Why this storage investor is choosing execution risk over technology risk

Investments are shifting focus to late-venture and early-growth storage bets that scale proven business models rather than novel chemistries or technologies.

From ESS News

Even before the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBA) sent seismic waves through the clean energy industry, 2025 wasn’t off to the best start for energy storage hardware companies.

Recent high-profile bankruptcies from industry giants like Powin and Li-Cycle pulled back any remaining cloth covering just how much capital-intensive, hardware-heavy startups can struggle to stay afloat. For some investors, that can be enough of a push to alter their strategies.

“We’re taking execution risks, not technology risks or product-market fit risks,” Bala Nagarajan, a managing director of the energy investment team at S2G Investments told ESS News. He explained that investors are re-evaluating risks around investing in more nascent technologies, as there are more variables outside of a company’s control.

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