite launches

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