Tell Your Time by the Sun
Every month Optimal’s tribe gets an update, an ask, and a story from me (I am sharing the story after I provide a bit of context for its genesis).
This month has already been filled with some really big opportunities, especially in terms of relationships with potential investors, partners, and most importantly customers. And on the heels of everything, a friend shared with me that two well-known investors said to him, a black man in cleantech:
“I don’t believe the pipeline of black cleantech startups is significant” and
“There are no blacks in cleantech”
Hearing that was like a compendium of “do we not bleed”, “[you] see dead people” (what, are we ghost), “I think therefore I am” (and I think that these guys are full of it and I am tired of it), and the list goes on.
I remember speaking to a woman about an investment. She told me that because the world would (and I am paraphrasing) discount me that her risk associated with my investment would need to be compensated by lowering our valuation. I said to her, you want to give me a “Black Tax” because we will pay a “Black Tax” (FYI, two different quotes for Black Tax).
And so, to hear that investors are not actively looking for a different take on cleantech and possibly would be dismissive of it when they see it, cuts to the bone. Note the gentlemen that shared with me what was being said is well known and respected in cleantech. He went to battle with these investors and laid out a pipeline of black startups that were investible and he shared that their journey is markedly different than their current portfolio. His next step was strategic. He shared the difference is evidence of its value and competitive advantage as the solution isn’t same old same old. Further, these founders are fantastically resilient.
One of my mentors once said that everybody your color isn’t your kind and everybody who is your kind isn’t your color. I agree. My kind is my TRIBE. Optimal has a terrific tribe and together we will make the world a better place. Thank you for reading and hopefully this context helps you to better understand the story below.
Sharing the note
My mother grew up in rural Georgia where she had to enter stores from the rear, had to call young children ma’am and sir if they were white, had to sharecrop before going to school, and was the last of 13 kids.
One thing that she learned from this was that it was her choice as to how she reacted to externalities. She would say, “I ain’t studdin’ ya. If you were a clock on the wall, I’d tell the time by the sun.” She taught me that. I learned two salient things from that saying.
1) Know your tribe. Don’t let those who are not part of your tribe get you off your game. “Do not studdin’ them.”
2) Know your alternatives. Don’t let anyone dictate your path, ever. Find the sun when you need to know “what time it is”.
I lost my mom 12 years ago to breast cancer, but her wisdom still guides me. Thank you for being a part of my tribe and accepting me into yours. And it goes without saying, I’m not studdin’ those that don’t know what time it is. Why? Optimal is launching technology to turn more sunlight into electricity and making sure people don’t waste their power.
