Patrick Sieb, Climate Tech Partners: Getting into the weeds of VC due diligence and corporate partnerships

Date: 8 April 2026

In this episode of The SAF Podcast, Oscar is joined by Patrick Sieb, Managing Partner at Climate Tech Partners, for a conversation on what it really takes to finance and scale sustainable aviation fuel. From Series A climate tech investing to corporate-startup partnerships and the infrastructure challenges behind SAF production, Patrick shares a practical investor’s view on how promising technologies can move from early traction to commercial deployment.

Climate Tech Partners investment model is based on deep due diligence, originating from his time a Macquarie, with focus in Transport, Energy and Mining sectors. 

We dive into a variety of topics including:

• How Climate Tech Partners approaches Series A climate tech investing and why that stage can be critical for SAF and other capital-intensive technologies
• Why bridging the “valley of death” remains one of the biggest challenges for deep tech and aviation decarbonisation startups
• How corporate relationships can help de-risk investments, including Climate Tech Partners’ work with Qantas and Airbus
• The practicalities of running a VC fund, raising capital from LPs and portfolio diversification
• What the dedicated sidecar investment vehicle means for aviation-focused climate technologies and SAF-related opportunities
• Why SAF scale-up depends on much more than strong technology, including the role of feedstock, infrastructure, energy and financing
• What investors are really looking for when assessing techno-economics, commercial traction and science risk
• Why climate tech is shifting from “moonshot” narratives to more pragmatic pathways focused on cost parity and bankability
• How Australia and the wider APAC region could fit into the future of sustainable aviation fuel production and aviation decarbonisation

Also another reminder that we are still accepting applications for the SAF Investor Deal of the Year awards. If you worked on a deal we would love for you to submit it via the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwrzV8VN8oqA6c-e0GMlgZmttTQ-U-1D9XxnOgeeQV-ITeiQ/viewform?usp=header