E125: Inside a Top VC's Playbook: AI, Energy, Geopolitics & What's Next

In this episode of 10X Growth Strategies recorded live at SF Climate Week, founder and host Preethy Padmanabhan sits down with Rajesh Swaminathan, Partner at Khosla Ventures. Drawing on decades of deep tech and climate investing experience, Rajesh breaks down how AI and energy infrastructure have become deeply intertwined, why Climate 2.0 requires a fundamental focus on techno-economics, and how startups can successfully integrate into existing legacy infrastructure.

 

In this episode, we discuss:

 

• Why baseload clean energy is the ultimate bottleneck for AI scale and data centers
• Super hot rock geothermal and nuclear fusion as game-changers for 5-cent kilowatt-hour clean power
• Solving compute limitations through chip stacking, panel-based approaches, and photonic interconnects
• Rebuilding U.S. manufacturing leadership across semiconductors, photonics, and energy
• Strategic learnings moving from CleanTech 1.0 to Climate 2.0
• "David AND Goliath": Why integrating into legacy infrastructure beats trying to replace it
• Top investment themes for the next 3 years: digital grid management, critical minerals, cement, and bio-manufacturing
• What transforms high-risk science into a venture-scalable company with massive impact

Whether you are a deep tech founder, investor, or policy strategist navigating the intersection of AI, climate, and energy—this conversation offers critical insights for building enduring companies.

 

10X Growth Strategies is a community founded by Preethy Padmanabhan, started as a podcast five years ago and now grown into a community of over 14,000 founders, investors, and executives across Luma and LinkedIn. The community hosts monthly events on timely topics in tech, AI, and entrepreneurship.

 

Connect:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/10x-growth-strategies/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/preepadu/
Website: https://grow10x.podbean.com/
Luma: https://luma.com/user/preepadu

 

#AI #Energy #ClimateTech #DeepTech #AIInfrastructure #Geothermal #NuclearFusion #Semiconductors #VentureCapital #10XGrowthStrategies

Chapters:

00:00:09 - 00:01:10 - Welcome to SF Climate Week & 10X Community Intro

00:01:11 - 00:02:25 - The 10X Growth Strategies Mission & Sponsorships

00:02:26 - 00:03:33 - Introducing Rajesh Swaminathan (Khosla Ventures)

00:03:34 - 00:04:26 - 18 Years in Deep Tech: Journey into Climate Investing

00:04:27 - 00:06:00 - Climate 1.0 vs. 2.0: The AI + Energy Paradigm Shift

00:06:01 - 00:09:02 - Geothermal & Fusion: Energy as the Deciding Factor in the AI Race

00:09:03 - 00:11:43 - Next-Gen Compute: Chip Stacking, Photonics & U.S. Manufacturing

00:11:44 - 00:13:34 - Geopolitics, Policy Inconsistency & Building Resilient Infrastructure

00:13:35 - 00:16:12 - Techno-Economics: How Khosla Ventures Structures Seed to Late-Stage Risk

00:16:13 - 00:18:44 - The "David and Goliath" Integration Strategy for Hard Tech

00:18:45 - 00:19:35 - High-Priority Themes: AI for Digital Grid, Critical Minerals & EV/Robotics

00:19:36 - 00:23:25 - Audience Q&A: Geopolitical Friction vs. Founder Execution

00:23:26 - 00:24:38 - Vertical Integration vs. Partnering with Legacy Industries

00:24:39 - 00:25:39 - Audience Q&A: Bio-Based Compute and Manufacturing

00:25:40 - 00:27:20 - What Separates a Venture-Scale Startup from a Science Project