Berlin · 7 evenings · 8 seats each
Climate Deep Tech Research Roundtable
Small evenings for people who build climate deep tech or study how it gets funded and scaled. First evening on 18 November 2026.
See all datesMaterials engineer → deep-tech VC → PhD researcher
Jannis Duckek
Better materials. Cleaner factories. The money to build them.
I want advanced materials, industrial processes and big factories to deliver for the climate, and the people who build them to get funded. I research how, as a PhD candidate at the University of Münster. Based in Berlin.
01Now · October 2026
- Defining climate deep tech and testing the definition on EIC data. PhD with Prof. Jan vom Brocke at ERCIS, University of Münster.
- YFN Incubator. I co-run the incubator of the Young Founders Network and lead its group leads in batch 3.
- Circular value. Revising a paper on electronics refurbishment platforms with Florian Lüdeke-Freund.
02Research
Climate deep tech
A scientific invention and a climate mission in one product.
Think of a new process that makes cement with far less CO₂: every tonne sold replaces a tonne made the old way. Quantum computing is deep tech without a climate mission. Carbon accounting software is climate tech without an invention. Climate deep tech needs both. The two kinds need different money on different timelines, so telling them apart matters.
A venture counts if its core offering
- arests on an inventionof scientific or engineering origin, with a physical core and platform potential
- bserves a stated climate missiona named climate problem is the primary mission, by mitigation or adaptation
- ccontains a climate levereach unit sold, licensed or deployed replaces a route with higher emissions or higher climate risk
Working definition, October 2026. Builds on Kortsch et al. (2026) and Sheldon and Lüdeke-Freund (2023).
Publications
- In revisionDuckek, J. A., & Lüdeke-Freund, F. Orchestrating circular value beyond the firm: evidence from electronics refurbishment platforms.
- 2024Hadian, A., Duckek, J., Parrilli, A., Liersch, A., & Clemens, F. Additive manufacturing of fiber-reinforced zirconia-toughened alumina ceramic matrix composites by material extrusion-based technology. Advanced Engineering Materials. doi:10.1002/adem.202302158
03Path
- 2026 – nowPhD candidate, University of Münster (ERCIS)Climate deep tech, supervised by Prof. Jan vom Brocke.
- 2026Visiting Catalyst Associate, Marvelous Deep Tech VCScreened 150+ decks in advanced materials, waste cascading and carbon capture. Led Deep Tech Runway 2026: 6 open innovation challenges with 30+ startups and corporate buyers, and a pilot with Maxion Wheels. Grew the catalyst network from 6 to 60+ people, with members from CERN, Oxford, the Max Planck Institute, Equinor and HELM.
- 2025 – nowYoung Founders Network incubatorCoached 7 idea-stage teams. The flagship team won Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Berlin (€10k).
- 2025 – 2026Board advisor, KregTechPositioning and fundraising for a sustainability-reporting platform (CSRD/ESRS).
- 2024 – 2025Open innovation and startup programmesAmbivation: 300+ companies screened for corporate challenges. Impact Hub Berlin: programmes for 20+ startups. A 10-year market forecast for Beiersdorf (NIVEA) via ESCP.
- 2023 – 2025MSc Sustainability Entrepreneurship and Innovation, ESCP Business SchoolBerlin and Paris. Top 10% of the cohort.
- 2019 – 2023BSc Ceramics Industrial Engineering, Hochschule KoblenzSix months of research at Empa and ETH Zürich on 3D-printed ceramic composites.
04Work with me
30 minutes · online
Let's talk
You research, build, fund or regulate hard tech? Book a call or write me.
Roundtable calendar
All evenings, with a button to request a seat. The calendar comes from Luma: loading it sends data such as your IP address to Luma Labs in the US, and Luma sets cookies. Privacy
05Off the clock
Ceramics, physics and crazy ideas. Books, yoga, my bike, long walks in nature, music, and going out in Berlin.