Leadership Spotlight: Climate Tech Vertical Co-Lead, Sydney Chiu

Sydney Chiu is a Senior Associate at Clearvision Ventures and focuses on investing in early stage as well as growth stage companies at the intersection of sustainability, infrastructure, and technology. She started off her career in investment banking at Deutsche Bank in the NYC Industrials group, covering industries such as transportation, diversified conglomerates, and industrial tech. Prior to Clearvision, Sydney was at Apple in Cupertino, working to bridge supply chain shortages as well as plan cost and operations strategy across both sustaining and future products. Sydney has a BSBA in Finance from Washington University in St. Louis. In her free time, Sydney enjoys practicing martial arts, attending music events, and finding ways to practice sustainability on a regular basis.

EVCA: Could you explain more about what you do in your roles at EVCA?

Sydney: Similar to the leadership of the other verticals, the goal is centered around fostering collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and professional growth within the Climate Tech community. Whether through roundtable discussions, speaker events, or informal gatherings, I aim to create opportunities for investors to collaborate and build relationships. I look forward to contributing more to EVCA as one of the Climate Tech vertical leaders.

EVCA: What made you interested in taking a leadership role at EVCA?

Sydney: Since being a member of EVCA, I’ve had the opportunity to experience the benefits of being a part of the organization. From the regular events and 1:1 coffee chats to the annual summit, EVCA was the medium to connect with other investors and share thoughts, whether it was about specific opportunities or advancing one’s career in VC. I decided to take on a leadership role in EVCA in order to be more involved in creating that impact for others, just as it had done for me.

EVCA: What is your most contrarian view on an existing or emerging technology trend?

Sydney: This perspective isn’t contrarian to any single technology trend, but rather applies to how most emerging technologies tend to follow a hype cycle. We’ve seen this before, from the cleantech boom of the 2000s to today’s excitement around GenAI, nuclear, etc. The business of venture capital, by nature, is one that is inherently optimistic and forward-looking; we focus on upside and potential, seeing opportunity where others may see risk and backing the companies that we believe with shape the future. Part of that is also recognizing bubble-like behavior, anticipating corrections, and navigating downturns strategically, perhaps even exploiting the bust by doubling down on category leaders. Although the feedback loop in VC may be lengthier than in other markets, this dynamic isn’t unique to venture. Boom-and-bust cycles play out across the entire capital stack from late-stage growth rounds to debt and public markets, etc., where the peak of the hype cycle leads to inflated valuations, aggressive portfolio write-ups, and, ultimately, painful corrections. Once those market shifts happen, it becomes even more apparent who the category leaders are. The real challenge – and opportunity – is maintaining capital discipline through all phases of the cycle and distinguishing short-term momentum from the long-term, sustainable competitive advantage that defines the winners.